Career Options MBA Fall 2015

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Helping students find the MBA program and post-MBA career that is right for them.

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MBA PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE: THREE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES

13 THE COSMOPOLITAN

YOUNG PROFESSIONAL

17 NOT DONE SCHOOL YET?

IT’S A BRAVE NEW WORLD OF OPPORTUNITY AND OPTIONS:

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Sometines the end of your degree is just the beginning.

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Use Your MBA to Connect the Dots on Your Career Path

By Glen Peters

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MBA Programs at a Glance: Three Different Perspectives

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Maybe now is the time for a career lane change.

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The Cosmopolitan Young Professional

W hat’s an MBA? Depends on your perspective.

By Chelsea Sauvé

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Not Done School Yet?

By Cathie Edmond

WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR ADVERTISERS…

By Daniel McDonald

2 Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA)

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6 Hult International Business School

What do you want to be when you grow up?

20 John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. 11 QS World MBA Tour 10 Rowe School of Business, Dalhousie University

19 Shannon School of Business, Cape Breton University 16 The MBA Tour 14 Thompson Rivers University (TRU) 15 University of New Brunswick, Fredericton 4 University of New Brunswick, Saint John

20 The SchoolFinder Group

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UNB Saint John One-Year MBA Program One Decision, One Year, A Lifetime of Rewards Why pursue the One-Year MBA at UNB Saint John?

Offered by the oldest English-language University in Canada, the University of New Brunswick Saint John’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) program provides world-class education and one of the shortest payback periods in North America for one-year or part-time MBAs. Our MBA is an investment in your future, with an intensive program that blends classroom learning with practical applications and real world experience.

The program is designed to develop innovative entrepreneurial leaders, and our students enjoy small class sizes, a diverse international student body, accessible faculty and dedicated staff. These elements work together to hone the skills you need to compete and succeed in the global marketplace. The full-time and part-time options are both structured in modules that build from the fundamentals of business to advanced management practice.

• UNB ranks among the top six comprehensive universities in Canada, according to Maclean’s annual ranking.

• Personal Development Program – enriches your leadership potential.

Professional staff design development opportunities and will work closely with you to maximize your personal effectiveness along your career path.

• Corporate Mentorship Program – builds your competitive edge. You are matched with an executive mentor from the business community; these professionals represent some of the best minds in Canadian business.

• Internship or Study Abroad opportunity – enhances your learning experience. Work in your area of specialization, or experience studying in a European or Asian culture. See the available streams below.

• Value for your investment – UNB Saint John offers a compact, comprehensive, cost-effective learning package. Our one-year program minimizes your financial cost and allows you to get into the work world quickly.

STREAMS Our program offers four streams and two program options: Entrepreneurship and Technology Management, International Business, Project Management, General Management, and a research option.

Tuition is $18,000 for domestic students and $24,500 for international students, and there is a $100 application fee.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS • A CGPA of 3.0 (based on a 4.3 scale) or “high B” standing in an internationally recognized

4-year bachelor degree or equivalent; 3-year honours degree with at least a second class standing will be considered • Minimum GMAT of 550. The GMAT may be waived for students with a 3.2 or higher CGPA • For international students – TOEFL score of 580 (237 CBT; 93 IBT) and TWE of 4.5; CAEL 60; IELTS 7; or the equivalent • Minimum of two years full-time relevant post-graduate work experience • A personal statement on why you wish to study your MBA • Three letters of reference (one must be academic)

• Apply by 31 May to be eligible for bursaries.

Bursary details are available at unb.ca/ saintjohn/business/mba/tuition.html JOB ACQUISITION STATISTICS • 35% employed to graduation • 78% within 6 months • 100% within 12 months • Average Salary: $65,000 • Variety of industries from oil and gas, to consulting, to non-profits • We offer resume writing support, industry connections, interview support, and job search strategies

Advance your career and grow your earning potential by getting your Master of Business Administration at UNB Saint John!

Email: mba@unb.ca | Phone: 1 (506) 648-5973 | Website: unb.ca/saintjohn/business/mba

By Glen Peters

USE YOUR MBA TO

CONNECT THE DOTS ON YOUR CAREER PATH

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ntil just a couple years ago, Sydney Martinie was a performing artist. On her LinkedIn profile, she says she danced and executed aerial techniques for prominent productions across two continents. Today, she’s the Business Development Executive for Sylpheo, an app developer based in France. She works from Texas to open their American market.

