I've got 6 years of experience as a software engineer and feel like I've hit a ceiling, professionally. Would an MBA in technology or a similar open up my possibilities and allow me to get a better job? I feel like complimenting my skills with business savviness might make me a more attractive candidate for better jobs/positions, but also not sure whether it makes sense given my background. I want to stay in the tech sector but delve deeper and open up my horizons a bit.
MBA worth it for someone in my position?
Posted Jul 14, 2023 15:09
Posted Jul 14, 2023 17:47
Sometimes, specialization doesn't matter for an MBA. I suggest you either take an MBA or M.Sc. in relevant engineering disciplines to fuel up your career. I'm not sure about IT field, but in some civil, mechanical engineering field, some people take up M.Sc. in Project Management. Hope this helps !
Posted Jul 14, 2023 18:45
You need to do some serious analysis and consider your values and career goals. Focus on what you have, where you can add the most value and your skills gaps in moving forward. Once you have focussed on the right role, see what attributes people in those roles have. It might not be an MBA.
Posted Jul 15, 2023 12:20
Building on Duncan's point, you need to do some inward reflection on your personality traits and skills, particularly some of the non-functional skills. Lots of people in technology roles post here asking a similar question. It would help if you can identify some clearer career goals then you can work out the path to get there. What do you mean by 'better jobs/positions'?
You need to figure that out first. An MBA might be one way to move along that path but it may not be the most appropriate.
Take a look at the SFIA framework which is a well known skills and competency framework for digital roles www.sfia-online.org
This has a detailed inventory of many tech roles and the associated skills and competencies for each, including the level of competency suggested for each role on a scale of 1-7.
For example if you're interested in 'Enterprise IT' it breaks that down into categories of skills like Strategy & Architecture then specific skills.
If you want to stay in the sector and do a broadly related role that's more business orientated but you're not entirely sure which direction to follow then I suggest an exercise that might help.
Try to identify three potential career paths and do a gap analysis versus your current skills and experience. If there is anything in common across those three paths then you can focus on that part of your development in the shorter term without committing to a big endeavour like an MBA.
In your case, let's say you identify Product Manager, Enterprise Architect and Tech Programme Manager. One of the common competencies could be stakeholder management/communication (something a lot of people in tech need to work on!) You could do some training and development in that and then repeat the exercise say in 6-12 months time and by then you may have clearer goals or may have an additional one.
This is a good exercise to repeat as your career progresses.
</div><div><br></div><div>This has a detailed inventory of many tech roles and the associated skills and competencies for each, including the level of competency suggested for each role on a scale of 1-7. </div><br><div>For example if you're interested in 'Enterprise IT' it breaks that down into categories of skills like Strategy & Architecture then specific skills.</div><br><br><div>If you want to stay in the sector and do a broadly related role that's more business orientated but you're not entirely sure which direction to follow then I suggest an exercise that might help. <br><br>Try to identify three potential career paths and do a gap analysis versus your current skills and experience. If there is anything in common across those three paths then you can focus on that part of your development in the shorter term without committing to a big endeavour like an MBA.<br><br>In your case, let's say you identify Product Manager, Enterprise Architect and Tech Programme Manager. One of the common competencies could be stakeholder management/communication (something a lot of people in tech need to work on!) You could do some training and development in that and then repeat the exercise say in 6-12 months time and by then you may have clearer goals or may have an additional one. <br><br><div>This is a good exercise to repeat as your career progresses.</div><div>
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Posted Jul 15, 2023 13:18
Thanks so much, both of you, for your replies. I guess I need to narrow down my interests a lot more before I start looking into specific degrees. I have some sort of inkling of what areas I'm more interested in but should have a more in-depth look.
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