After MBA strategy for a mid-career aspirant

[pallavmishra]

Hi,

I am a mid-career MBA aspirant from India with about 10 years of experience in IT Project Management (what else?). I am planning to pursue an MBA in Strategy Management since I feel I can gain the necessary outlook that would help me look at my clients' issues more holistically than my current "IT centric" view. From a General Management standpoint, what do you think are the employability options? Here I am considering this concentration because I am assuming that it is very difficult, if not impossible, for a mid-career guy to switch career streams. But if it is possible, which areas are viable and lucrative areas to pursue in an MBA course and what are the post-MBA options?

Thank you. Quite a mouthful, my questions, but would really appreciate your response,

Regards,

Pallav

[Tani]

If you are looking to stay in the IT field, but want more breadth of understanding of the functions and industries your clients represent, think about either a European program or an Executive MBA. Many European schools and most EMBA programs are geared toward candidates with 8-15 year's experience. The programs tend to be shorter and are directed at giving the students a foundation outside their areas of expertise. They are not directed at true "career switchers", but at those who want to expand their scope while building on a strong foundation. That sounds more like what you are describing.

Good luck,

[pallavmishra]

Thanks, Tani, for your reply. However, knowing the IT industry, I believe I would like to hedge my risks and gain a broader worldview than stick to it. Even though I have 10 years of experience, I see value in a full-time MBA for a variety of reasons:
1. I want a globally accredited credential, and therefore seek to get a degree from a US school because I believe MBA as a professional education is better recognized in that part of the world than anywhere else.
2. Exec MBAs from US schools are prohibitively expensive. Not all Exec-MBA programs are really good, and the best ones are upwards of $120K tuition.
3. Full-time MBA programs provide the diverse setting that an exec program doesn't.
4. A classroom of execs would also bring in a classroom of fairly rigid set of thinking - something that today's innovation driven age call ill-afford. For instance, as an agile management advocate, I am struggling to make some of our more "experienced" managers change their thinking to more dynamic, agile ways of doing things. The median age of exec MBA programs is about 38, which seriously makes me think that I would be interacting more with such people than people who come with clean slates.

I somehow could never consider an Exec MBA program an MBA program. But at the same time, I would like to know if the world is open to mid-career career-switchers. I have been offered 100% tuition waivers from a few top 50 business schools for their full-time MBA programs.

Regards

Pallav

[Tani]

You are too harsh on Exec MBA programs. You say not all are good, but that is certainly true of all education programs. There are ranking systems to help you evaluate the quality. Many of the top schools in the world have outstanding EMBA programs taught by the same faculty as their full time MBA classes. Also, those people who decide to take the time to devote to a program in mid-career are the ones most likely to be open-minded. Also, my courses put the average age at between 32 and 34, very close to the age you would be at matriculation. Be sure you aren't stereotyping people based on age.

However, certainly a full-time MBA program is a great experience and you say you have tuition waiver offers, which certainly is an advantage. The issue with career switching is that even with an MBA, you will most likely be moving into a lower level in the new field than you hold in your current field. For many people that is not a problem, but it is certainly something to recognize. You would be competing against people whose pre-MBA experience was in your new field and would therefore be more valuable to a prospective employer. That said, many people do successfully change functions mid-career and certainly an MBA is a great help. You might consider looking for student blogs for the programs you are interested in to get direct feedback on the successes and obstacles their classmates face when trying to change careers.