Earn an MBA by leveraging UK Level 7 Diplomas

The MBA degree is always a good credential especially with the intent to move into executive management. While not required, it is a safe bet in some companies and countries depending on the cultural situation. Ideally, one would want to get a properly accredited MBA as well.

Except for the top universities in the UK, the MBA is much cheaper there than from equivalent universities in the US. In fact, there are even cheaper options when combining a Level 7 Diploma and a Top-Up MBA program.

The Accredited Level 7 Diploma which covers about 70% of the MBA content could cost as low as $1300 while the top up MBA could run at about $6000 or less. Which means a total of about $7500 for a fully accredited MBA degree.  Also, the entry requirements for the Diploma can be met with work experience, so a Bachelor’s is not always required.

Bodies such as the Chartered Management Institute accredits and offer various diploma levels through learning centers which includes distance learning delivery.

Check out the options for a quality MBA!!!

 

Are Cheap MBA Degrees online worth it?

Does it really make sense to get a degree online for cheap?  First of all, a degree should provide value in terms of learning new skills and provide the means to opening doors professional or socially. Keeping that definition in mind; I ran into this site called International MBA Institute which offers specialized MBA Degrees. They offer an exam with about 30 questions and if successful, the person has a degree and can put MBA on a resume or business card.

We all agree that yes, sometimes people with skills get passed over since they did not have the right degree on paper. On the surface, it is a good thing to solve that specific problem. Meaning if someone has great experience in business and they could prove it, just like the VAE process in France, they definitely deserve the relevant degree. Going back to the concept of an MBA. This degree has certain core areas that needs to be mastered even if it’s just on paper. Boring subjects like Strategy, Leadership, HR, Finance or accounting may not appeal to some but it gives you a foundation to understand how these fit into the business context. In other words, any good MBA should at least verify these knowledge areas whether using an APEL process, courses or pure exams.

Going back to the International MBA Institute, the goal here is not to bash them as in fact, I think they have a good concept which could be improved. Where I think their model is broken is for someone with no knowledge of business, it’s hard to see how they could read an ebook and have the same level of skills of a standard MBA. In fact many MBA schools are moving towards an action learning style where students are given real problems to solve and in fact would work with local companies to solve problems. First, they should have some verifiable pre-requisites to take the exam. For example, 10 years experience with business responsibilities plus having the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree. In respect to the exams, they could either offer all the current exams combined to get one MBA degree or offer a core exam around MBA fundamentals then also a specialization exam. Again, this could currently work on paper for HR purposes but imagine speaking with professionals whom paid $100K+ for an MBA about getting this MBA from a site for ~$500, it would not go well for you socially. Of course they may laugh at some no name state university too.

What are the alternatives for someone that wants an MBA fast without too much expenses? The best option is as follows.

1. Check out Class Central which has a list of MOOC courses. Find core business courses and complete them. Pay where you can. The key courses are Finance, Accounting, Strategy, Marketing, Operations, HR, Economics and few others. The No-Pay MBA site is great to find guidance on this.
2. Udemy.com is a great resources for practical courses. There are several MBA in a Box courses there and can get those for as low as $10. The Course MBA in a Box is a great coverage of all the areas. There are also some good books that summarizes the core of the MBA such as 10 Day MBA.
3. Another good option for MBA learning is smartly.com but the selection process is tough. Alternatively, the University of the People offers a low-cost MBA degree by just paying ~$100 for each exam, so would run about $2500.
4. Another good option is NIBM based in India. Their degrees are not UGC accredited but it is an actual course where knowledge is given on the core MBA subjects. Typically, this takes about 6 months or more to complete but the cost is about US$250.
5. Once the knowledge is gained from one of the options 1-3, then there are some options to get a paper MBA degree. First option is to check IMBAI and get the MBA since real knowledge is gained otherwise. The other option is to check out a french school like sorbon.fr which would be more recognized than IMBAI. The last option is look at sites that offer degrees from private schools. These are legal degrees and they actually require the person to self validate they have the knowledge. Definitely better than IMBAI socially.
6. Another option to consider would be professional qualifications. For example, check out CMI UK to pursue their Chartered Manager credential which validates experience and knowledge gain from other training programs. Once that is earned, one could visit cufce.org and apply for an MBA equivalency degree. This means the Chartered Manager credential is equivalent to a US MBA. This is actually cool and has lots of value professionally.

