未來還可不可以把EMBA做晉升籌碼

Serene Nah was GE Capital’s chief financial officer for greater China and had bright prospects in the group where she had worked for the past 10 years. However, Nah, who joined the company after an undergraduate degree in business management from Nanyang Business School in Singapore, wanted to accelerate her career and develop new skills beyond finance.

塞雷內•納赫(Serene Nah)曾擔任通用電氣金融(GE Capital)大中華區首席財務官，在這家過去十年一直爲之效力的集團裏擁有光明的前景。當初，她在新加坡南洋商學院(Nanyang Business School)獲得商業管理學士學位，隨後進入通用電氣金融工作。但如今，她希望加快自己的職業發展，學習金融以外的新技能。

“I was starting to get involved in mergers and acquisitions and big strategic projects. I was very keen to find an [executive MBA] programme that could expose me to more, such as the commercial side and legal side. Also, to meet people who could offer me real-life experiences and contacts in [China].”

“我開始參與併購業務和大型戰略性項目。我渴望找一個EMBA項目，從而讓我接觸到商業和法律等方面的更多知識。此外，我還想借此認識一些人，向我提供（在中國的）現實經驗和人脈。”

Six-figure tuition fees, travel costs and time off to attend classes make an executive MBA a substantial investment. Nah had full employer support for the programme.

攻讀EMBA需要6位數的學費和旅行費用，還得在閒暇時間上課，這是一筆代價高昂的投資。納赫攻讀EMBA獲得了僱主的完全支持。

She chose the Kellogg-HKUST programme – run jointly by Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Illinois and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology – because of its strong reputation, active alumni network and Chinese focus.

納赫選擇了凱洛格-香港科大(Kellogg-HKUST)的EMBA課程——這是由美國伊利諾伊州西北大學(Northwestern University)的凱洛格管理學院(Kellogg School of Management)與香港科技大學(HKUST)合辦的項目——原因在於該項目的良好聲譽以及活躍的校友人脈，並且主要面向中國市場。

During the programme, Nah’s role continued to expand and she anticipated staying with GE. However, she decided she wanted to work somewhere different and three months after her 2011 graduation she left to become a senior operating executive at Silver Lake, a private equity house. Today, based in Hong Kong, she considers her EMBA to be “one of the best investments” she has made.

在攻讀EMBA期間，納赫在通用電氣金融的角色繼續擴大，她本來預計會一直呆在公司，不過後來覺得還是換個地方工作，於是她在2011年畢業3個月之後離職，去私人股本公司銀湖(Silver Lake)當了一名高級運營專員。如今，常駐香港的納赫認爲EMBA是自己所做出的“最好的投資之一”。

Both employers and employees have shifted their thinking about funding, says Peggy Bishop Lane, vice-dean of the EMBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Companies fund fewer candidates because long-term employment is less common, she says, and conversely some students feel “they can dictate a little bit more what they can do once they graduate if they haven’t been financially sponsored”.

美國賓夕法尼亞大學沃頓商學院(Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania)負責EMBA項目的副院長佩吉•畢曉普•萊恩(Peggy Bishop Lane)說，僱主和僱員對補貼的看法全都發生了改變。公司資助攻讀EMBA的人數少了，因爲長期效力一家公司的現象沒有以往普遍了，她說，相反，有些學員覺得，“如果他們沒有得到財務資助的話，畢業後對公司的影響反而會更多一點兒。”

Scott Balloch, a client manager at BT, the UK telecoms group, was considering a full-time MBA in the US when his employer offered to fund an EMBA in the UK, so that he could study while working. He chose Warwick’s Business School’s EMBA but expected to move companies when he graduated in 2012 as he was under no legal obligation to stay at BT, nor to repay his fees. But, having been “impressed” by the opportunities at BT, Balloch remained at the company and is now head of energy and environment strategy.

斯科特•巴洛赫(Scott Balloch)是英國電信(BT)的一名客戶經理。當巴洛赫考慮去美國攻讀一個全日制MBA學位時，公司提出資助他在英國攻讀一個EMBA項目，從而讓他可以邊工作邊學習。巴洛赫選擇了華威商學院(Warwick Business School)的EMBA項目，但他在2012年畢業時卻想跳槽，因爲他既沒有必須留下來的法律義務，也沒有返還學費的義務。但是，由於被英國電信提供的機遇“打動”，巴洛赫留了下來，他如今擔任該公司的能源與環境策略主管。

Corporate funding for EMBAs has declined over the past 20 years, says Bishop Lane, and there was “a dramatic dive in employer sponsorship after 2008, as you would expect, but that trend has continued”. However, even employers that do not fund tuition still invest by allowing employees to work flexibly during part-time courses.

畢曉普•萊恩說，過去20年裏，公司對僱員攻讀EMBA的資助有所下降，“正如你預計的那樣，僱主對員工的資助在2008之後大幅下降，但這個趨勢延續了下來”。然而，即便不資助學費的僱主也會允許員工在攻讀非全日制課程時靈活工作，這也是一種投資。

After two years as senior marketing director at a US healthcare company Eamon Bobowski decided to self-fund an EMBA. Five months into his programme at Georgetown University, Washington DC, and in the depths of the recession, he lost his job in a reorganisation. Interim project work to pay the bills has evolved into a rewarding career as an independent consultant. “The skills I am able to exercise in real-world monumental projects are going to position me very well,” he says.

