US life in the UAE

Seems like more and more international business is being done in the UAE. What are you thoughts on working in the UAE? Is it safe for a US business man? How about a family from the US? Seems like there are a lot of benefits to working there but at the same time there are many reasons to stay put on US soil?

http://www.quickmba.com/

Everything you learned while taken your MBA located in one place.
http://www.quickmba.com/

This is a great tool for a refresher on your MBA skills. Keep it with you as it will come in handy as you improve your career.

EP

Life After the MBA

Life after an MBA program is an exciting time. You will see opportunities open up for your future. In the past, you may have been rejected by employers for lack of experience. Now you are embraced as top candidates for many positions. There are different paths you can take after graduating with an MBA. You can attain a new position in your present company. Many workers go back to school to get their MBA while they are still working. Some companies pay for your schooling. Once you’ve graduated with your MBA you can apply for positions in your company that you weren’t qualified for before. You will be able to rise to the upper echelons of your present company.You can also leave your present company and apply for a new position. An MBA gives you the professional know-how to succeed in many different industries. New employers value your MBA and you will earn much higher salaries than you’ve previously experienced. Now you can apply for those jobs that you never thought you were qualified for in the past.A number of MBA graduates go on to do consulting work especially if you already have years of working experience. Consultants can do business with small organizations or large Fortune 500 companies. People will pay for insight into their current business practices and ways to work more efficiently. In this area, you have the ability to set your own fee. When you have successfully built consulting relationships with businesses you will see the demand for your services rise.Another path after business school is to start your own. Starting a business is difficult but you now have the education to think beyond the fear of failure. You have learned accounting skills, marketing skills, management skills and other important skills you need to start your own company. You’ve read countless cases of businesses that have succeeded beyond anyone’s imagination and cases that have shown how promising companies have gone bankrupt. You are more prepared than most to start your own project. Some students enjoy the life of academia and go on to get their PhD in business administration. This can lead to a career in teaching or research. Further education can take five years or so depending on the program. If you have great research and analytical skills and want to contribute to the subject of business and its practices, consider acquiring a PhD. Many opportunities present themselves after you graduate from an MBA program. If your desire is to work in top managerial positions, then you have taken the right path. Be confident that you have the skills to work at a high level. Your learning and experience will be a great asset to any company.
Copied article from "http://www.articlesbase.com/college-and-university-articles/life-after-an-mba-program-84855.html"

Financal Job Site

Here is a good site I came across to look for jobs in the Financial Industry:
http://www.efinancialcareers.com

Study Abroad: Is it Worth it?

While attending UCONN for my MBA, there were many classes offered that had trips to overseas locations. These classes enabled the student to study business in an international setting and see how life was outside of the US borders. Unfortunately I was never able to take one of these classes even though I wanted to. I look to those that were able to make the journey:

What did I miss from an educational setting?

How different were the businesses and the international setting?

What was the best place/class to take when going abroad? 

Money matters - 206k?!

Nevertheless, MBAs clearly still care about the size of their paychecks.

Students expect to be making a base salary of $90,232 a year after graduation, up from expectations of $89,654 the previous year. Five years after graduation, they expect to be bringing in $180,031 annually vs. $169,849 the previous year. Male graduates expect to be raking in even more, $206,000 vs. women's expectations of $190,382 five years down the line.

Students who go into private equity after b-school have the highest salary expectations -- anticipating $111,296 one year after graduation and $280,441 five years after. MBAs planning to enter public accounting have the lowest 1-year salary expectations ($57,331) while those heading for education/teaching have the lowest five-year expectations ($113,449). 

This content is dated May 27, 2008. I would be interested to see what the UCONN MBA group thinks they should be making these days after an MBA degree and in a down economy. What do you think?

Career Advancement or Career Change

What was the reason you went after your MBA?

Career Advancement or Career Change?

You may want to gain a position of greater responsibility in your current field. Or you may want to switch from one area of business to another-from marketing or sales to strategic planning or finance, for example. You could be looking to change your career path altogether. Using an M.B.A. to switch career focus is a typical strategy. Many people seek a management position after acquiring expertise in a different field altogether-such as nursing, teaching, performing arts, or engineering-because they want to shift to a management position in their area. An M.B.A. can help you make a major break or leap in your career path-with a concomitant leap in income. You may aspire to an area that "requires" an M.B.A. as an entry. An M.B.A. signals a prospective employer that you've got the knowledge and skills a demanding job requires, as well as persistence, energy, and even time-management skills to handle it.

So, was it Career Advancement, Career Change? Was it Pay? Was it specific management training?

I am sure the answer for most of us is all three. Now that you have your MBA have you achieved these things? How long would one expect to wait before these outcomes are realized?

What path have you taken or intend to take with your MBA?

Question: What career path do you plan to pursue after completing your MBA?

What is the value of an MBA?

The topic for this first post is simple. What is the real value of an MBA? I think all of us know that the MBA is a needed step for climbing the corporate ladder. More and more people are getting MBA degrees which take away from the value of having one. That brings me to my next question:
"Is the MBA losing its value?" This article has some valid points, but what do you think?
http://www.management-issues.com/2009/4/9/research/is-the-mba-losing-its-value.asp

I would be interested to hear what my fellow UCONN graduates have to say about this...

Thanks and GO UCONN!