Ultimately, the goal is to have knowledge in MBA domains before claiming that one has an MBA. In fact it is way better to have the knowledge than even to get any paper to show this. In respect to low cost, respectable and fast, NIBM is highly recommended.

What do you think of this? Any special approach that jumps out?

Fully Accredited Work Based Degrees

It’s well understood that anyone can now earn a degree by taking courses online pretty much in any developed and most developing countries. The main challenge is the cost varies depending on the reputation of the university. What if someone could earn a degree focused on their actual work experience? Well this is possible today while maybe not the cheapest option.

The University of Middlesex London does have the option to negotiate a work based program leading to a Bachelors or Masters degree. In fact, this could be done remotely; which means the individual does not have to be in London.

This opportunity is significant since one can focus on actually getting a properly accredited degree without necessarily taking new courses. It focuses on fleshing out the existing knowledge and representing it in an academic context.  In some ways, it is similar to the VAE approach offered through French universities but in this case, it starts out with a learning contract and the student completes work project modules based on this arrangement.

What do you think of this type of degree?

 

Alternative paths to becoming an Recognized Engineer

The definition on whom can be called an Engineer varies across countries. For example, in Canada, one cannot use the title Engineer unless registered as a “Professional Engineer (PE)“. In order to get the PE, a Bachelor in an Engineering specialization is required. In the UK or the US, using the term engineering is not restricted except in areas where there is obvious safety implications like Civil Engineering and so on.

Clearly, an Engineer is someone that can devise innovative solutions to technical challenges. This means good grounding in theoretical fundamentals are ideal to carry out this function. Going back to the UK, it is possible to register as an Engineer through the Engineering Council without formally having a degree. One could also get a degree level PRA diploma from City & Guilds in Engineering as well.

While the Engineering Council will grant Incorporated or Chartered Engineer to someone without a formal degree, it will take into consideration other qualifications, certifications and completing engineering projects. On the other hand, culturally, most people can relate to a degree as the benchmark of theoretical or academic achievement, so they may ignore alternative credentials even when the person is qualified. Many times it is just outright ignorance. Which means some educating is required and preparing the resume accordingly can make a big difference.

What are the best path for someone without a formal degree? We think that ideally, it make sense to at least get the equivalent of an “Higher-Level National Diploma (HND)”.  This is about the same as an Associate Degree in the US or an Advanced Diploma in Canada. Combining these with good professional development programs including specialist certifications and mentoring could produce a fine and rounded Engineer.

What is the best path for someone finding themselves meeting the above recommendations? It all depends on your location. If in North America, it would make sense to look for a flexible degree programs where possible (many online degrees in Electrical and Computing). However, one could also reach out to UK bodies like the IET to pursue Engineering Registration. In the UK, the first path would be to look at the City and Guilds PRA options. Also the Engineering Council does have a Gateway program towards getting a degree. Once the individual has the intermediate credential then getting Incorporated or Chartered Engineer should be less of an issue.

Ultimately, once the credential is earned, to represent it as a degree, its best to get a credential evaluation done that makes this statement then update the resume to reflect such. Another step is to check out Universities in France that offers the VAE program to getting a formal degree. The one catch with the french approach is speaking french is most likely required. Alternatively, one could register as a European Engineer or Engineering titles in Germany or other European Countries.

What does it mean to be a great leader?

Why people are so obsessed with the term leader or leadership? Being a leader is a actually a good thing but many times, it’s a clearly misunderstood term. To get to the point, leadership does not specifically mean to have power or to give orders. On the other hand, the key attributes of a  leader is being visionary and have a sense of mission. The process is a leader will seek to accomplish some goals and set out do so on his/her own terms with some sense of a strategy. In the process he/she may motivate others to join the mission. In other words, the leader presents is mission and vision and others will seek to join into the cause as partners or employees. This is the ideal sequence of how leadership works. In summary its typically focused around the concept of  ‘Change’. Such as growing an organization, handling a crisis and so forth.