在一家美國醫療保健公司擔任高級營銷總監兩年之後，埃蒙•巴博斯基(Eamon Bobowski)決定自費攻讀EMBA。他選擇了位於華盛頓特區的喬治敦大學(Georgetown University)的EMBA項目。在入學第5個月時正趕上經濟嚴重衰退，於是他在公司重組中丟掉了工作。爲了支付學費，巴博斯基不得不從事臨時項目工作，後來這讓他得以擔任一名獨立顧問，成就了一份令人滿意的職業。他說：“我在真實世界的重大項目中能夠運用EMBA學到的技能，這將讓我處於非常有利的地位。”

Niki DeVault-Smith’s plans were also shaken by the 2008 crisis when her employer entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy weeks before her EMBA was due to start. However, when the programme began in July 2009, DeVault-Smith had secured a place on engineering group Robert Bosch’s finance leadership development programme in the US. She supplemented her own money with contributions from her old and new employers and US government funding under the trade adjustment assistance programme.

妮基•德沃-史密斯(Niki DeVault-Smith)的計劃也因2008年的危機而受挫。距她的EMBA項目開課還有幾周時間的時候，她的僱主宣佈按照美國破產法第11章的規定破產了。然而，當2009年7月EMBA開課時，德沃-史密斯在工程集團羅伯特•博世(Robert Bosch)旗下的美國金融領導力開發項目中獲得了一個位置。她除了自己交一部分錢，還得到了新、老僱主的資助，以及美國政府通過貿易調整支持項目提供的資助。

DeVault-Smith has stayed with Bosch, which she says has given her the chance to learn and work at higher levels. “While I have had opportunities during the programme and after graduation, so far Bosch has been the right place for me,” she says.

德沃-史密斯留在了博世，她表示，博世給了她在更高層次學習和工作的機會。她說：“儘管在攻讀EMBA期間和畢業之後，我都曾有過不少機會，但迄今爲止，博世對我來說是最合適的地方。”

Get the most from your EMBA investment

充分利用EMBA投資

Check your figures

看看你賺了沒有

Use a business case to determine whether your expected salary uplift will pay back the cost of an EMBA. Positive return on investment (ROI) is important, though not the only consideration. Chris Doran, academic director of Kellogg-HKUST’s EMBA, cautions that some things cannot be measured in ROI terms – like getting the confidence to start your own business or following your passion.

進行一次商業評估，評判一下你預期的薪水增幅能否抵過EMBA的成本。取得正的投資回報率(ROE)很重要，儘管這並非唯一考量。凱洛格-香港科大EMBA課程學術總監克里斯•多蘭(Chris Doran)警告稱，有些事情不能用投資回報率來衡量——比如獲得創業或跟着激情走的信心。

Choose the right programme for you

選擇適合你的項目

Identify your personal career goals. While rankings and reputation are important, they should not be slavishly followed. Course structure and class names may be similar, but programmes vary widely in what they offer. Attend the fairs and open days to identify the programmes that meet your objectives. Do you want to start your own business, for example? Do you want to work in China? Use rankings and logic to create a shortlist that meets your goals and then listen to your heart to make the final choice.

確定個人職業目標。儘管排名和聲譽很重要，但也不應盲目地一味看這兩點。各個項目的課程架構和名稱或許會差不多，但具體內容會相差很多。參加招生展和開放日活動，找出符合自己目標的項目。比如說，你打算自己創業嗎？你想到中國工作嗎？查看排行榜，認真思考，選出初步符合目標的項目，然後傾聽自己的內心來做出最終選擇。

Choose a programme located in the market where you want to work

選擇一個在工作預期地市場開辦的項目

Location will influence the culture, laws, regulations and business practices taught. While there is general benefit to building cross-cultural knowledge, EMBA learning is practical, so studying in your target market will arm you with relevant knowledge. Alumni networks and work prospects also tend to concentrate in the market of the school. Finally, travel time is an important practical consideration when juggling the course, work and family obligations.

項目所在地將會影響課程講授的文化、法律、監管和商業慣例。儘管掌握跨文化知識總體來說是有益的，但EMBA學習是務實的，所以在目標市場學習將有助於你掌握相關知識。校友人脈和工作前景也往往集中在項目學院所在的市場。最後，當你要兼顧學習、工作和家庭義務時，旅行時間也是現實中一項很重要的考量。

Once in the programme, participate as much as possible

一旦入學，儘可能地參與到項目當中

Interact and share with classmates – help and learn from them to build your knowledge and network. As well as being a sounding board and source of potential jobs in the future, they can become life-long friends.

與同學們互動和交流，幫助他們並向他們學習，以積攢知識和人脈。他們在未來可能爲你提供諮詢意見，可能幫你找工作，也可能成爲你終生的朋友。

Put your new skills to work right away

立刻把學到的新技能用到工作上

A key advantage of an EMBA over a full-time MBA is the chance to use your new skills at work, which can cement new knowledge and impress your employer. Niki DeVault-Smith applied lessons learned in class to propose an unconventional solution to a problem, impressing her employer and providing a practical example of her new capabilities.

EMBA相對於全日制MBA的一個關鍵優勢在於，你有機會學以致用，這會鞏固新知識，並給僱主留下深刻印象。妮基•德沃-史密斯運用課堂所學，對某個問題提出了一個非同尋常的解決方案，給公司留下深刻印象，併爲她的新能力提供了一個實例。

Explore the job market

探索就業市場

Even if you do not intend to change jobs, consider all your options, because plans can change. To accelerate your career with your current employer, Prof Doran recommends graduates use negotiation skills learned on the course “to create an attractive alternative offer to encourage their pre-degree employer to recognise their new skills”.

即便你不打算換工作，也要考慮所有選項，因爲計劃趕不上變化。爲了加快在當前公司的職業發展，多蘭教授建議畢業生使用在課程中學到的談判技巧，“拿到另一份有吸引力的錄用通知會讓現僱主刮目相看，並認識到他們的新技能”。