Roman's miles

PMBA. Reader's questions

A reader sent to me a few questions about PMBA. I'll answer here to (hopefully) benefit future readers. An overall disclaimer is the answers reflect my own conclusions and opinion as of today. Of course it's questionable and may change in the future.

1. Do you know of anyone who have graduated from this program getting significant pay raise at their current company or a new company with a new job? I think that the only way to get a significant rise is to change the job one's doing. Apparently if it's just the next step on the same career ladder in the same profession the first raise won't be significant. If, on the other hand, one's changing the profession then even losing the formal grade may bring the raise in a long-term perspective. I personally ain't changing the industry I'm in and don't expect immediate raise (hope my boss doesn't read it:-) I believe in a long-run the MBA will make me more attractive candidate for executive roles than I am today and will help me perform better with my current job.
2. Will this enable you to rise through the corporate ranks quickly? Here I believe it all depends on the industry and the employer. In IT an MBA doesn't matter much. It may be a NO-filter for exec roles but if one adds MBA to the VC it barely affects her position. For sure not in SAP, for sure not for the current position. I'm clueless about other companies or industries although from conversations in the class I feel my perseption is quite common.
3. Will this PMBA help if you want to start your own business? That's an interesting question. I'm sure it will but at the same time it's not a must - many great entrepreneurs have reached great success with no formal degree. I'm saying an MBA exposes you to the areas you didn't know and makes you consider options you weren't aware of. Lots of my classmates are planning to take the entrepreneurship concentration.
4. Are any good companies contacting the career center to interview graduates of this program? I think all of the contacting companies are great. Whether you want to work there or not is another question:-) There is the career service in the school and we can contact personal career advisers and coaches. I haven't done it yet (just finished the second semester) but once I do I'll write about it.

To add I'd advise to read my thoughts before I joined the MBA and definitely attend open days in GSU and other schools you consider. I'm very positive also that before you go to school you must know why you do it, what your target is, and what you will do the first day after you graduate. Having answers will help you to find right school and justify your decision to pursue it or reject.

Technorati: MBA, GSU, PMBA

MBA - third way done

Swamped by the new role (later on that),  summer guests (niece from Russia and the two daughters' friends from Israel), a few projects at the new house, my pregnant wife, which requires more and more assistance, and the summer semester, didn't pay attention as the latter has finished! My MBA is already two semesters in the done part what counts for one third of the program!

That semester was crazy, tough, and, to an extent, a bit ineffective. As in a regular semester we had three courses - Managerial Accounting, Law and Ethics in Business, and Leadership and Organizational Behavior. But as opposite to the regular pace we had classes every week instead of every other week. My flights, tons of preparation materials, home individual and group projects didn't make me the most diligent student this time and I ran through just to make it happen. Must confess - it was not easy but yesterday we submitted the last group project - we're done now with this Summer marathon of crazyness.

Now I'm enjoying the Fall break - new semester starts in 8 days - we have Finance, IT, and Marketing. Again hundreds of pages for reading, many home and group projects but this time at least with the normal pace - every other week:-) I feel it may be the most interesting semester so far - diverse topics to learn and to share my knowledge.

Technorati tags: PMBA, GSU, MBA

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly News

I'll start with the ugly news. Last couple of weeks I've been so busy with my job and studying that I didn't have time to blog whatsoever. At SAP we have tons of planning work for 2007 with my group and next week I'm on a global kick-off meeting in Singapore with the team. I also had my first test on Financial Analysis class yesterday and its preparation stole a good chunk of time (hope I passed it:-); another work is due tomorrow (on Strategic Business Communication). I'm very happy with the quality and the level of discussions in the class, the homework materials, which are hefty but very inspiring; and the professors are just amazing! Still the MBA consumes all my free time and nothing was left for blogging last weeks.

The bad news is I broke my marathon schedule.  Last Sunday I scraped out only a slice of time for a 11 mile long run (instead of planned 18) and missed this week's Wednesday-Friday short ones. I'm taking off to Singapore Sunday afternoon and hope to have a workout early morning. Really bad news is that in two weeks I have another week long business trip to Israel so the preparation is seriously under the threat - the marathon run is on March, 4.

