Siamo tutti d’accordo sul fatto che non bisogna mai smettere di imparare.
Ma come farlo e attraverso quali canali, diventa una scelta già più complicata.

Vale la pena di prendersi un certificato formale, come un MBA o un dottorato? Oppure scegliere un corso executive più mirato? O magari fare auto-formazione attraverso un corso online?

Questo articolo del professore Dorie Clark, pubblicato dall’ Harvard Business Review, può aiutarvi a fare la mossa giusta nella scelta del percorso di formazione, guidandovi nel porvi tre importanti domande.

Qual è lo standard accettato nell’azienda o nell’industria per cui state lavorando?

In alcuni settori dove è richiesta una specializzazione accademica di alto livello la risposta è semplice.
In molti casi però, sebbene non sia richiesto formalmente un MBA, avere un titolo di studio avanzato è considerato un grande plus. Il consiglio è di indagare sulle common practice dell’azienda o dell’industry per cui si lavora. Fate qualche ricerca (come la scansione dei profili LinkedIn dei capi) e ottenete informazioni utili sul loro background educativo. Se tutti i membri dell’executive team hanno un MBA e voi no, potrebbe essere davvero difficoltoso convincerli dei vostri meriti. Potrebbe invece bastare un apprendimento mirato nel caso in cui una specializzazione di alto livello non è una costante tra i leader dell’azienda.

Quali competenze specifiche volete acquisire con la formazione?

I programmi di laurea formali sono eccellenti nell’educazione generica: un MBA, per esempio, vi forma su tutto ciò che potrebbe essere necessario in una posizione di leadership, dalla finanza al marketing alle operations.

Ma se state cercando di acquisire delle particolari competenze specifiche, piuttosto che ottenere un’ampia panoramica, potreste prediligere un executive master mirato oppure un corso online.

Con quale metodo siete più efficaci nell’apprendere?

Se ad esempio siete molto motivati, va benissimo anche un corso online che non prevede nessuna interazione con il professore o con altri studenti. Se invece imparate meglio in un contesto che include altre persone, l’aula tradizionale potrebbe essere il metodo più giusto per voi.

Capire quale situazione funziona meglio per il vostro apprendimento vi aiuterà a prendere decisioni mirate.

In un mondo sempre più competitivo, è chiaro che dovete continuare ad alzare l’asticella. Ponendovi queste domande sarà sicuramente più facile capire quali opportunità di formazione avranno il maggior riscontro positivo sulla vostra carriera.

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Di seguito riportiamo l’articolo originale pubblicato su HBR:

 

We all know that in the modern economy, we can’t just stop learning. But how to keep educating ourselves is a complicated question. Is it a worthwhile investment to get a formal degree, like an MBA or PhD? Should you take a more targeted approach, with a short-term executive education program? Or perhaps DIY it by signing up for an online offering, such as a MOOC?

As an adjunct professor for Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, I’ve taught multiple classes for degree programs, as well as executive education offerings. I’ve also independently developed a number of online courses so have thought deeply about which kind of programming is appropriate for professionals’ needs.

Here are three questions to ask yourself as you’re considering your next educational move.

What’s the accepted standard in your company or industry? For fields where an advanced degree is mandatory, then your answer is clear. But in many cases, professionals face a more ambiguous situation: having an MBA may be considered a selling point, but it’s rarely required for a particular job. It’s important, though, to understand the norms in your company or industry.  Even if something isn’t a formal requirement, it may be implicitly accepted as such.

Through informational interviews and background research (such as scanning leaders’ LinkedIn profiles), try to get a sense of their educational background. If everyone on the leadership team has an advanced degree and you don’t, it may be an uphill battle to convince them of your merits. But if it’s uncommon, then spending six figures on a degree could be overkill: more targeted learning might suffice.

What specific skills do you want to cultivate? Formal degree programs excel at general education: an MBA, for instance, gives you a little bit of everything you might need as a leader, from finance to marketing to operations. But if you’re looking to hone specific skills, rather than get a broad overview, you might prefer a targeted executive education program or online course.

Start by looking at the job you’re aiming for. What skills do those leaders possess —and where do you currently have gaps? The more precisely you can identify these, the better. For instance, one of my Duke Fuqua executive education programs helps leaders improve their public speaking and presentation skills, and an online course I created helps professionals who are interested in blogging learn to create content more rapidly. Do you really need to learn everything about corporate finance — or do you just need some accounting basics to help you get a better grasp on reading a P&L? If the skill is narrow enough, you might be able to learn it from a book or some free YouTube videos rather than taking an entire course.

How do you learn best? It’s also important to understand how you learn best, which will differ from person to person. For instance, you might be very self-motivated, in which case an online course with limited or no interaction with the professor or other students could be perfect. On the other hand, if you learn best alongside other students, you might prefer a traditional classroom experience, or at least an online course that features a robust community. Understanding your optimal learning environment will enable you to make better choices, so you don’t waste money on an expensive in-person program (when you could have breezed through the material yourself) or an online course (which you never used because it lacked camaraderie).

It’s also important to remember — even in the era of almost limitless online courses and trainings — that sometimes, the best educational offering is the one you create yourself.  In my first book, I profiled Joanne Chang, who started her career as a management consultant and ultimately became a prominent restaurateur.

The secret to her transition? In the pre-Internet era, she typed up letters and mailed them to a dozen of Boston’s best chefs, explaining her background (she had no formal culinary training), her interest in their work, and her willingness to do literally any job they might have for her. Within a day, Chang received an offer to apprentice with famed toque Lydia Shire, setting herself up for future success. Often, plum opportunities aren’t advertised; you create them yourself, by asking.

In a competitive marketplace, it’s clear that we have to keep raising the bar. By asking yourself these questions, you can determine which educational opportunities will yield the greatest ROI for your career.