Online Education: The Most Flexible Upgrade Option

Anyone working in a professional career today recognizes that advancement is no longer simply a matter of paying your dues and putting in time. Corporate and organizational leaders want to see managers who also bring advanced business knowledge to the table, and show the drive to succeed. Someone who has worked for the organization and has the credentials needed to fulfill their roll is a valuable employee, but in many cases, even years of experience aren?t sufficient for that employee to advance to a senior position. A classic example is engineering. Graduates of engineering programs can look forward to a good job and an excellent starting salary. A few years down the road, though, they often find that their employer wants more than a BEng if they are to move into a management role. They expect advanced business knowledge such as organizational behavior and economics as well ?something that engineering bachelor?s program don?t deliver.

The proven way to advance has always been education and today that holds true more than ever.

In many professions, the educational requirements needed to land a role with a company are one thing; advancing to the leadership level requires an employee to invest in an educational upgrade through earning professional certificates, a professional designation or an advanced level degree. Doing so sends multiple messages to senior management: the employee has the drive and the desire to advance, and they have the skills to succeed in a challenging educational program. Upon completing their upgrade, they possess the advanced knowledge and skills combined with the employment experience that makes them an ideal candidate to be highly effective in a leadership role.

Full time employees who decided to further their education used to be faced with difficult choices.

Finding a reputable college or university in close proximity that offered advanced degrees in their desired program wasn?t always easy. If there were no options within commuting distance, they had the choice of giving up their job, disrupting their family life and moving to be close enough to campus to take classes or putting off their plans. Even if they were fortunate enough to have a school nearby that offered the degree they wanted, attending classes required juggling their work schedule or giving up their evenings. In short, an educational upgrade has always been a good idea, but the logistical barriers have prevented many people from choosing to do so.

All of that changed with the Internet, especially in recent years as web-based technology matured, high speed Internet connections became more widespread and the personal computer became a fixture in American households. Universities and colleges were quick to recognize the value of the web as an educational tool and they have been developing web-based programs that offer the same value and an equivalent experience to being in the classroom without having to set foot on campus. Today, it?s even possible to earn a postgraduate degree online.

Coming back to the engineer who has earned his or her BEng, worked for a number of years and concluded that they want to pursue a management role, the option of earning a valuable degree such as a Master?s in Engineering Management online opens doors without the sacrifice once needed. Online programs offer an incredible degree of flexibility. Students still have to meet the deadlines for assignments set by their professor but they have the ability to log on any time ?day or night? in order to complete assignments or download course material. Even though they may be thousands of miles away from the campus, they still actively interact with their fellow classmates and instructors through discussion boards, e-mail and chat.

By completing their Masters in Engineering Management online, the engineer accomplishes the goal of an educational upgrade through an accredited university. In addition to upgrading their engineering knowledge through advanced courses such as reliability engineering, they gain a broad perspective on the business environment by completing MBA-level credits in subjects such as financial management, advanced operations management, financial accounting and marketing. Graduates boost their engineering expertise while incorporating the business knowledge that companies value in their leadership candidates. Most people don?t have the ability to choose a mid-career return to school, but being able to complete a degree online offers the flexibility that has made the possibility of an educational upgrade a reality for more professionals than ever.

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