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Weekly UpdatesLooking for that golden ticket to move up the corporate food chain or just a little something to hone your skills and bring your business know-how up to speed with new trends and technology? In a turbulent economy, boosting your skills is a good way to stay ahead of the game - enhancing your performance at work and helping your company succeed even in tough times.
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Events, seminars and continuing education courses arc all options for real-world knowledge seekers. Professionals can bring their skills to the next level with everything from lunch-time networking events to year-long master's in business administration programs. Of course, this begs the question: how do they find the time, the funding or the programs?
The Coveted M.B.A.
There's something to be said for making the commitment to a masters program while keeping up a day job. Maybe it's not for everyone, but many who have put in the time find that part-time programs geared towards working professionals focus on real-life situations that they can take back to the office. Better yet, many find their professors have years of experience in business to draw upon, making the academic realm less lofty and more practical.
"I realized that even though a ton of info is accessible online - and you can almost become an instant expert by doing some Google research - still nothing beats going to the classes and hearing right from the mouth of someone who has been there and done that," says Brandon Chesnutt, an M.B.A. student at Walsh College and account executive at Identity Marketing & Public Relations. "Courses taught at the M.B.A. level are so completely different, practical and important."
For the past year and a half, Chesnutt has been working full-time at Identity and going to school. While a great deal of his work at Identity revolves around new media, Chesnutt regularly applies concepts from his courses to his day-to-day work.
"For someone like me in the public relations service industry, it's typical to communicate with CEO level executives. Having an M.B.A. will help me think on their level or understand what their mindset is. It gives me an edge," Chesnutt says. "Coming out of my first class, I could apply the things they taught me immediately. It helps me look at things from a whole new angle."
Like Chesnutt, Cristin Stevens, director of affinity services at the Detroit Regional Chamber, feels that pursuing an M.B.A. rounded out her skills. After graduating with a degree in psychology, Stevens found, after getting her feet wet in the corporate world, that having more of a business background could create more opportunities for her career.
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"I found that with an M.B.A. program, it just opened a lot more doors," Stevens says. "So even if I wanted to do things with psychology, having that M.B.A. would help me to pursue things I wanted to do, which I really think is helping me in my career position - having both ends of the spectrum, the artsy and business sides."
Stevens, who finished her M.B.A. in May 2009, was lucky to take advantage of the tuition reimbursement program offered through her employer at that time. While we can thank the economy for making these more scarce, advances in technology and new media have made online courses a dime a dozen - making it easier for working-professionals to slip in a course when they have an hour here or twenty minutes there during the week.
"I think a lot of M.B.A. programs are pretty flexible because they do realize that people have full-time jobs; they have families; they have priorities in life," says Stevens, who completed her masters at the University of Michigan in Dearborn. "So its nighttime classes, a three-hour time block once a week. They make it so that you're not here everyday, and they give you flexibility with online classes."
And the professors are understanding, too, Stevens says.
"They understand that they're working with professional people who are continuing their education [with] a goal in mind," she says.
Your employer may also be understanding of your studies and willing to work around your schedule at times. While Chesnutt is fronting the cost of his education, Identity is more than happy to accommodate his balance of work and education.
"They've been really supportive in helping me, especially with schedule conflicts or if I have to leave early," says Chesnutt. "They see the benefit ... that having this education is going to help the agency."
Upgrading skills, event-style
While Chesnutt dutifully works towards his M.B.A., he also swears by many of the professional and networking events he regularly attends.
"I like to attend a lot of face-to-face events hosted by people who possess similar interests or are drawn to the same type of industry," Chesnutt says. "Many of these events are not tied to a corporate entity. As a result, attendees are more willing to help others learn and grow by sharing their knowledge. This pay-it-forward mindset is welcomed and encouraged."
Typically, these events can cost little to nothing at all. And through Twitter and various Webinars, professionals can slide in a conference or event without even leaving the office.
But, if you're one of the only professionals in your field within a small to mid-sized company, more traditional seminars and networking events can provide a break from the office to meet and share ideas with professionals in your arena. These event come in all shapes and sizes - with lengths and costs that work for your schedule and financial resources.
Lisa Osiecki is just one of two marking professionals at her company, KOA Orthopedics. Getting out of the office and speaking to creative minds helps her keep her skills fresh. A long-time veteran of attending half-day long programs, she's been especially pleased with the chamber's Maverick Marketing Mondays, a lunch-time event which she says fits her schedule and is reasonably priced.
"It provides networking and idea generating opportunities," Osiecki says. "[Maverick Marketing] gives participants an opportunity to learn from the presenter, in what I feel are real world examples, and learn from folks attending the event, as well. I try to consistently go to programs or seminars just to stay current."
In addition to keeping in touch with new techniques, the professional knowledge offered by presenters and participants can give professionals a helpful boost in their drive and output. Osiecki also mentions that she has broadened her experience by discussing marketing scenarios with event participants working within companies in different fields.
"You can't know it all," adds says Toni McLaughlin, a client services account manager at Tepel Brothers Printing Company. "Anytime you can gain knowledge about your profession, it only increases your chances to succeed. I find education to be a motivator. The more I know, the easier it is to get out there and utilize it."
And, McLaughlin mentions, it saves her from reinventing the wheel.
"I can typically adopt a success story to what my situation is and learn and incorporate what they're utilizing to my industry," McLaughlin says.
Now that saves time and money.
RELATED ARTICLE: MBA Programs
The list below includes cost per credit hour, when available, and Web sites for the local MBA programs, arranged by county.
Macomb County
Davenport University
www.davenport.edu
$495/$505 online
Lawrence Technological University
www.ltu.edu
$798
Oakland University School of Business Administration
www.sba.oakland.edu/
$496
University of Phoenix
www.phoenix.edu
$610
Oakland County
Baker College Center for Graduate Studies
http://www.baker.edu/departments/admissions/grad.cfm
$330 per quarter hour
Lawrence Technological University
www.ltu.edu
$798
Madonna University
www.madonna.edu
$495
Michigan State University Eli Broad Graduate School (Weekend MBA)
www.bus.msu.edu/wmba/
$20,469 a year
Northwood University, Richard DeVos Graduate School of Management
www.northwood.edu/graduate/
$26,880 a year
Oakland University School of Business Administration
www.sba.oakland.edu/
$496
University of Phoenix
www.phoenix.edu
$610
Walsh College
www.walshcollege.edu
$509
Wayne State University School of Business
Administration
www.busadm.wayne.edu
$503
Wayne County
Baker College Center for Graduate Studies
www.baker.edu
$330 per quarter hour
Davenport University
www.davenport.edu
95/$505 online
Madonna University
www.madonna.edu
$495
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Spring Arbor University
www.arbor.edu
$400/$490 online
University of Detroit Mercy
www.udmercy.edu
N/A
University of Michigan-Dearborn School of Management
www.som.umd.umich.edu
$657
University of Phoenix
www.phoenix.edu
$610
Wayne State University School of Business Administration
www.busadm.wayne.edu
$503
Julianne Mattera is a publications intern at the Detroit Regional Chamber
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