Degrees that make a difference

HR Magazine, Nov, 1996 by Martha Finney

Two nights a week Rob Payne, an HR manager for Coopers & Lybrand's Human Resource Advisory Consulting Practice, had a 10:30 p.m. appointment at Wendy's. That's where he would unwind after a full day of work and an evening of classes. Payne was capping off the first few years of his career with a part-time MBA program. He knew going into the program that it would challenge his dedication. He was right.

"It was very common for me to head for Wendy's at 10:30 after class, go home to return several phone messages, and then throw a load of laundry in the machine," says the 28-year-old bachelor, who chose to finish his degree while he didn't have any family obligations. "Then I'd wake up in the morning to discover I'd left the light on in the laundry room all night; so somewhere between turning the washer on and waking up, I must have gone to bed."

To further both his education and his career prospects, Payne - who majored in business management as an undergraduate - spread that grueling schedule out over several years. He took the summers off and gave himself time to adjust to his new job after leaving Cigna Healthcare in Atlanta for nearby Coopers & Lybrand. But once the summers and the adjustment were over, Payne had a hard-driving lifestyle.

"The theory was that the school would limit its classroom time to only two nights a week, so you could use the other nights to relax and recover," he says. "But, of course, those other nights you worked much later at the office to get the work done that normally would have been done those nights you are in school."

But, says Payne, even that balancing act is part of the overall MBA education - an achievement that. perhaps speaks louder than the prized sheepskin.

"It's part of your survival story and an important part of the luster of having that MBA," he says. "Companies see you as being an over-achiever because you have been able to successfully manage work and continuing education, along with the other things in life."

THE MBA ADVANTAGE

But Payne is also philosophical about the quality of his degree. His alma mater, Auburn University, offers an excellent education, and he sees his MBA as a long-term investment in his future. In contrast, he says, high-cachet MBAs from, say Harvard or Stanford, can reap immediate benefits in more money and better assignments with dynamic companies known for supporting their human resource departments and the careers of HR professionals.

"Having an MBA is almost essential to advancement, but it's not a quick fix," he says. "If you want an immediate return, you should go to a top school. On the other hand, if you don't have an MBA at all, it can be limiting."

Recruiters, employers, consultants and academicians agree that, in terms of formal continuing education, the MBA is the course to follow for human resource professionals who want a limitless career path. In fact, MBAs are so common today that many recruiters see them as minimum qualifications. But more important, the MBA helps the lifelong human resource professional achieve the overall business understanding so important to gaining the status of senior strategist within a corporation.

"The thing all senior executives will tell me is that they want someone who can sit down with them and help think through HR implications of the business long-term," says Ken Martin, director of the Philadelphia office of the recruitment firm Spencer Stuart. "This is easier said than done because more human resource careerists have come up via the administrative route."

Building on a resume of administrative work, HR professionals can gain a competitive edge with the overview that advanced degrees provide.

"Your advanced education doesn't necessarily have to be an MBA," says Lorayne Dollett, a vice president with The Hay Group, "but you definitely need courses in finance to keep score the way businesses keep score. And take marketing courses to understand how companies leverage their differences and their products to be successful."

That bird's-eye view will elevate the status of the human resource professional.

"The advantage of the academic program is that it allows the student to step into larger shoes in a safe environment in which to experiment and learn," says Heriberto Dixon, associate professor of human resource management and development, in the Milano School of Management, at the New School for Social Research in New York City. The New School, which offers a master's of science in human resources and management, provides courses in general management, organizational development, finance and accounting.

"On the job, the individual's experience is routine, company-specific and plan-specific," he says. "But within the academic environment, there are many different schemes, programs and designs. This is a chance for students to spread their wings and act in a larger capacity."

To achieve that goal, schools assemble a different menu of courses, but feature the same mix: basic HR competencies and training to equip students for growing and changing as the future demands.