The good news is about my family. After almost 7 years of  the "rest" we're again expecting! Our fourth baby's go-live date has been forecast yesterday as September, 22 (so Lia is on her 8th week). It's seems too far today and I don't know who's waiting it more - me, the kids, or Lia; she's struggling with either constant sickness or faltering, twinkling, spontaneous, and vanishing requests to eat - so she doesn't know exactly what she wants.

I guess this year will be a bit "under pressure" for me since there have been so many things happening together. But anyhow I'm very excited and sure we will be good (maybe with an exception for the marathon:-(

Technorati tags: pressure

A long but (almost) complete day

Today was a long day and I'm consummating it by a short blog with a few long sentences.

The day started very typically (6.30AM): woke up, dropped off my son at school, my wife a work, drove to the office for a meeting, came back home afternoon, answered emails, had a few short calls,  went to the school (we have a first exam in 2 weeks on financial analysis - brrr...), bought food for the dog, got home (10.30PM). Still not done - the running program has a 8-mile todo task of today - ran on a treadmill (1% incline for 1:15), got home at 0.20AM (tomorrow), wrote the blog.

Now done! (not yet)

Saturday we have two other classes (Managing in the Global Economy and Strategic Communications) and I have still some 150 pages to read. Will try to swallow now a dozen at least during an after-run cocktail:-)

When it comes from push to shove a phrase "4th and inches" rings in my mind. The more pressure you put the more output is produced. The only question is how no to wreck on the way:-) Will see how much gasoline I'll have by the weekend's end...

Technorati tags: GTD, MBA, running, marathon, pressure

I'm a "reference customer"

My MBA school recently published an ad in AJC (the biggest newspaper of metro Atlanta) where instead of pitching the school quality, benefits, and merits simply listed all the current students of the program appealing to common sense of the readers and challenging them to join the students:

In the past year, we have welcomed the following individuals into Robinson's widely acclaimed Professional MBA Program.

Shouldn't you join them?

(click on the link to see the scanned ad from the newspaper, I'm in Alpharetta class of 2008).

First time my name appears as a reference customer which warms the ego a bit:-) More can be told though on the approach of the school which instead of publishing yet another boring ad created something grabbing readers' attention and giving another cause to all the students to promote the school (which I'm doing here:-)

Technorati tags: MBA, GSU, PMBA

MBA. First fruits before starting

I don't know if it's a usual thing for other schools, especially for the top-notch schools but I found yesterday's mixer very special, exciting, impressive, and practical.

One of the professors that will be teaching us in the first semester made a party at her house yesterday and invited all the students of our PMBA program. There were folks from other cohorts (the same program is taugh in Henry County, Downtown, and Alpharetta campus) starting this year with me and others who have passed one year already, colleagues of the professor, and the top management of the program.

We spent about 3-4 hours chatting to each other, building new connections, and finding out from our older battle-tested comrades how challenging the studying will be for us.

I don't know if it's quite typical for other MBA programs but in PMBA I'm reaching one of my targets even before we have started the first semester. I hope the program management has other surprising events for us in their stash.

Technorati tags: MBA, GSU, PMBA

MBA. First impression

Today our two-day MBA boot-camp has ended. During the first day we were introduced to the plans of the program, educational services, logistics, and, of course, to each other. After I accepted to the school the only thing I was concerned about was my classmates - how good the admission office did its job in building the class? After the boot-camp I'm not worrying anymore about that - I'm really happy and satisfied (at first glance:-).

The 42 guys and gals are extremely diverse in their backgrounds, industries they represent, positions they're taking, countries they came from, and the targets they set for the MBA. Banking, finance, energy, IT, consulting, medicine, public service - are just a few of the industries. Some of the folks plan to start or already own their own business, others have ambitious plans on climbing the career ladder.

