InsideTech

Thanks SBJONES and CHYDEN for your great explanations. I have stopped persuing online MBA at this stage and is currently persuing a career in Finance. I am studying CMA (chartered management accounts) which is the highest possible professioanl designation in Canada (CMA is equivalent to CPA in USA). After being in IT for over 16 years and working in a senior analyst position (non management) for so long, I also think that IT career is not for everybody who wants to be in upper management. THis is because of the fierce competition and changing of technology every 6 months. In contrast I see that a career in Finance is very worthy and is ever growing, and it is easier to reach upper management with half the effort given in the IT field. Since the world (except the US) is moving to the new financial standards by Feb 10, 2011 (International Financial reporting standards - IFRS), therefore there is ample opportunity in this field. Anyone can be employed in a foreign country (except the US) with their own national chartered designation because of the standardisation. Hope the USA also follow the world to change their age old system to IFRS, for the sake of their own citizen who can access the overseas employment market at the same time)... Can anyone remember of any mass layoffs in the finance field in the last 50 years ? I didnot hear any financial layoffs amongst my kiths-n-kins here in Canada yet when thousands of layoffs have already taken place... This is because finance is a ever growing field and is worth moving in. I will definitely recommend this field to all the members here who are finding difficulty in IT to move up the ladder and is facing layoffs or have been layed off already. More comments are invited on this. The more we debate, the more we know. Lets do it. Thanks.

I am currently in school taking my Bachelors in Information Technology with concentration on web development and design...this article interests me...I am asking opinions - "is this area of IT a better area for gainful employment than the area I am currently studying?" I have been in administration for 30 years and have grown from using ETS systems by Xerox and Quip machines in the 70s until now....ADVICE?

It depends on what level of management you are at now. Without mgt experience an MBA only suggests a desire to become a manager. With experience (even a little) an MBA supports your claim to wanting to be a manager and implies you have the tools. At the first levels of management an MBA is probably not that important. As you move higher it becomes more or less a requirement as decisions become more directly related to the business' bottom line and more applicants have MBAs. It is important to understand the needs of the business and to understand the jargon and philosophy of business in order to have intelligent discourse with the functional organizations within the company that you support. An MBA is icing on the cake at the lower levels of management. The cake is management experience. If you don't have management experience then do everything you can to obtain it where you work. Then take that experience and parlay it into a healthy pay raise at a new company. If your are in a management role companies will usually reimburse tuition for an MBA program since it is directly related to the job. I have an MBA and I think whatever advantage it has provided me has been modest. Your mileage may differ.

Can anyone tell me, how much mileage I can obtain to switch job to a diff employer by gaining online MBA degrees from any (like "The John Doe" ) university ? Elite MBA programs are out of reach financially for me and I also want to go part time and keep my job. Basically what I want to know, is it worth to invest some 25 - 40 grands for a MBA online program ????

I have been in QA for many years and have wanted to get into IT management. I got my MBA thinking that mixed with my technical background and BSIT degree would get me in. I have been unsucsessful so far. I think its my inability to re-invent myself though. I really want to get into IT managment, or program management. services is our future in the US and it takes infrastructure to deliver them. Any success stories?

Good information to start. Sometimes it just takes being in a good company and moving up. I have a masters(MS) and I am trying to get a real Management job. I'm thinking about actually getting an MBA to kick start things.