Ultimately, a manager is employed to execute on the vision in support of the leader. In some cases, one person could be both leader and manager. However, there is a distinct difference in expectations for these two roles.  Naturally, in a corporate environment, the role of leadership can shift back and forth depending on the situation. There is nothing wrong with a line employee taking on challenges which creates a leadership opportunity. In fact companies that are well intentioned should encourage this model.

Want to learn more about leadership? Read more.. 

Alternative route to earn MBA Knowledge

The MBA is a very popular degree especially for those that want to succeed in business. A young lady started a site called “No Pay MBA” which promotes how to get the content of a full MBA using online MOOC courses which can be free or fairly cheap. We estimate that to get the desired courses done with certificates could be much less than $2000 while this material is coming from top 10 schools or similar. A great resources to find most MOOC courses is Class Central.

Once, all the courses are completed following the guidance from the “No Pay MBA” site, one option is to get one credential that show cases this new knowledge. There are several paths to consider here but will mention one that is called credential evaluation. This is typically done for immigrants to the US in verifying that they have knowledge equivalent to a US degree relevant to the job in question.  One organization that does this evaluation is called “California University FCE“. If the information is presented clearly (Courses, number of hours and proof of completion) to this group, they will issue a report as well as an Equivalency Certificate which states that your studies is equivalent to a US MBA degree.

Bear in mind that many successfully billionaires do not have an MBA but it is still a useful set of skills to have in running your own business or moving into management roles. This is a great way to get the degree without huge debt while continuing to work and building real skills.

Keep learning and Share your experiences!!!

Dealing with Age Discrimination at Work

There are a lot of noise recently around sexual discrimination and harassment which also plays into the abuse of women generally. However, there is also a big issue with age discrimination as well. This is more subtle as then the legal recourse is too much for most ordinary people to really pursue anything – Not much to gain in terms of compensation and such person may end up on a black list anyway. We are planning to do some research in this area on how to overcome age discrimination without getting tied up in legal battles for keeping a job.

Here is a good article to start with in the mean time – 10 ways to overcome age discrimination. Also check out how to stay career relevant.

We will plan to share tips on this topic over time.

Life Long Learning is required to stay Relevant and Grow

We can see that people like Bill Gates read over 50 books per year to stay updated and also explore new possibilities. This is consistent among truly successful people with Warren Buffet doing as much too. They always seem to make learning a very important part of their day to day activities. Why is this the case? Obviously, the world is changing rapidly and in fact everyone needs to grow in some areas of their life and career. This can help to position an individual based on their overall life plan to move to the next level or just to stay relevant.

The key in life long learning is to have some structure in terms of career goals and personal development. Random learning could be as bad as no learning. In the process its important to seek out good mentors that can help to guide a person into the right direction based on their own life experience as well.

A key practice to have a reflection session on life regularly. Having such a session helps to be honest with where things are and also build plans for the next steps.

Keep learning and grow yourself!!!

How to super charge your Professional Career?

Many times professionals find themselves at a juncture where they would like to take things to a new level. They want to achieve more and show progress on the career ladder. There is a simple approach which takes discipline over time but can be very effective. Here goes.

1. Career Clarity – Its always important to understand where to go. What is the long term career goal. This could be translated into some form of mission or goal statement using the SMART framework. It’s important to make a decision on where to go as it helps in terms of day to day activities and decisions. This could be setting the mission to become a respected educator or Executive.
2. Have a Plan – Once the clarity has being found, it could be that there is a big gap. For example a person is a janitor would love to be a technology executive. This plan would account for the current situation and what to build into each step along the way. Some individuals may need to get basic education while some may just need to apply for another job that provides better career opportunities. Consult with mentors and experts to get a sense of the most useful plan for the specific situation. Education is always a part of the plan for pretty much everyone. This education could be taking a full blown degree program, professional training, online courses or simply seeking to learn a new skill on the job. It’s important to have the right skills to go with accomplishments.
3. Execute the Plan – It is useless to have a plan and not follow it to achieve the intended results. Things can change on the fly like a recession and so forth but good planning and flexibility in understand change can make a big difference.  It is good to schedule the activities of the plan to stay on track. Break the plan into daily, weekly, monthly and yearly steps to ensure its realistic and be persistent. An important element of execution is good health and that should be a plan in itself as well. Mental and Physical energy is very important for peak daily performance. Its also good to measure progress against the plan often enough. This could be monthly or yearly to see if things are on track and what needs to change.

