DOES PART TIME MBA HELP IN CAREER PROGRESSION?
PARESH DHAKE
Many professionals take up part time MBA programs in an attempt to improve their skills and subsequently progress in their career by getting access to newer avenues of growth. To know whether a part time MBA or full time MBA is more suitable for you, it is imperative that you know the clear differences between them.
A full time MBA program is more thorough and completes all the courses under management. It offers great job opportunities in addition to internship benefits as invariably the business school will help you with placements too. You have the option of customizing your learning to suit your requirements by combining the elective subjects optimally. A full time course offers you ample extracurricular activities, group activities, college fests, student exchange programs among other resources and all these activities help you build your network and contacts.
A part time MBA is far less exciting and eventful and does not offer any placement aid. Classes are normally held over weekends and the course is designed targeting working professionals who wish to enhance their current profile. Driven by time crunches, academics take up most of the time. So, if you are a young professional with up to 2-3 of experience or with 7-8 years of experience and are looking out for a career change, then a fulltime MBA makes sense. However, if you only want to grow in your current profile, a part time MBA might make more sense.
Despite some negative aspects of the benefits of part time MBA courses enrollments for them have continued to see an increase. There are many research reports which state that part time MBA graduates including Executive MBA degree holders achieved a higher increase in pay hikes and promotions as against those who did not do the program.
Taking up a part time MBA illustrates your dynamism and energy to your employer that you are ready to put in more efforts to progress in your career. Some companies do promise better pay scales for employees acquiring additional qualifications that add value to your job profile.
A serious problem faced by part time MBA graduates is to prove to their current employers that they have learnt new capabilities. Driven by an existing history of employment, employers normally expect employees who have completed a part time MBA program to continue in their current position with little or change in terms of profile and/or remuneration.
It would, perhaps, be a prudent option to switch employers or have a change in career including moving to a startup company to put into practice the learning picked up in the part time management course. And this part time MBA certificate combined with work experience will add a lot of value to your resume Armed with the new and added experience and exposure, you could then think of reapplying for a higher position in your old organization.
A part time program like the Executive MBA program can get you a degree with a specialized accreditation to enhance core skills in a particular industry. For example, in the UK, Association of MBAs (Amba)-accredited institutes offer exclusive programs such as an Executive MBA in music and creative segments, or in global energy industry, or in healthcare management, or in oil and gas industry. These courses employ case studies from those specific industries to impart knowledge and skills to their students.
We are social animals and live off each other either wittingly or unwittingly. An MBA program will give you access to an increased social network putting you in contact with others both in your industry and other industries. And networking is the king, today. The more you network the more your chances of getting excellent job offers from around the world. Many students pursuing part time MBA courses are established professionals in their own fields and being part of their social circles will prove immensely beneficial in the future. Bonds created in MBA classrooms have known to last entire life times. Hence hard work, commitment combined with an MBA degree can work wonders for you.
The group activities which are an essential part of any MBA program helps you pick up team playing skills such as listening and disagreeing and challenging issues politely. These soft skills can help you become a better leader and manager and can make you a serious contender for promotions thereby increasing potential for improved growth in your career.
However, before jumping into any course, it is important to weigh the pros and cons. You should be aware that pursuing a part time course calls for tremendous amount of hard work t as you would need to put in more hours to meet both study and work commitments. If your employer is footing your MBA bill, normally there would be a bond to be executed to continue working for them for a minimum amount of time.
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