Hello All

I am a certified Project Management professional (PMP) with mechanical engineering background and have overall industrial experience of 11 years (7 years in project management). I am an Indian National and a UAE resident (based in Dubai). Age - 34.

I am looking for a major breakthrough in an Oil & Gas, Energy, EPC sector companies like Wood, Baker Hughes, Mcdermott, Total Energies etc ..since most of my project management experience are around Offshore, marine industry which are not really sufficient and not very core to gain the experience required to knock the big doors of O&G industry I listed. Another fact being Dubai is not known to serve the O&G industry well as the focus is on other industries so i don't mind a relocation if it all its worth to do

So i am planning to do an online MBA to give a boost to my resume and i am aware that when we do the MBA it has to be from the top schools to give a real chance to get the right support and assistance in finding a career and achieving our goal (as mentioned above) or else it could be back to zero stage

Apart from the fact that i need to continue working to draw salaries while I study, I am also not academically sound enough to crack high GMAT scores to give it a shout to top B schools and neither in a position to spend so much time behind GMAT given that my age is 34. so I rule out doing a full time MBA, high finance also another concern.

now with some round of researches, rankings and talks with some of my colleagues i have short listed the below schools (not looking for US)

Imperial college Business school UK
Warwick Business school UK
Robert Gordon University Aberdeen
Durham University Business school

its very easy choice to pick from above based on my goal- it has to be either imperial or Warwick as they are top rated in online MBAs

Now going with Linked in i am surprised to see the Alumni and followers for RGU is more than IB and Warwick.

now the main point for me is the type of industry that I am targeting based on my current background remains O&G and Energy management and i cant see that from IB or Warwick LinkedIn Alumni network as it looks the companies they partnered are with mostly from IT, Banking, Healthcare, e-commerce giants - so is there a chance for me to get that breakthrough in my list of companies after an MBA from these 2 schools doing online ? Durham also a similar case as i see. But AM I RIGHT here when i assume the Imperial or Warwick wont be much of a help in O&G sectors ?? i am not very sure as cant just predict based on Linkedin ? i will be talking to B schools and asking them this question.

now RGU MBA being specialized in O&G and Energy sector (in Aberdeen being itself an O&G hub) and may be perhaps the reason WHY ITS NOT LISTED IN ANY RANKINGS ??? going with LinkedIn it does have Alumni in the companies i look forward to enter but again its an online MBA will it create the impact as full time MBA in getting the breakthrough i am looking for ? i am trying to get hold of some students who are doing MBA from RGU to get a good picture.

I have mixed response of RGU till now but what matters the most is if RGU fits my case as rankings necessarily does not give what i want in the end - i am not looking for a job in amazon or google or any of that top giant to make it clear as i can only extend my career in Project management and consultant with what i got.

I also don't mind to relocate from Dubai if i am getting a job in a company what i wish for in any part of Europe.

All your valuable suggestions, comments are highly appreciated here as that will benefit me in a taking the right life changing decision

Regards
Nidhin

You raise a wide range of questions and topics, and the only way to cut through them is for you to develop a working hypothesis about your next career step. If you want to make a major breakthrough, you need to know what that would look like. For example, some of your comments suggest you don't want a major breakthrough. 

Try closing off some options: is more like Europe or the UAE? If it's Europe, where in Europe (for example, these are all British schools). If you want to work in the UK, come here and take a full time MBA. 

I don't get your point about being academic and the GMAT. Have you chosen those programs, because they are accessible to the sort of GMAT score you expect to get, or are you saying you don't intend to take the GMAT. 

Why not take an EMBA in the UAE like Strathclyde or Bradford? 

Hi Duncan 

Many thanks for your time and response. Much appreciated. 
The reason I elaborated much is to give the reader a fair bit of idea on myself and what my intention and ultimate goal is. Apologies if i happen to confuse. 

Goal - is to get a breakthrough in a major O&G / Energy related EPC companies through career support from schools after an online MBA with my Project management experience (I am not in a position to take a break from work and spend more time on GMAT and do a full time MBA in UK which again is out of my budget) 

GMAT - I do not intend to take GMAT.

Europe /UK / UAE - if I get an opportunity i do wish to relocate to Europe/UK. Doing an online EMBA from Strathclyde or Bradford or Birmingham  over here in UAE will not take towards my goal as they don't have right partnerships with O&G companies as I understand correctly ? A mere 'branded' degree will not be beneficial in the end i feel.  

My 1st Question - does Imperial or Warwick  have any collaboration  with O&G, Energy sector companies in line with their career support for 'online MBA' since they are ranked 1 and 2 for online MBAs ? (LinkedIn Alumni network does not prove much as they tend towards investment Banking, Global IT, Pharma, FMCG etc)
My 2nd Question - what is your personal take on RGU ? RGU is not even in top 100 ranking in FT but as their website claim and as per LinkedIn and other sources, they have some good collaboration with O&G, Energy sector being based in Aberdeen which itself is a O&G hub. Could an online MBA from RGU be beneficial and can take me closer towards my goal than an online MBA from Warwick or Imperial ? As per LinkedIn i am more tend towards RGU as for me end result matters (goal) not the ranking, so i am seeking a expert opinion here. 

Career support is limited with most online MBAs, and especially if you are not near a campus. Schools with UAE campuses are more likely to support you there. Visas are a major barrier and so I recommend a full time program in the UK if you want to work here. That removes the major barrier for visas. 

RGU is a strong school for energy because of Aberdeen's extractive industries. Right now, I think it's a good choice for a full time degree. 

Thanks a lot Duncan for your valuable time and suggestion. will check for full time option in RGU.