In summary, we can always do better with the right insights, plan and execution but do not under estimate the need to get help and support in the process. Seek out mentors and fellow professionals to get advice on life options.

Feel free to share your thinking on this topic of professional growth..

What makes for an acceptable academic degree?

Is your degree opening doors for you? Or put it this way; Is the degree being pursued suitable to get the job of your dreams?

We all know that a regular university degree from a western country is generally acceptable for pretty much all purposes. We also know that within that group, school ratings can definitely help to get the holder into top companies fairly easily. Think of the top consulting firms, they mostly recruit from the best schools. Other people can get into those companies but they would need to compete with a much larger application pool to be considered.

As we can see then, in the traditional school realm, there are ratings and perceptions of which schools are considered high quality. However, all of these schools would allow the holder to fulfil immigration, employment and further education requirements in pretty much all cases. Basically, if they are licensed to operate by a government educational authority, all is good.

Now, moving into the world of alternative educational providers, the degree seeker needs to be careful on what is acceptable. There are several basic requirements that could be useful to rate schools.

1. Accreditation – Many alternative schools try to run around in circles about this topic. For example, if they are based outside the US, they would say that the term accreditation only applies to US schools. However, for simplified understanding; Accreditation means that the school has been sanctioned by a central government approved educational body which also provides some form of supervision of educational practice and quality. This would be the equivalent to a ministry of education in most countries. In the US, these organizations are typically private but would be recognized by the US department of education or CHEA. The simple way to measure is whether the school is listed in the international handbook of universities.
2. Professional Development – While every university should provide instruction to help with the development of a student, we could take this from the angle that the school is not fully accredited but is legal from the perspective of issuing degrees. In this case, they could have failed the test for #1 above but at least is making some efforts to enrich the lives of the students.  One example that comes to mind would be Rushmore University. While they have an arrangement with CMI UK to accredit some of their degrees, the school is not formally accredited. However, they would train students to publish academic articles which ultimately, develop their research and writing skills while learning a new subject. Another example would be Gull University which works mostly with large corporations in emerging countries to practice “action learning” and earn a practical degree in the process. The graduate of such schools would walk away with new skills in the end. In contrast, one could attend a one-week executive development course at Stanford or MIT for over $10,000.  In other words, the student could see the degrees from these schools along the line of professional development and that is at least a base line requirement.
3. New University – Just to clarify in one last category. There are some legitimate schools that may not have accreditation currently but was just incorporated and would be in the process of developing such capability. In that case, the applicant can make a judgment on whether this school has good intention and offers real value. In many cases, these schools would have had approval from the local state educational body anyway.

We have spent many years following this subject and read many forums on all kinds of educational models. The bottom line is that if a school is not fully accredited, then unless the degree is just needed for social purposes, its best to be careful about such. Many of these providers do have good intentions but the other ones with bad intention do not help this group.

A simple test of any degree would be immigration or government employment acceptance. If the degree cannot be used for either of these, then it’s best to stay away.  Surprisingly, many large corporations will not verify if a degree is accredited as they focus more on the experience of the individual.

Many times people fall prey to these unaccredited schools since they already have many years of experience and training which these institutions try to exploit. However, many legitimate schools are offering ways to convert various credits in a much simpler way nowadays. A good example would be Western Governors University (wgu.edu).

It’s important to seek out the best educational opportunities and enrich your development to compete at the highest levels in the job market.