Learning, while you are Earning

A few weeks ago, a 26 year old and very able professional resigned from the services of his company. Reasons for this decision was stated as continuing education and that his company was not willing to provide sufficient flexibility with respect to the 10 days of leave that he was asking for preparing and giving examinations.

This professional, started his career when he 16 years old, right after his 10th Grade examinations. He decided that "Studies" was not his cup of tea, so he dropped out, started working and gradually worked his way up be gathering experience on various assignments. He was fairly stable in his current organization where he had worked for more than 5 years. Something happened in his life that he decided that he should continue his education and get a Graduate Degree through Distance Education. So, he enrolled for a Degree that had little value add to his current role and responsibility, but more to do with the satisfaction of his own ego as he would be a Graduate. In his 2nd Semester, he requested for 10 days off to study and give his examinations and his request was approved in principle with a caveat, that he would be available in case of some problems because there was no one else in the company who could handle the department. So, our hero decided to get a small job in another company and decided to throw the existing job, where he was doing well, out the window and pursue his "Education". He was obsessed with the idea of being a Graduate.

I was confused about the intent of this man, he sacrificed his Education for a Career when he should have studied, and then 10 years later, he is sacrificing his Career for an Education, when he could have worked and grown...

I have gone thru' the Executive General Management Program at IIM Bangalore myself, and it was tough managing the day to day work, studies and family expectations. That 1 Year, I went thru' hell. I had to manage the dis-satisfaction of my family, my boss and my friends. Looking back, I really don't know what kept me going!.

I chose to go to school again because I was felt that my career was plateauing, I was solving problems with age old techniques and was finding it difficult to innovate at work, I needed a new perspective and I had to re-invent my thinking process. I achieved most of my objectives from the course.

Organizations pay for the value that one brings to the table and a small percentage is attributed to the individual's scaleability. People generally don't recognize this and take up an unrelated courses more from the Continuing Education purpose instead of Executive Education perspective. These courses add more soft skills instead of hard skills. Soft skills are intangible when compared to hard skills. Intangible skills take time to get recognized hence the "eagerly awaited" change in compensation and benefits take time to come by and then disgruntlement sets in.... people get upset and leave. Switching jobs after an Executive Education Degree or Certificate is easier as one can project/present oneself how he/she likes and get the new job. It is usually harder to stick around in the same company and wait for opportunity to come by and then rise up in the Organization Chart, one has to exhibit a lot of patience.

Executive Education Courses should be chosen carefully to enhance one's skill set or to add a certain missing skill set so that there is a Value Enhancement On The Job because it is this job that is providing the Bread, the Butter and the Jam.