During the second day we had a recap on a preparation course of economics we self-studied prior the boot-camp. It was a great feeling on how the actual classes will be held - lots of discussions, interactive conversations, and provoking questions. If that's the typical format of how the classes are taught (which I hope it is) I'm very excited to become a student again after 12 years:-)

The first semester starts at January, 4th and we'll be studying three classes: Financial Statement Analysis (studying book Financial Reporting and Analysis), Managing in the Global Economy (Lexus and the olive tree), and Strategic Communications (Management Communication and Guide to Managerial Communication). The most exciting aspect about the coming classes is the majority of the lessons is shaped in a form of case-studies of real companies. I'm eagerly waiting to start my classes!

Technorati tags: MBA, GSU, PMBA

The best of my first 92 blogs

I'm reaching the first hundred of blogs (this one is the 93d) and I want to group and re-publish links to the ones I like most. I hope you've found them interesting too.

On entrepreneurship:

• Why to become a founder?
• Business intelligence, SOA, and your grocery shop
• Falling corporate startups
• How to make your startup a "cool to be working in" company?
• Mossad, French Legion, or Taliban - what does your company look like?

On career planning

• Three questions employee should periodically ask themselves
• Work with pros
• Your current job -"a time to kill, and a time to heal"
• Are you waiting for a week-end to end or to start?
• Evolving from a software engineer to...

On managing

• How to manage Squidward in your team?
• Who is the ideal boss?
• Whom to hire for startup?
• Getting good at giving feedback
• How many of your folks will be working for you in a year?

Random ideas

• Committed or tentative?
• IT/Business - how to talk the same language?
• Three pragmatic isolations
• Resetting the targets (05)
• Email culture

Blogging with different pace during this year and making a blog not focusing on a particular topic I've somehow got a small but firm readership and I want to thank you all for that. Hope you'll continue enjoying reading my second hundred of posts too.

I'm starting MBA!

I applied a couple of months ago to an MBA and yesterday got a letter that I'm accepted! It's a form of an executive MBA of Georgia State University - Professional MBA. The classes start at January and the entire learning program will take two years. The schedule is quite acceptable for me: every other Thursday evening and full days of Saturdays and I hope my intensive travels won't make me missing many classes. Now a few thoughts that drove me to looking for an MBA and to applying to PMBA of GSU.

• Why MBA? Starting a transition from technology to business I felt a heavy shortage of business knowledge (let alone experience). Not disputing a version that everything can be learned on your own I still believe that interactions with professors and in-class discussions are very valuable. Networking with classmates and an alumni network stand on the second place of MBA attractions and a formal line in the resume stands on the third place.
• Why executive? Theoretically speaking there are few options in choosing MBA: online, part-time, executive, and full-time. I didn't mention that though I decided to shift towards the business area I don't want to change the profession: no desire to work in McKinsey or a top financial company. Hence the importance of full time MBA wasn't so relevant for my case. Going to the other side of the MBA spectrum I excluded the online option. It's too similar to self-learning and the value of a diploma is arguable. The part-time route was opted out for two reasons: a long term of completion and relatively fresh students comparing to executive MBA. The latter fits my objectives great: enough communication with students and professors, relatively short program, and experienced classmates to learn from.
• Why GSU? Even among executive MBA there were quite a few options. Criteria for choosing candidates were trivial this time: proximity and cost. Living in Atlanta I couldn't consider attending Kellog's MBA every other week so the options squeezed to a few where either schools were in Atlanta or a schedule was modular (consisting of week-length modules split by a few-month self-learning periods). I had on the list: Duke, Emory, Georgia Tech, and Georgia State with corresponding tuitions in neighborhoods of 130, 85, 60, and 35 grands correspondingly. In hi-tech companies there is very little attention paid to a diploma of MBA so from a financial perspective investing $100K to MBA won't stand a test of return. I chose GSU since it's a solid school with strong curriculum, mature students, convenient schedule and location, and acceptable price.

It won't be an overstatement if I say that I'm happy to be accepted and to become a student after 12 years again. The next two years will be hard years for me and my family but I'm excited by the challenges and hope we'll all get dividends later. By November I have to take 4 online preparation courses and then we have a 5 day boot-camp. The first semester starts in January. I've started a new category on the blogs so stay tuned:-)

Technorati tags: MBA, GSU, PMBA