3 big myths about online mbas

8/10/2019 3 Big Myths About Online MBAs

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/3-big-myths-about-online-mbas 1/8

Dan BeseckerExecutive MBA Candidate 2012Senior Systems EngineerCSC



INTRODUCTIONWe know you have questions about earning an online Executive MBA. Is it worth the money?

Is it worth the time? Will it disrupt my work-life balance? Does it hold up to traditional

learning? And, most importantly, will it give me an edge in today’s ultra-competitive market?

There are a myriad of issues to contemplate as you think about earning your degree –

especially online.

Indeed, we’ve found that many of our potential students at the Jack Welch Management

Institute raise some excellent questions – as well as some misconceptions – about the online

education experience as a part of their discovery process. By debunking three prevailingmyths about online degrees, we’ll help you cut through the noise and gure out whether an

online program is right for you.

Melissa BucherExecutive MBA Candidate 2012Sales Engineer Eaton Corporation



“I found the online program really engaging with a lotof activity on the discussion boards. My classmates andthe professors share their real world knowledge from thevariety of industries they come from. ”

- Susmitha Kantheti, Executive MBA Candidate 2013 Product ManagerLexisNexis

“As a result of exposing our managers to the JackWelch Management Institute and Jack’s philosophyand business practices, for the rst time everthis year, every single part of our organization ismoving in the right direction at the same time.”

- Lee Benson CEOAble Engineering and Able Aerospace

11.4 %

START - $127,955

FINISH - $142,534

A 2010 Executive MBA Council study showed that

students increased their salary an average of 11.4% fromwhat they were earning at the start of their ExecutiveMBA program to the completion of it.

Source: Executive MBA Council (http://www.emba.org/research_corp_roi.htm)

Almost all of us grew up in school with the teacher at thefront of the classroom and the students assembled in rows,looking on, taking notes. Most of us attended college in such atraditional setting as well.

Perhaps that’s why online education, even with its appealing levelsof exibility and excellent value, can give some of us a moment ofpause. “Can real learning take place in virtual space?” we wonder.

The fact is, online education may have been uncharted territory ten years ago. But since then, it has really advanced in terms of bothquality and widespread acceptability. A recent annual report by theSloan Consortium shows that growth in online higher educationcontinues to vastly outpace growth in the higher education studentpopulation as a whole – and shows no signs of slowing. If currenttrends continue, online learning enrollment could actuallysurpass enrollment in traditional on-ground programs in thenear future – particularly in elds like business .

Of course, online learning is not just becoming more prevalent; inmany cases, it’s also eclipsing the effectiveness of the traditionalclassroom model. A landmark study published by the federalDepartment of Education in 2010 found that students who wereinstructed online actually performed better, on the whole,than those taking the same courses in a face-to-face, on-ground classroom .

The reason likely lies in today’s cutting-edge technology, which creates a learning environment that might surprise you – characterized by immediacy, robust interaction, and richcamaraderie among classmates and between students andprofessors. Jack Welch Management Institute students, for

instance, debate with classmates on discussion boards every day,collaborate on team projects and have the opportunity to network with other students to build strong, lifelong relationships. They ndthe course instructors always front-and-center, eager to engage. Infact, many of our students report that they were originally attractedto our curriculum and to the program’s incredible exibility, yethave come to nd that the meaningful individual attention affordedto them in the virtual classroom actually surpasses what they haveexperienced in a campus-based setting.

Ken HughesIT Manager Able Engineering & Component Services



Paul Danek, Executive MBA class of 2011Management ConsultantAccenture



Already in a balancing act between expanding careers andfull lives, spouses, kids, and countless other commitments,many would-be college students ask themselves, “Howin the world will I t it all in? Is it really possible to be astudent, a top performer at work, and still achieve somesemblance of work-life balance?” An undergraduate orgraduate degree just seems like one more impossibleteacup to juggle. Not only is it possible, it happens all thetime. Top performers are top performers for a reason. They’re usually talented, smart, productive, and most of all:driven. They have successful lives outside work too, lled with family, volunteering, and hobbies – even while they’reattending school. They’ve gured out what they want andhow to make it all happen. Of course, in an economy asstaunchly competitive as ours, it’s easy to feel overwhelmedby conicting demands. We can feel pulled in too manydirections at once – and held captive by technology. Yetfeeling swamped is really just what occurs when you don’tface what “work-life balance” actually comes down to, whichis making choices and living with their consequences.

In fact, we believe that the term “work-life balance” shouldbe replaced with “work-life choices.” Balance itself is a myth.There’s no one right, one-size ts all ratio for work, school,and the rest of life. There are simply personal choicesand tradeoffs based on what feels right, given what you want from life, personally and professionally. So, yes, it iscompletely feasible to be a top performer, a college student

and achieve work-life balance – as long as you truly believein making your career – and the education that will bolsterit – a real priority.

And indeed, the online format makes such “balance” a whole lot easier. The beauty of an online degree program,especially for busy working people who are constantlyon the go, is its broad scheduling exibility. At the JackWelch Management Institute, our online students often tellus how much they value the convenience of being able to tcoursework into their free pockets of time and not having

to commute to a campus. They also enjoy the fact that classdiscussions are largely asynchronous, meaning they don’thave to be logged into the virtual classroom at the sametime as students in other time zones.

All the exibility in the format doesn’t mean an online

degree program is easy, however. At the Jack WelchManagement Institute, the curriculum is actually quiteintensive. It’s simply not for people who don’t know how tomanage their time well. Yet the fact is, most students at theJack Welch Management Institute work full-time and areexperts at balancing work and life. They understand howto squeeze the most out of a 24-hour day. Ultimately, we’vefound that our students’ own boundless energy and talentactually tend to help them forge meaningful lives outside ofschool, too — often with just the balance they want.

“There are a lot of different MBA programsout there. At the Jack Welch ManagementInstitute, I felt very strongly that the Jack Welchbrand was a differentiator.”

- Paul Danek, Executive MBA 2011Management ConsultantAccenture

“I would recommend the Jack Welch ManagementInstitute to anyone. Jack’s a great leader, and he’staking his experiences as a CEO and applying themto the Institute.”

- Melissa Bucher, Executive MBA Candidate 2012 Sales EngineerEaton Corporation

A 2010 study showed that 68% Executive MBAstudents gained new responsibilities while they werestill in school - and 37% received a promotion.

Source: Executive MBA Council (http://www.emba.org/research_corp_roi.htm)

68% 37%

GAINED NEWRESPONSIBILITIES

RECEIVEDA PROMOTION



Susmitha Kantheti, Executive MBA Candidate 2013Product ManagerLexisNexis

3 big myths about online mbas

Documents