Sydney went back to school and graduated this March with her Master’s in Business Administration. That’s just the kind transformative power the MBA can have—that, and willpower.

As many do, Sydney wanted her MBA in order to leverage her education and experience into something new. It was to help her “connect the dots,” as she puts it, between where she’d been, and where she wanted to be: between who she knew, and who she needed to know.

Maybe you’re studying already—or you’re just thinking about it. Either way, your reasons are probably much the same: you want a bump in life, upward or in a new direction. Maybe you’d like that “vertical move” to get into the “C-suite” office of CEO’s, CFO’s etc. It certainly speaks to earning power: a 2007 Corporate Recruiters Survey conducted by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) shows that employers would pay up to 84 percent better for someone holding an MBA. Or maybe it’s time to change lanes. You want a new career, or you hear that siren’s song entrepreneurs hear. Whatever it may mean for the bottom line, for quality of life it can be a game-changer.

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Global One-Year MBA

The Global Business School Earn an award-winning, top-ranked MBA from Hult International Business School. With seven global campuses to choose from, you can study in up to three cities during one intense year.

Hult’s curriculum has been designed with input from employers and delivers the fastest return on your investment compared to other top business schools.

Study alongside students from 120 countries and learn from professors who possess real business experience.

hult.edu Boston | San Francisco | London | Dubai | Shanghai New York | Ashridge Estate—U.K.

Of course, not even the MBA is immune to the uncertainties of the times.

Some start up because they must. Lavaniya Das graduated into the financial crisis of 2008, and work was hard to come by. “When I finished school and could not find regular work in something I wanted to do, I decided it was time to start my own company. And why not?”

Das now runs a film production company. “I made it a point not to borrow any money, so whatever I earned I put back into the company. By year two, I was earning a wage for myself,” says Das. So the MBA is both specific and general at the same time. It offers a way up through the traditional career model, or a way to blaze a trail all your own. Any way you look at it, the MBA career path seems as varied as those who earn it.

But the goal seems much the same: possibility. CO

“I MADE IT A POINT NOT TO BORROW ANY MONEY, SO WHATEVER I EARNED I PUT BACK INTO THE COMPANY. BY YEAR TWO, I WAS EARNING A WAGE FOR MYSELF”

Skills are needed to accomplish such goals: that’s what the MBA is for.

It delivers the technical skills, to help keep the books in order: and analytical skills, so important for long-term objectives. Not least of all, interpersonal skills: there are cross-cultural and cross-functional teams out there, and they need leadership; experts need motivating—all this according to Vince Ricci, one of North America’s top MBA admissions prep councillors. Just the networking that comes with the program can make a difference; it did for Sydney Martinie.

The end result is a remarkably broad scope of future prospects, for students of almost any professional background. The basic MBA degree has been described as a “generalist qualification.” The curriculum equips the graduate to engage with the business on as many fronts as possible.

He or she becomes uniquely prepared to contribute strategically.

Specialized MBA’s offer focus into a particular field, like accounting, finance, technology or law; options literally number in the dozens. It can open doors into more specific roles in an organization, or a valuable role within a more specific organization.

And then there’s entrepreneurship—that ideal—the Holy Grail of business students all over the world who dream of blazing trails. These are exciting times for them: the career path of MBA entrepreneurs has shifted recently—dramatically—in their favour. More than one in 10 degree holders are self-employed. And the longer they’re out of school, the better the odds they’ll set up shop.

Once upon a time, tradition held that graduates work for some years for someone else—to learn on their dime, as it were. Back in the ‘70s, MBA alumni could wait a couple of decades before striking out on their own.

Grads from 2000-2009, though, see things differently. Self-starters waited just a few years, on average, to take the plunge.

Regardless of the dates, 91 percent of entrepreneurs—the old guard and the new—say they’re satisfied with the experience; this according to a GMAC 2014 Alumni Perspectives Survey.

SO YOU WANT AN MBA—for a job upgrade, a boost at the bank, maybe a completely new profession. But what makes it so attractive for employers?

• MBA graduates are the kind of talent a company wants to keep. In significant numbers, organizations offer an in-house MBA program or they sponsor students to pursue the degree. With the retention and renewed enthusiasm of key personnel, employers have everything to gain.

• Not all MBA’s are created equal, though. Some institutions are held in better regard, and employers may look to the school as an indicator of the graduate’s suitability—so do your research.

