Good choice for me?

npms

1 2

Posted Mar 30, 2014 07:16

I would appreciate if anyone could provide me some advice on MBA/MS choice.

Background:
- 1st degree in Foreign Affaris (graduated with honors)
- professional retraining in General Management
-As of now 3yrs of experience in Procurement/Operations (I live and work in Japan)

Goal: get settled in EU with a good job (preferrably in a Japanese company or company that has strong connections with Japan market)
*of course, knowledge is important too, but I strongly believe in OJT)

Languages:
-Russian (native)
-English (fluent)
-Japanese (fluent)

Budget: EUR 25,000 max

Questions:
1.Should I pursue a MBA with concentration in Supply Chain Management rather then International MBA given my background? (I am more interested in Operations& Supply Chain than Marketing/Finance, etc)

2. WIll MSc in Supply Chain be a better option?

3. There are quite a few inexpensive accredited MBA options in Spain, Germany, etc. Could they be a door-opener for me to EU job markets?

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Duncan

14.013 15.475

Posted Mar 30, 2014 16:30

I'm not sure that this is a credible career path. It's way too specific to be realistic.

What are your goals? What's a "good" job?

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npms

1 2

Posted Mar 31, 2014 15:26

I'm not sure that this is a credible career path. It's way too specific to be realistic.

What are your goals? What's a "good" job?

Hello Duncan,
Thanks for your reply.

I don't speak any local language and can imagine finding a job in EU will be a huge challenge. The reasons I am hoping to get a job at a Japanese company are as follows:
1. I don't speak any local language, but my command of the Japanese language is good enough (I am also very comfortable with technical terminology, etc) and work experience in Japan will be highly valued by Japanese managers. A Japanese company, I assume, will be more likely to hire me than, let's say, a German one due to the language problem.
2. I am afraid I will forget Japanese if I don't use it at a workplace.

Good job is challenging and demanding; that will allow me to grow both personally and professionally. Another important point here is that it should pay off tuition fees I will spend on MBA. Production side of a business fascinates me by its complexity and some sort of unpredictability (disruption in deliveries, quality issues, sudden bankcruptcy of suppliers, etc).

Having read lots of articles on MBA in EU, now I am more inclined to think that a cheap MBA won't be a good option - opportunity costs are enormous but chances of getting a job are too low.

So, there are two questions left: MSc or MBA? If MBA, International MBA or MBA in Operations/ Supply chain?

(In one of your posts, you recommended Skema. Skema offers MSc in Supply Chain Management. I added this school to my "candidate list")

Most Japanese companies I would be interested in are locared in Belgium, Germany and UK.

Thanks in advance for your reply.

<blockquote>I'm not sure that this is a credible career path. It's way too specific to be realistic.

What are your goals? What's a "good" job?</blockquote>

Hello Duncan,
Thanks for your reply.

I don't speak any local language and can imagine finding a job in EU will be a huge challenge. The reasons I am hoping to get a job at a Japanese company are as follows:
1. I don't speak any local language, but my command of the Japanese language is good enough (I am also very comfortable with technical terminology, etc) and work experience in Japan will be highly valued by Japanese managers. A Japanese company, I assume, will be more likely to hire me than, let's say, a German one due to the language problem.
2. I am afraid I will forget Japanese if I don't use it at a workplace.

Good job is challenging and demanding; that will allow me to grow both personally and professionally. Another important point here is that it should pay off tuition fees I will spend on MBA. Production side of a business fascinates me by its complexity and some sort of unpredictability (disruption in deliveries, quality issues, sudden bankcruptcy of suppliers, etc).

Having read lots of articles on MBA in EU, now I am more inclined to think that a cheap MBA won't be a good option - opportunity costs are enormous but chances of getting a job are too low.

So, there are two questions left: MSc or MBA? If MBA, International MBA or MBA in Operations/ Supply chain?

(In one of your posts, you recommended Skema. Skema offers MSc in Supply Chain Management. I added this school to my "candidate list")

Most Japanese companies I would be interested in are locared in Belgium, Germany and UK.

Thanks in advance for your reply.

quote

Duncan

14.013 15.475

Posted Mar 31, 2014 22:15

Well, your English seems pretty good so maybe you can focus on companies that use English. Japanese firms are, of course, not big recruiters of MBAs but perhaps Fujitsu Consulting or Hitachi Consulting are options.

It may be that the simplest route is get into the best school you can in the UK or Ireland, find work, and then start finding for jobs in a Japanese firm once you are here.

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