Doing a Master’s at 40
Executives with ample experience explain their return to the classroom
Borja Vilaseca
It’s never too late to return to the classroom. Though it’s generally said that younger people have more energy and are more avid for knowledge than adults, learning is an inherent process within the human condition and it has nothing to do with age. Each phase in life, both personally and professionally, presents specific challenges and adversities which normally require developing new competencies.
However, as years go by, the idea of doing a Master’s slowly fades. Being married, having children and working full-time tend to overburden the majority of Spaniards over the age of 40 with responsibilities. And, given that these programmes are carried out during a part of the day and last from six to ten months, successfully completing any of these graduate programmes requires having time available.
As such, the decision to register to do a Master’s has to be agreed on and accepted by both the candidate's family and the firm he or she works for, the latter generally paying a significant portion if not the total cost of these programmes which can vary from €2,500 to €86,000.
In addition to having the time and money required, however, there is another fundamental prerequisite: motivation. And, at least in this respect, professionals with greater experience have a certain advantage. “The majority of my students over the age of 40 are senior executives and, as such, they are fully aware of the effort and sacrifice implied by being in class and they thus tend to make the most of each class,” declares Pedro Parada, Director of the Global Executive MBA (GEMBA), organised by ESADE and Georgetown University.
In this professor’s opinion, “the humbleness with which they pay attention in class and the enthusiasm with which they participate, debating different points of view regarding how to overcome real business scenarios we extract from international publications such as The Wall Street Journal or Financial Times, is surprising.” And, he adds: “The topics and reflections we deal with in class are generally put into practice almost immediately since, for the majority of students, the problems we present are very similar to those they have to face in their companies.” The truth is that Parada cannot hide his feelings: “It is very gratifying to give classes in these conditions because we all learn a lot from each other.”
And learning is exactly what these executives with more than 15 years’ professional experience aim to do when returning to the classroom. In this specific case, the GEMBA programme implies “acquiring technical knowledge and practical experience to learn how to see business management more globally, something which, without doubt, is one of the challenges of the 21st century,” underscores one of the 37 students, an executive in a pharmaceutical multinational, Fares Awwad (45, single and without children).
Another of the students in the first edition of the GEMBA programme (which began last June and whose classes will be held in seven different countries) is the Director of Means of Payment in Banco Santander, Ignacio Narvarte. He is 37 years old, married and has three children: “From the outset I was attracted by the idea of further exploring diversity management through personal experience.”
For Narvarte, “it’s going to become increasingly important to know how to interact with professionals from different corners of the world, with different ways of being, thinking, reacting and acting”. When designing future strategies, “this new vision can reinforce our presence in the markets where we’re already established and allow us to enter those where we want to set up a subsidiary with many more guarantees of success.”
According to Narvarte, by sharing classes with executives from different cultures and travelling to countries such as the United States, Brazil, China and India, this “global experience” has confirmed for him that “globalisation is neither good nor bad but, rather, it is only a neutral fact which we have to learn to take advantage of, seeing it as a competitive advantage, both in the local market and internationally.”
Ignacio Ferrer (39, married and with three children) agrees. He is the General Director of The Eat Out Group which includes chains such as Pans & Company, Pastafiore and FresCo. “The context of the current economic crisis is an unbeatable framework for this Master,” he declares. "This course is helping to open up my mind to be able to understand that there aren’t problems but opportunities for change, evolution and adaptation to improve business management.”
Given that these executives live according to the rhythm set by their generally very tight agendas and with barely any time to think, the programme has become a place to relax, disconnect and explore. “I'm taking advantage of this unique setting to think about how to deal with current circumstances, with all the intensity they require," points out Ferrer.
And not only that. In addition to reflecting on and incorporating new knowledge, this type of programme also includes specific coaching sessions aimed at fomenting participant’s emotional intelligence, something which is “so necessary to learn to manage oneself and, as a result, exercise a more conscious and human leadership over others,” indicates the Director of Human Resources at Unión FENOSA, Jaime Santamaría (42 years old, married and with one child).
Returning to the classroom also implies interacting with strangers, people with different personalities but who, given their professional profiles, all share a common objective: establish themselves as leaders. "I like being able to ask my colleagues questions and listening to their answers because, between us, we carefully reflect on what the company is doing and what it can go on to do," says Santamaría. “It is very enlightening and fun to share anecdotes and stories that reflect how each company is structured,” he adds. “It is very enriching to learn about new solutions to manage employees who are increasingly spread out geographically but closer technologically."
That said, all this enrichment, which is generally accompanied by noteworthy promotions over the short and mid-term, can be enjoyed thanks to the family’s complicity. “If it weren’t for my wife’s unconditional support, it would be almost impossible for me to participate in the Master's,” recognises the Adjunct Director General of Banco Sabadell, Miquel Montes (47). “However, going back to school is helping me refresh my knowledge and it’s turning me into an example of a responsible student for my three children," he jokes.
Another course aimed at students with ample professional experience is the postgraduate programme in Feminine Leadership offered by ESCI-UPF. The last edition ended this past May. Included among the 18 students was the Director of Endesa Educa, Eva Hernández (40 years old and one child). “It has truly been a turning point,” she admits. “It has helped me realize that I am not the only one with certain professional problems and that I have all the confidence and security I need to work more calmly and tranquilly,” she explains.
One of her classmates, Irene Compte (35 years old and two children), is the Director of Sitge, at the Universidad de Girona. In her case, signing up for the Master’s helped her reconsider her leadership style, both with respect to herself and her employees. “It’s changed my life,” she smiles. “I’ve learned that, more than trying to change working conditions beyond my control, the challenge is to change my attitude, that is, how I interpret and take on the things that occur on a daily basis.”
Compte sees herself as a woman and professional who is “much more aware and positive” than before, someone who has put behind her “the laments, anger and complaints which wear you down so much physically and mentally and which in no way help you achieve what you set out to do."
In addition to all these opinions, there is another common denominator: “Doing a Master’s at 40 is, above all else, a chance to have fun, meet new people and recycle yourself, adapting your knowledge and beliefs to the times we live in.”
« go back
|