• The MBA has special capital in the human resource marketplace. Unlike other master’s degrees, its value is not just technical—it’s testimonial. The MBA holder stands apart as someone serious. Usually, he or she had a career already, but was willing to go the distance to realize their potential.

GLEN PETERS, writer and editor, lives in Ottawa. He did business for many years in web development, project management and graphic design.

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MBA PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE:

By Daniel McDonald

THREE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES 8

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mployers in most industries want to hire people with a solid repertoire of specialized skills and they invariably want to attract job candidates who have some form of post-university education.

If you aspire to launch a career in the lucrative world of professional business, for example, a Master of Business Administration is an absolute necessity. I spoke with three different professionals—young people who have either completed or are completing their MBAs—and they provided three unique perspectives on the same topic. My stepbrother Dave shared his experiences with me, as did acquaintance, Natasshia, and her partner Will. Dave completed his MBA abroad for McGill University last year while living in Tokyo; Natasshia is well into her MBA program at Wilfred Laurier University in Waterloo; and Will attained his MBA at the University of Western Ontario’s Richard Ivey School of Business.

Dave had been interested in pursuing an MBA since high school. “I always thought an undergrad degree was essential; however, with an MBA I could develop strategic decision-making skills, allowing further advancement in the corporate world.” There are many different MBA programs available, all with varying requirements, but McGill, in particular, wanted their candidates to have a Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) score of at least 650. As well, McGill’s MBA program required a minimum of five years management experience, which Dave had

acquired while working in the field of JapaneseCanadian business relations.

At Wilfred Laurier, where Natasshia is currently enrolled, the minimum GMAT score was 560. Three reference letters and a minimum of two years fulltime work experience were also required.

Will completed his MBA at the Richard Ivey School of Business three years ago. He recalls the minimum GMAT score as being around 600, but the Ivey School seems to have a more qualitative method for accepting applicants today. The School currently suggests that their applicants should have a 78 percent average grade achieved in their two most recent years of study, two reference letters, a polished resumé, and what they broadly identify as a “competitive GMAT score”—a requirement occasionally waived for applicants with averages above 78 percent. Five specific university-level courses are also listed as prerequisites.

McGill’s MBA program takes 20 months to complete. Dave signed up for McGill’s MBA Japan program, in which professors are flown in from Montreal to teach the same curriculum that is taught in Canada. When asked what he enjoyed most about the overall experience, Dave told me: “The relationships with my classmates. It was a very difficult time in my life with a busy job, a growing family, and staying focused on the MBA, but every other student in the class was in the same boat. It led to some strong friendships.”

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THESE CONNECTIONS CAN REALLY ONLY BE FOUND IN A FULL-TIME PROGRAM WHERE YOU’RE CONSTANTLY SPENDING TIME WITH ONE ANOTHER. Where are the MBA programs in Canada?

Find out at Canadian-Universities.net/MBA/

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Natasshia, so far, has enjoyed the more hands-on courses most of all.

For example, she spent six months working on a consulting project for the Parks and Recreation department in the Town of Caledon, where she had an opportunity to take business concepts she had learned and apply them in practice.

Will’s program took just over a year to complete, and a highlight of his experience was the incredible diversity of students. “I still use the knowledge that I gained from my coursework in my daily life today, but it was the opinions and real-life experiences shared by my classmates that truly stuck with me.”

Of course, there are many factors to consider before diving into an MBA program. You should have a reasonably clear idea of what type of career you want to pursue before signing up. Attaining an MBA is a major undertaking and, like most other forms of post-secondary education, it costs a fair chunk of change to enrol, so you need to be sure that a career in business is what you really want. Natasshia suggests avoiding a part-time MBA program since an important aspect of achieving an MBA is developing a network of colleagues. “These connections can really only be found in a full-time program where you’re constantly spending time with one another.” Will’s advice was similar: “If you are going to commit, commit 100 percent and not just to coursework, but to everything that happens outside of coursework as well.”

When I asked Dave what he considered to be some of the more rewarding aspects of gaining his MBA, his response was enthusiastic. “Increased knowledge, networks, and opportunities. A number of classes really open your mind and force you to think differently. It was a great opportunity to learn, not only from the professors, but from my classmates as well.”

Natasshia has found fulfilling employment since enrolling in her MBA program. Hired by Acosta Sales and Marketing in April of last year, she is specializing in consumer packaged goods as a data analyst.

