For RP, James and Alex EMBA degrees from NYU, Duke, and Fordham, respectively, added entirely new dimensions to their careers. They decided to return to school, attending the EMBA program, at different stages in life and for different reasons. Each represents one of the common personality types found in the EMBA classroom.
The average executive MBA candidate has at least eight years’ work experience, is in a managerial position, has employer support (partial or entirely financed) and can bring to the classroom a wealth of experience. The ideal candidate is fully employed (self, corporate, or non profit) and practices medicine, engineering, law, finance or marketing.
Candidates not only have success stories to share but also job failures and other professional disappointments. Leadership qualities in the classroom and boardroom are balanced and at this juncture in life, candidates understand the short- and long-term benefits of an MBA. The time to attend business school is after good work experience has been gained rather than before when the career is just beginning to take shape. EMBA graduates and many career professionals agree the MBA is necessary as a career tune-up at 100,000 miles rather than 3,000 miles.
Our research identified three types of personalities: the manager, the changer and the driver. If you are considering the EMBA, determine which personality best represents you – but recognise that as you evolve in your career, cross-over is acceptable and you may find yourself relating to more than one type.
The manager
The manager is the most common personality in the EMBA classroom. This person has worked up the business ladder from lower levels achieving a senior position in reasonable time. The MBA is seen as an important component in reinforcing the career path trajectory to the executive level as it is one of the firm’s requirements - and is considered a rite of passage.
The executive MBA allows the employee to work full time while attending school.. Skills in the classroom are applied and shared immediately in the workplace. “You have reached a certain level in your career and now want to take the next step. You are not as interested in switching careers as you are in advancing your existing career,” says RP Singh, NYU and Director of Business Development at Reuters News Service.
The changer
Changers are the second most common personality among executive MBA candidates. The changer seeks a new direction within or outside the firm, perhaps not immediately but in the long term.
The hot job market of the 1990s encouraged many students to switch employers or change careers. Entrepreneurs, family business owners, doctors, lawyers and general working professionals were able to breathe new life into their careers after being exposed to emerging business models and high-achieving classmates. The EMBA gives people like them time to assess their futures while studying, networking, bonding and being exposed to a variety of professionals with diverse careers.
Changers seem to embrace the executive education model best. Their optimism is contagious and they are more likely to finance their education themselves.
By graduation a changer may have resigned from their current employer, been hired by a new employer, launched a new business with a classmate or simply taken some time off in preparation for the next move. “I had classmates from all over the world from all types of backgrounds and they brought to the table all types of perspectives that created options for everyone in the class,” explains James C., Duke University and former VP of JP Morgan Chase.
The driver
The last personality is the driver, determined to earn the degree to satisfy a need. These candidates are usually older adults who have achieved a respectable level of success yet always wanted to continue their formal education, and in particular, earn an MBA.
Drivers do not view attending school as a necessity and may not even apply the education to their careers after graduation. They attend for the love of learning. As Alex K. a former senior executive of a Fortune 500 and Fordham graduate explains: “I wanted the intellectual stimulation. I worked and studied hard and graduated cum laude in a classroom full of high achievers. I enjoyed myself immensely during those two years as a student.”
Drivers are motivated by the need to satisfy goals. Despite their riches, successes or their maturity, drivers have always wanted to continue their formal education in some way. The seat occupied next to you in class could be a former Fortune 500 executive, a millionaire entrepreneur, a chief medical specialist or a Pulitzer prize winner.
Drivers are known for their refreshing perspectives, good humor and commentary during class and class projects. They are often the first to battle instructors and professors and to bring students back to earth during intense discussions. Their charisma and cool-headed diplomacy, garnered through decades of experience, can cool even the most heated debate.
Of course, these three personalities are not absolute. Our lives change and our interests evolve. At one time or another, each of us will personify the manager, the changer and the driver.
About the author
Jason A. Price, MS, MBA, is director of
EMBA World, a New York City-based organization dedicated to helping employees and employers understand options concerning graduate level business education and in particular the executive MBA. He is author of
The Executive MBA: An Insider’s Guide for Working Professionals in Pursuit of Graduate Business Education.He can be reached at
Jason@embaworld.com