We tend to have specific objectives when we decide to return to school. Often times, it has to do with wanting to change or advance careers. It was always a part of my plan to complete my masters degree whether in Public Health Administration or Business Administration. My ultimate goal was always to work in a senior management/director position at a company or control its operations. All this while maintaining my normal lifestyle and completing the program with zero debt. Thus, the time came for me to begin my studies. While the program definitely enhanced my career options, there are things that I believe could be improved on.
The drawbacks of the MBA program
Internship and real world experience. A theoretical approach that involves intensive research and making deductions based on what experts say and what you have learned must be balanced with practical experience. While some of us have the privilege of using what we learn in each course in our 9-5 jobs day by day, some just do not.
The most difficult thing is finding out that there is a gap between what you think you know in theory versus how it actually works in reality.
You will find that what you research and learn helps you to make the grade to get the MBA but you will be required to actually coin ideas and institute some of these wonderful policies and procedures you read about. Internships are a great way to really test what you are learning and to find out what actually works. Though, these are not the easiest to attain with having an online degree as I have found, you still have the option to volunteer. Yes, there are online volunteer roles that are looking for Project Manager, Operations Managers/ Associate, Finance or HR professionals. You might not be paid but at least you will be working with a legitimate company which allows you to learn how the world of business really works. Indeed.com and LinkedIn are great sources to find internship and volunteer positions. Of course students can also suggest for the university to partner with certain companies and offer internship programs.
Utilization of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems. This part of the program really hit home for me as a part of my main object was to learn how to use as many ERP systems used in HR, finance, project management etc. I wanted to learn SaaS, SAP, Oracle, and the many others that exist just so that I could have a better idea of how to further gather, test and analyze data in order to improve operational efficiency and suggest better strategies. While we were given assignments to research and compare these systems and choose the one best suited for company X, I feel like we should have had access to actually use one of these systems throughout the course. It would have been a more educational experience to use to be given a SAP focused assigned that required us to streamline processes, make financial decisions and make business projections. Yes, there is a cost to it but at least graduates would have a more full experience. Get on Google or YouTube if your school does not give you that option and learn as much as you can.
The cultivation of leadership. While to an extent, you cannot teach someone to lead, there are some skills that can be taught to better equip each of us on how to be good leaders or at the very least, great managers. There is a fundamental difference between a manager and a leader. Not all managers are leaders. Managers delegate, supervise and provide feedback. Leaders not only manage but they also advocate and inspire. During group assignments, you could often see the striking distinction between potential managers and leaders. The manager will be quick to delegate tasks before at times even evaluating who is good at what based on prior discussions. A leader will realize the strength of each person but still leave the door open for people to assist each other, knowing that everyone must have an understanding of the entire project. For this reason, It is important to develop good people skills. Be respectful of others and keep it professional. Always be mindful of others and never lose your humanity, remembering that we all go through things at one point or the other. Most importantly, do not just dictate but advocate for those who you are in charge of. Inspire them as human beings and employees who are connected through the same mission. When you stop advocating for your employees you stop being a leader. If employment conditions are poor, wages are low and new policies are being implemented constantly with zero employee benefits, it is time to step up.
While your program of study might not meet all of your specific objectives, keep in mind that it will be entirely up to you to make up for where it falls short.
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Thank you. Very insightful. Yes, there are a few gaps that do exist that makes the entire study process not as rewarding as it can be. As technology improves, the e-learning process should as well. Presently, there is a bit of a digital divide but as we see the issues based on our own experience we can suggest improvements or create them ourselves.
Nice write up Krissey, and I'm in total agreement with your precise approaches. As a student of the UoPeople myself, I believe there's a great urgency to overcome such a fatal gap among distant education & e-learning programs in similar institutes, in an attempt to provide the student with a more real-life simulating educational experience!
Good luck & best regards...