From Expert to Business Strategist: Complementing a PhD with The 12-Week MBA
Describing his academic background, Dr. Alexandru Nichersu likes to joke that he is a geomagician. “My dissertation is somewhere in the triangle between geomatics, IT, and energy.”
Alex spent several years working in industry while simultaneously completing his masters’ degree and his PhD at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. After spells in research-oriented organization where his work informed and was informed by his own research, Alex switched into technical project management roles that leveraged both his analytic ability and his subject matter expertise.
The Expert's Glass Ceiling
Very soon, however, he saw that technical expertise gets you only so far in the private sector: both in terms of career opportunities and in terms of having an impact. “I worked on big network infrastructure projects,” recalls Alex. “The main constraints you face are organizational and economic. The technical solutioning happens downstream from that, and if you don’t understand the business realities, there’s no way you can find optimum solutions.”
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"The 12-Week MBA not only sparked momentum toward my goal of pursuing a director or executive-level position in data, but also provided a roadmap for how to get there — including the skills and leadership behaviors I need to keep developing."
When Alex took a career step to a top-flight global consulting company, he knew that he needed to expand both his business acumen and his people management skills. “In my new role I was going to lead a team, which was a step up in complexity from managing a project.”
His new role also put him into close contact with senior client leaders, and establishing credibility with them was only partly about technical expertise and academic credentials. “I knew I would have to show that I fundamentally understood the logic behind strategic decisions and capital allocation.”
A Perfect Complement to a PhD: The 12-Week MBA
As Alex prepared for his new challenge, he enrolled in The 12-Week MBA to quickly expand his knowledge and skills in business acumen and people management. “After spending the better part of my life in academic settings, I needed something quick and effective.”
As for what stood out to him in The 12-Week MBA, Alex says “"If I had to put my finger on what I loved, it was the fact that exchanges were bidirectional. The faculty took the time to listen."
The 12-Week MBA's value proposition can be especially powerful for those who have established their academic credentials and who need a crash course in leadership and business acumen as they pursue careers with higher levels of responsibility. Consequently, participants like Alex readily find people with both similar backgrounds as his, but also people from entirely different walks of life: "I definitely advise people to join, and I advise to engage with the faculty, and also with your cohort."
The Experiential Methodology
Forming relationships with perfect strangers is not always easy online. But The 12-Week MBA's crucible-like business simulations - involving equally intense collaboration and competition - help forge deep and lasting connections. As Alex says, "It's definitely not a dry lecture. If you want to learn, you have to make mistakes. It's really a great place to try out stuff."
To learn more about how The 12-Week MBA can reorient your career from subject matter expert to business leader, sign up now for our next information session.
Alex Nichersu — Alumni Story: From Expert to Business Strategist - Abilitie
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