56 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / August 2019THE CASE FOR PURSUING EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
by MARYKE LUIJENDIJKTo EMBA, or not to EMBA?
‘TREPONOMICS SKILLSET
T
he Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) has
been around for a long time, but a constantly changing world
with countless new educational options begs the question if
an EMBA is still relevant and beneficial. Well, I may be biased,
but I am of the opinion that it most certainly is- and here’s why:1 / An EMBA diversifies your
skillset
An EMBA diversifies your skill-
set, which, in turn, diversifies
your opportunities. Mid-to
senior level professionals very
often get to a stage in their
careers where they feel they
have reached a plateau. They
find themselves asking “Is
this it?” and “What will I do
for the next 30 years?” That’s
where the EMBA steps in. The
program allows you to add
to your skills and expertise,
which in turn leads to addingto your options. This can be
within different sectors and/
or companies, but it can also
be within your own sector or
role– you might start getting
involved in new projects, start
leading new divisions, and so,
you start mapping out a new
career path or direction.2 / An EMBA gives you the
academic grounding you need
An EMBA gives you the aca-
demic grounding to know what
you have been making up as you
went along. You get to a pointwhere you are doing so much
outside of the scope of what
you were originally qualified
for, which often causes a gap
between your academic knowl-
edge, and what you are current-
ly doing– the EMBA fills that
gap. You might sit in class and
realize that you have been ap-
plying a certain academic model
all along without knowing it.
The EMBA also helps you to
connect the dots between what
you have done up until now,
and how that fits into what you
will be doing in future.3 / An EMBA helps build up your
network
The word “network” has been
used so often in speaking about
the benefits of an EMBA that
it feels quite cliché. Bet that
as it may, the network you will
gain from an EMBA really is
one of the biggest takeaways
you will get. It is, however,
very important that you look
at the depth and the scope of
the network your EMBA will
bring. Make sure the EMBA
network will give you more
than what you already have or
what you could gain in your
own capacity. Find an EMBA
where you will be surrounded
by the “non-traditionals”- you
will be amazed at the perspec-
tives that someone who knows
nothing about what you do can
bring to you and your profes-
sion. Look for a program that
has participants from the fields
not directly associated with
an EMBA (such as perform-
ing arts, NGOs, military), and
see how your assumptions are