Career change - MBA/MiM or MSc.?

0815Larry

1 2

Posted Jan 01, 2024 21:16

Hi all,

I am 45 years old, native German, fluent English speaker, Electrical Engineer
in a lead engineering position in the German automotive industry for about 15 years now.

My goal is to transition from automotive into the sustainability/ renewable energy sector (Corporate career at like RWE, Vattenfall, etc.) within the next couple of years. I will also look at consultancy jobs at BCG, PWC and the like.

Within a budget of max. 50k and the need for part time/ online format due to my job my current favorites are the following 2 programs:
- WHU "Global Online MBA" (they have strong sustainability focus int their MBA program) and
- Mannheim "Master Sustainability and Impact Management"
BTW - I have ruled out ESCP as my French is not that good anymore and I ruled out ESMT as they do not seem to pay attention to sustainability...

Do you guys think I am on the right track here? I am strongly leaning towards the WHU as I assume that the MBA would be more appreciated for mid senior management and even more so for consultancies. Also it would definitely give me a broader foundation of my management skills. Or should I rather specialize in sustainable technology/ renewable energy with a Master program?
Looking forward to your opinions and guidance.

And thanks in an advance to Duncan to put in so much effort here in the forum. This is all very very helpful.
Cheers everyone and happy New Year!

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Duncan

14.013 15.475

Posted Jan 02, 2024 15:42

I think WHU and Mannheim are the obvious business schools. Mannheim does leave a bad taste in my mouth with the way it limits its part-time MBA to "young" professionals: I think that ageist language just doesn't belong in business schools. I also think its sustainability masters covers a huge range of topics, which must mean they are covered thinly. Compare it, for example, to the Porto Business School executive masters in sustainability, which seems to give people deep skills in the EU's reporting requirements.

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0815Larry

1 2

Posted Jan 03, 2024 08:00

Hi Duncan,
many thanks for the insights.

Going through pros and cons of MBA vs. Masters and projecting these to my desired career path I decided will try to go for the MBA at WHU. This will give me much broader options instead of narrowing me down to one sector. I think I can still add expertise via certificates towards a specific field of knowledge after the MBA to create more momentum towards a specific sector.
For example the "Sustainability Leadership Programme for Senior Executives" at INSEAD.
Just out of curiosity: Duncan, would you mind sharing your take on this program. To me it looks like a good add on to an MBA to specialize towards sustainability management and also it gives access to the INSEAD Alumni network... ROI might be an issue though as it basically is really just a certification.

Thanks in advance and greetings from Germany!

Hi Duncan, many thanks for the insights. Going through pros and cons of MBA vs. Masters and projecting these to my desired career path I decided will try to go for the MBA at WHU. This will give me much broader options instead of narrowing me down to one sector. I think I can still add expertise via certificates towards a specific field of knowledge after the MBA to create more momentum towards a specific sector.  For example the "Sustainability Leadership Programme for Senior Executives" at INSEAD.  Just out of curiosity: Duncan, would you mind sharing your take on this program. To me it looks like a good add on to an MBA to specialize towards sustainability management and also it gives access to the INSEAD Alumni network... ROI might be an issue though as it basically is really just a certification. Thanks in advance and greetings from Germany!

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Duncan

14.013 15.475

Posted Jan 03, 2024 09:36

I am completing a similar program, taught by Insead rather than Emeritus, called Lead the Future, which also has similar sustainability content at the elective change. That Emeritus programme feel more focussed on circularity in supply chains while at first glance the Mannheim programme is more Europe-focussed and deeper on reporting. I think you can probably do better with smaller programmes that better fit your needs. A certificate with alumni status may not open as many doors as a degree.

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