Will was the co-founder and VP of Sensimat Systems, a company specializing in medical treatment technologies. He now holds the title of Operations and Logistics Manager at Uber.

The hard truth is that it’s becoming more and more challenging to land a good job with just a Bachelor of Arts degree under your belt. Specialized education added to a university undergrad degree, however, is much more likely to land you a rewarding position with a good company.

An MBA, in particular, is a sure-fire way to gain an advantage in the field of business. Although the MBA programs undertaken by the three people I interviewed varied in terms of length and admission requirements, all three individuals agreed that the experience was more than worthwhile. If Dave, Natasshia, and Will were hoping for a return on their investment, I think it’s safe to say that the expenditure has definitely paid off. CO

DANIEL MCDONALD is a University of Toronto graduate who works in the consumer electronics industry. He also freelances as a writer and editor.

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By Chelsea Sauvé

BECOMING THE

COSMOPOLITAN YOUNG PROFESSIONAL WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

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hat is the question we ask young children. And as they play with their toys and colour in the lines, they provide us with the most genuine of answers about an inconceivable time in the future.

These answers are pure, honest and from the heart, uninhibited by rational thought.

As we grow older, and closer to that vague “grown up” stage of life, for the most part, this question becomes difficult to answer. When it is asked, our blood pressure rises and we activate our minds and life experience to inform our responses. In doing so, we rationalize our career choices and all too often we don’t listen to the inner, intuitive voice we have as children.

So how do we honour our rational choices and still ensure that our career path is meaningful and respects the intuitive passions we hold?

Become a cosmopolitan young professional.

THE COSMOPOLITAN YOUNG PROFESSIONAL The Oxford English Dictionary defines the term ‘cosmopolitan’ to mean “familiar with and at ease in many different countries and cultures.” The term implies an understanding of the broader world and its diversity: an acknowledgment of the self and the importance of integrating that into one’s everyday life.

While the term ‘young professional’ is not defined by the dictionary, it is a colloquialism that has come to be understood as a stage of life between university graduation, characterized by a sense of evolving professional skills and social aptitudes into the world of adulthood. The identity of a young professional is somewhat characterized by being in flux, and as a result, can cause insecurities about whether or not one has chosen the “right” career path for a life of meaning and happiness.

Borrowing from the nexus between the worldly nature of the traveler and the discipline of the young professional, we find ourselves at the happy middle point of the cosmopolitan young professional. It is here, in this space, that we can inform our professional path with travel experiences that facilitate the exploration of our sense of self, free from the chaotic chatter of the everyday. The cosmopolitan young professional fills the flux of young professionalism with experiences and the freedom to choose not only from the rational mind but from the adventurous, liberated heart.

THE YOUNG PROFESSIONAL Throughout my undergraduate degree, I had a vague conception of what post-graduate life might look like. But once graduation day arrived, I found myself struggling to manifest a concrete plan. What did I want to be? What would I do for the rest of my life? Suddenly that ambiguous time called graduation was upon me, and unlike every year prior, I was uncertain as to what September would bring. Alongside genuine fear and anxiety, this unknown brought with it a sense of daunting excitement.

And so instead of pursuing a Masters degree or law school simply for the sake of maintaining my identity as “a student,” I took a year off. And it was on this year off that I first discovered the power of travel. The power of getting on a plane and being forced to pause the daily chatter to reflect on my professional and personal choices, and on what a grown up version of myself might look like.

THE TRAVELER Traveling is exhilarating, thought-provoking and ultimately exhausting. It is a classroom without desks and chairs, without a blackboard and without a designated teacher—instead, it is filled with overnight trains, ancient scriptures in temples far away, and teachers found in hostel common rooms, Buddhist monks, corner cafes and taxi drivers.

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Traveling is also expensive and time consuming.

The most common questions I get from those watching my travels unfold in photos on social media are “how do you afford that” and “how do you have the time?” The answer is, get creative.

If you want to mix your career path into your travels and are still a student, you can look into any number of opportunities offered through your university including (but not limited to) exchange opportunities, summer volunteer and internship opportunities. Almost every faculty has funds set aside to provide students with these opportunities, and ensure that money is not an impediment. Each year, thousands of dollars dedicated to funding such endeavours are left untouched because people simply do not apply. So be proactive with seeking funding and ensure that your adventures are, if not in full, in part, supported.

