By Stephen Heckman
For those of you who are working full-time in Korea but want to pursue an MBA to advance your career, don’t quit your job just yet. Have you looked into alternatives nearer to home?
Some expats I know have decided to stay in Korea and obtain a masters degree online, which is great if you are self-motivated and can do without networking. But many employers are still skeptical of online degrees, and would prefer to employ someone who has developed skills such as giving presentations and working in teams, which requires a classroom setting.
Another alternative is to attend an MBA program in Korea, but keep in mind many of these programs won’t be recognized abroad if you plan on relocating some day. Also, most of the programs in Korea are offered in Korean of course, which means you would probably spend more time focusing on the language than on developing your business aptitude, and they seem overpriced for the quality of education you will receive.
In my case, after weighing my options carefully, I decided the opportunity cost of quitting work to study full-time back in the U.S. was too high, yet the benefit to obtaining an online or local non-accredited MBA was too low. That’s when I found out about the Sejong-Syracuse MBA program (SSMBA), which I am now attending.
To explain the program briefly, the SSMBA is an English-only joint MBA program between Sejong University in Seoul, and Syracuse University in New York. Professors from Syracuse University are flown in and all classes are taught on the Sejong University campus.
About half of the students are Korean and half from abroad with dozens of nationalities represented, including France, Germany, Ghana, Sudan, New Zealand, Malaysia, Algeria, Afghanistan, US, Canada and more. The ability to interact with such a broad variety of cultures is a learning experience in itself, and has a unique advantage over many other MBA programs back home.
One more advantage to the SSMBA is that classes are in the evenings and on Saturdays, so full-time employees can maintain their work schedule.
As a second year student in the program, my experience so far has been invaluable, from going on a field tour of Bosch’s headquarters in Korea and discussing business strategies with the CEO, to visiting DHL’s headquarters in Korea and discussing business logistics and discovering the latest technology in screening illegal activity, to attending embassy events in part hosted by diplomats who are also students in the program.
The program has also been a challenge academically, and instead of the traditional expat weekend in Itaewon, I have spent countless weekends in libraries or coffee shops devoted to studying. Last Saturday for example I had to turn in a 45-page business plan on excel which applied the many financial principles I’ve learned. Then I had to give a presentation on the project, and on top of that I had to take an exam on options and futures pricing strategies.
Of course, pursuing an MBA is not for everyone, and there are many other ways to advance in a career or to simply challenge yourself. But the SSMBA is one option you may want to consider, and the results may pay off. There are dozens of successful alumni graduates, such as the CFO of the industrial equipment company Doosan. If you’re planning on staying in Korea a while longer, why not consider pursuing higher education and investing in your future through the Sejong-Syracuse MBA program.
The writer is a Sejong-Syracuse MBA student and co-founder of the Seoul Investment Club. He can be reached at stephenheckman@gmail.com.