More study: teaching an IT pro new tricks?: Insight

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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More study: teaching an IT pro new tricks?

By Vivienne Fisher, ZDNet Australia
January 28, 2003
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/insight/soa/More-study-teaching-an-IT-pro-new-tricks-/0,139023731,120271566,00.htm

OPINION: Training, further education and more degrees were once promotion-buzzwords and the acquisition of "soft skills" and industry experience always helped guarantee movement up the corporate ladder. Has this changed or is further study really useful for CIOs and IT managers seeking career advancement?

An IT Manager community member recently contacted me regarding my views on the relevancy of doing an MBA on top of an undergraduate business or IT degree. He was interested in finding out whether there was "bang for buck" for IT professionals with experience who were looking to move into upper management positions. The member's concerns were whether the investment of time and money required for the course would equate to better roles, higher pay and more senior positions in the long term.

Whether or not to pursue further study, particularly at the post-graduate level, can be a tough decision to make. Not only are these courses often costly, there is also the impact on family and other work and personal commitments.

It's easy to underestimate how much time will actually be required to complete further study. If you have six hour's worth of classes per week, added to four hours of study, on top of the assignments and exam preparation required, it adds up fairly quickly.

This isn't to say that study isn't well worth the time and money. Not all benefits can be measured in purely dollars and cents terms either--at times further study equips you with data and skills that increase your ability to perform your job more effectively and efficiently. For example, studying an area which isn't your core competency in a work environment can allow you to approach problems laterally, it can give you an insight into other approaches, and wider knowledge of the business environment in which you operate.

Do you think that MBAs and other further study are beneficial to CIOs and IT managers? What are the costs and benefits you've found from extra education? Please send your comments to Talkback below or e-mail us your tips to itmanager@zdnet.com.au