If you are no longer a student, and looking to integrate travel into your professional life, seek out internship opportunities abroad. While most internships are unpaid, it is possible to find internships in your area of passion that will provide you with a stipend that will cover your living expenses while abroad. Not only do these opportunities colour your resume, they provide you with the experience of living in a different culture and work environment, which can shed light on your true career aspirations.

Jobs of this sort can be found through: Workaway—www.workaway.info/; Helpx—www.helpx.net/; Global Help Swap—www.globalhelpswap.com/; and WWOOF International—www.wwoofinternational.org/.

Put your feet up and chase your dreams.

TRU MBA The most flexible MBA in Canada.

Get your MBA from Thompson Rivers University and build your future in a way that suits your present. Learn on campus, online, or a combination of both.

Study part-time or full-time, it’s your choice.

tru.ca/mba | 14

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1.877.663.4087

THE CHILDHOOD DREAMER AND THE TRAVELER As a child, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up: from a young age I always knew that I wanted to help people. However, despite this knowledge it took me some time, and degrees, to settle on a profession that rang true to that intuition. And it was travel that reconnected me with that inner voice and facilitated my pursuit of a makeshift version of what my young self wanted. And so this begs the question, do adults really pursue the professions they anticipated they would when they were children? The answer is that, for the most part, they do not.

According to a study by Melissa Dahl published in the journal Social Forces, only 6 percent of adults pursue the careers they wanted when they were children. The study was conducted with 3,000 people who had been answering questionnaires annually since childhood, which included a question concerning the careers they dreamed of. Researchers compared the respondents’ childhood answers with the actual jobs that they held in early adulthood and found that most of the participants did not pursue the careers they had aspired towards as children.

While this may be attributed to factors such as maturity, it is also highly influenced by societal norms, including gender and monetary expectations. It is important to acknowledge the role intuition maintains in framing the “grown up” answer we provide as children, as it is reflective of our inner passions.

Traveling ignites those inner passions and forces us to connect with that joyous, intuitive side of ourselves that we so often forget to feed!

Happiness is not a place. Happiness is a sense of self that a place can give you. It is something that can be felt in the presence of specific people or circumstances. But ultimately, the lesson we must all learn is that happiness comes from within. It is only once we dull the chaotic chatter of the everyday, through exploration, that we can indulge our true passions, and excel in the everyday versions of ourselves. And sometimes, travel is a central means of connecting with that inner happiness.

There is never a perfect time to make time for travel. There will always be a reason to stay home. And that is also alright. There is plenty of opportunity to get to know yourself personally and professionally from the confines of your home country. However, if you are itching to travel, time and money do not have to be impediments to learning what you want to be when you grow up. CO

CHELSEA SAUVÉ is a perpetual student and traveller, which is exactly what makes her happy. She has an MA in International Affairs, and is now a second year law student at the University of Ottawa.

Discover your potential at Canada’s Most Entrepreneurial University The Faculty of Business Administration at the University of New Brunswick Fredericton is a centre for experiential learning and entrepreneurial thinking.

Our graduates develop the confidence and skills to create opportunity for themselves and their communities.

The University of New Brunswick may be the oldest university in Canada, yet we’re the best at fostering innovation and entrepreneurial thinking. That’s why Startup Canada named us Canada’s Most Entrepreneurial University in 2014.

Zachary Robson (MBA 2015) and Joanna Nickerson (MBA 2015) helped launch a start up called Doctor's Orders, a weight sensing cane that will revolutionize the way people recover from lower limb surgery.

To learn about how our MBA programs can help advance your career, contact us at www.mba.unbf.ca or MBAContact@unb.ca

Our Concentration in Entrepreneurship teaches students to recognize opportunities, assess risk, pitch ideas, and launch businesses.

Our Activator® program pairs entrepreneurs and inventors with students who together take ideas to business start ups. At least one venture live launches each year.

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Our new Quantitative Finance courses (which begin rolling-out in 2015) will prepare students for derivative securities, valuation and risk management.

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R A B M your MBA Conferences

Canada November 2015

VANCOUVER • Nov 2

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Admissions, · Panels: Financing, GMAT Strategy · School Presentations 1:1 and small group · MeetUp: meetings with b-schools · MBA Networking Fair

Business Schools Brock University City University London - UK Columbia University Concordia University -JMSB Copenhagen - Denmark ESG UQAM - Montreal George Washington University HEC Montreal Hult Interational Business School IE Business School - Spain IESE Business Schol - Spain INSEAD - France, Singapore

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INTERNSHIP

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NOT DONE SCHOOL YET?

