MCM vs. B-School
As you may know, I heavily debated the merits of a Master in Communications Management degree versus an MBA. I had one foot in an MBA program before deciding to try the MCM first before diving into 4 crazy years of B-School madness.
However, I still debate the two, and my personal debate ends differently depending on the day - some days I believe the MBA is a better choice and that I should switch programs for next semester, while other days I realize the MCM is much better suited to my career aspirations and I should stick with it. It doesn't hurt that the MCM is much shorter, less expensive and probably easier. I didn't choose it for those reasons, but sometimes the fact that those reasons exist makes me feel like I'm wimping out or choosing the easier of two paths.
But it's not about easier vs. harder - it's about rationally deciding what's the best way to spend the next 2 - 4 years, and in fact whether or not it's worth spending 4 years as a crazy, part-time student. MCM is 2 years, MBA is 4 years.
There's no question that an MBA is a more useful degree. It teaches you the language of business, it gives you credentials (and experience) that translate worldwide and tell future employers exactly what you have studied and what you can do. It prepares you for a variety of different positions.
However, an MCM gives me a specialization. It gives consistency and breadth to my resume. It gives me specific training in an industry that I am convinced I will operate in for the next 5-10 years, whether in business or politics. Actually it's not an industry - it's a horizontal, a skill that is crucial to any industry, from medicine to finance to academia.
And in the mere two classes that I'm taking this semester, I've already used knowledge and training from both in various professional endeavors.
It's directly relevant to what I want to do. And I'm good at it.
So for today (and the past week), the MCM has won the debate. Next semester there's a course on "Financial Aspects of Business" in MCM, and I look forward to learning some necessary finance skills there.
And in the summer, there's a 2-week intensive course on international marketing that takes place on location in Rome, Italy. Given that I speak Italian fluently and want to work in Italy, this networking opportunity seems too good to pass up.
However, I still debate the two, and my personal debate ends differently depending on the day - some days I believe the MBA is a better choice and that I should switch programs for next semester, while other days I realize the MCM is much better suited to my career aspirations and I should stick with it. It doesn't hurt that the MCM is much shorter, less expensive and probably easier. I didn't choose it for those reasons, but sometimes the fact that those reasons exist makes me feel like I'm wimping out or choosing the easier of two paths.
But it's not about easier vs. harder - it's about rationally deciding what's the best way to spend the next 2 - 4 years, and in fact whether or not it's worth spending 4 years as a crazy, part-time student. MCM is 2 years, MBA is 4 years.
There's no question that an MBA is a more useful degree. It teaches you the language of business, it gives you credentials (and experience) that translate worldwide and tell future employers exactly what you have studied and what you can do. It prepares you for a variety of different positions.
However, an MCM gives me a specialization. It gives consistency and breadth to my resume. It gives me specific training in an industry that I am convinced I will operate in for the next 5-10 years, whether in business or politics. Actually it's not an industry - it's a horizontal, a skill that is crucial to any industry, from medicine to finance to academia.
And in the mere two classes that I'm taking this semester, I've already used knowledge and training from both in various professional endeavors.
It's directly relevant to what I want to do. And I'm good at it.
So for today (and the past week), the MCM has won the debate. Next semester there's a course on "Financial Aspects of Business" in MCM, and I look forward to learning some necessary finance skills there.
And in the summer, there's a 2-week intensive course on international marketing that takes place on location in Rome, Italy. Given that I speak Italian fluently and want to work in Italy, this networking opportunity seems too good to pass up.
posted by Allison at 9:32 AM
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