Hello sashah,

I think you have a very good profile for an MBA - Age(31 is quit normal), experience, and educational background. an MBA is definitely a good thing for people wanting to climb up the latter. you can look for one with concentration on Media, or just do a global MBA. this would certainly be of help to you. if you are planing on carrying on working in your current job, try to ask the bosses about your promotion chances with an MBA. if you want to switch company/Branch, then an MBA from a respected program could help you find a good job.

good luck,

O.

Thanks Oshrat for the input.


I cant find any good university which concentrates in Media and Entertainment side in UK

Apparently during my recent research I found out that NYU Stern university offers an electives specializations in Media, Entertainment and Technology and it suits me perfectly as it has all what I required to advance in my field but they offer full time ..I am not sure how it will work in part time or Executive..as in executive they are affiliated with 2 other university which is LSe and HEC and I dont know whether they involve specialization in Media and Entertainment.

If iI decide to study in USA that I got to quit my job in London....so thats a big question!!

Also I have to see whether I can afford to go New york to do MBA full time for 2 yrs....and that too next year as this years deadline is over.

One prospect is good that my company has office in New york and its quite near to stern university...So i can definately explore that oportunity provided I get acceptance in Stern but still not sure whether to take such a big decsion as it will lot matter whether to do Full time or Part time.

Well if I do MBA from good reputed university then chances are very good for me to get promotion.

But seeing new Obama new Immigration rule for H1 cateogory really puts brakes on switching company or advancing my career in any major Holywood Studios..

Let me know what are your thoughts..

Thanks

S

<blockquote>Hi, I am a 31 year old with nearly 6+ years of experience in Sales and currently working in Media company as Business Development.

I have been thinking to do an MBA from past two years but have not so far due to various factors and also I generally see people coming from engineering / software programming or finance background to do MBA, but as me currently working in Media industry not sure whether MBA is the right path for me to grow.

My current salary is GBP30,000 pa and I want to grow and advance in career and I always have this thing going in mind that will MBA will help me to step up the ladder.

I have always been passionate about MBA but will have to take loan apart from stretching to get into a good B-School.

I already hold a Master Degree in IT but surprisingly not working in IT industry. Since past 4 years I have been working in a Post Production company which provides services to Feature Film and Broadcast Industry and I handle the Business Development side.

I am interested in part time / executive MBA as I would also like to continue my job but at this point of time but I am still confused whether MBA is right for me or not due to the amount of money involved & my age.

Would appreciate your feedback and suggestions?
</blockquote>

Hi there,
You've generally got a good profile. Don't be discouraged just b/c others are coming from an engineer/IT profile. If you didn't know, b-schools generally get a lot of engineer/IT people and it's one of the most competitive demographic pools to apply from. Your experience in Media would set you apart and give you a better chance at the top schools, esp if you've got a great GMAT and GPA.

THe main source of concern would be your age if you're looking into a full time 2-year MBA, because the average age of incoming students are 25-26. Furthermore, the admissions comittee would have to consider the fact that you'd have to go through the internship process and will be reporting to somebody your age post -MBA. It may be better for you to consider an EMBA or Distance learning MBA.

As to loans, this year has been difficult for overseas students to secure loans, though Cornell, Duke, Harvard, Wharton, Chicago and other programs have secured non-cosigner loans for internationals.

As to whether it's the right time for an MBA---that's something you have to decide yourself. Most important--why do you want an MBA?

Just to give you an idea of some EMBAs you can consider -- IE, ESADE, Villanova, Cox, Sauder. Some distance learning programs -- Warwick, U of London, Florida state, etc.

You should look at what you expect to gain from an MBA. Are you looking for business skills? Or do you want media industry skills? If you want business skills you can apply to media, then an MBA is probably the right choice. Business skills are going to be fairly fundamental no matter what industry you're in. Being able to read a balance sheet to see if you're profitable or not isn't an industry specific skill.

Some schools offer dual degree programs. You can get a degree in Art as well as an MBA or a degree in law and an MBA. Given your ties with the media & entertainment industry - a dual law and MBA degree might be well worth your while. Particularly if you can take classes outside normal work hours, so that you can maintain your job.

At least in the USA, many students are your age, especially in the part time programs like the evening (a.k.a. Professional) or weekend (a.k.a. Executive) MBA programs. Most schools will post student demographic profiles for each program. Keep in mind that these can vary widely from mid-20's for Full Time programs to late 30's for Executive programs, so be sure to check the profile of the specific program you're interested in. If you're in the UK, you should be able to find a school near you that help you achieve your goals.

I'm not aware of any MBA programs that specialize in media. Most MBA programs want to attract students from a variety of businesses and industries so that they can learn from each others' experiences. Class discussion will be less dynamic if the entire cohort comes from a similar background.

With your profile, I would recommend looking at one of the good executive programs offered in Europe. If you want a top name MBA look at London Business School, INSEAD, or IMD. If you want a good program that costs less but delivers the management training and international perspective then check into International School of Management in France, ESADE in Spain, or the Goethe Business School in Germany.

Best of luck on your MBA search. Check back and let us know what you decide.

MBA from UCLA and USC would do the trick if you want to get jobs in media industry because both schools are in L.A., the city of angels. Lots of movie studios and all.

My opinion: if you want to enhance career in media (or entertainment) industry, one should only go to NYC, london, L.A. Forget paris, spain or germany, their media industries are not big enough.

I think you have a lot of options. Rhino is probably right about UCLA and USC being great options for your media career. Have you considered Villanova (located in Philadelphia)?