By Cathie Edmond

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ou’ve heard the comments: “She’s a professional student” or “He just doesn’t want to work” or “Grow up, get a job.”

These sound negative. But the truth is sometimes when you finish your degree or diploma studies, you need to take some additional steps and, yes, enroll again to achieve your goals. Let’s take a look at some professions that require extra study so that you avoid nasty surprises when you begin your job search.

It can be a daunting task to choose your program of study. You’ve been musing about it for a while, answering questions from friends and family members about your future. Post-secondary institutions offer a wide variety of programs, yet it is not always clear that you will be able to start working in your chosen profession without additional studies after you graduate.

Some professions are not open to graduates without obtaining a license or special designation. These include lawyers, doctors and psychiatrists.

For example, to become a lawyer you need to complete the following steps: • Earn an undergraduate degree • Write and pass the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) • Complete your studies at a recognized law school (this will include work experience) • Pass the Bar Admission’s test

particularly interested in every word faculty members have to say about those subjects. Don’t ignore that passion: it could lead you to additional studies at the master’s level where you could become an expert in that subject area.

Studying at the master’s level, often called graduate studies, happens when you have completed an undergrad degree and decide to expand or specialize your knowledge in that area, and it may be what you need to set yourself apart from the pack. In some cases, admission to a master’s program requires that you complete a certain amount of practical work experience.

You may also see a request for “MBA” as a qualification in some job posts.

To earn an MBA (Masters of Business Administration) you must complete postgraduate studies in business administration. Many degrees can be enhanced with an MBA. For example, a chemical engineer who wants to work in the oil industry may decide to get an MBA to help climb the ladder to management.

A computer science grad may have an entrepreneurial spirit and want to create a start-up using the business savvy gained while studying for an MBA. And remember the friends and relatives who kept asking you about your future plans? Use them as resources. What professions do they work at each day? What are their regrets? Do they know of a colleague who was promoted because they had specialized knowledge gained through extra study or specific work or volunteer experience?

Did you know that architects, accountants and engineers also require special certifications or professional degrees? To become an architect in Canada you must take the following steps: • Earn an Architecture degree in a program accredited by the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB) • Complete 5,600 hours of work experience (basically a three-year paid internship) • Pass the Examination for Architects in Canada (ExAC) to obtain your license

YOU MAY BE PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN EVERY WORD FACULTY MEMBERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THOSE SUBJECTS. DON’T IGNORE THAT PASSION: IT COULD LEAD YOU TO ADDITIONAL STUDIES AT THE MASTER’S LEVEL WHERE YOU COULD BECOME AN EXPERT IN THAT SUBJECT AREA.

If you want to be an accountant in Canada, you will need to obtain your Certified Public Account designation. Follow these steps: • Earn an undergraduate degree and complete specific courses • Register and complete the Certified Public Accountant Professional Education Program (CPA PEP) • Pass all required exams Maybe you want to become an engineer. However, you cannot call yourself an engineer in Canada until you have obtained your license. To do that you must: • Pass the Professional Practice Examination (PPE) • Fulfill the engineering work experience requirement in the province or territory where you are applying for a license Some degree and diploma programs require special licensing after graduation. For example, if you study international marketing, many employers ask that you complete the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT).

In a competitive job market, many employers look for candidates who are specialized. If you’re focused on a specific sector, take the time to research what employers are seeking. Look at job boards like Workopolis or Monster to determine what essential qualifications you might need to snag the job you want. Type in your dream job and take note of the most common qualifications employers list.

Did you excel at certain subjects throughout high school? You may discover that happening in your post-secondary studies as well. You may be 18

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Also, think about what job you want for your first real job when you graduate. What is your ultimate career goal? Have you researched the specifics you need to be in that position? Take advantage of the web sites for professions.

Look at groups on LinkedIn and find out what qualifications the people in similar positions have. There are people happy to talk to you about their professions and the best pathways they took to success.

As you can see from these few examples, sometimes completing a degree or diploma is just the first step. So take the next step: don’t worry about the negative comments. They’ll all get it when you reach your goals. CO

CA RE EROP TI O N SMAGA ZIN E.COM/M BA

CATHIE EDMOND has worked with students studying at the post-secondary level for more than 25 years and is particularly keen to defend the Millennial generation. She is an army brat but has called Ottawa home for 40 years.

MBA SCHOOL PROFILE A D V E RT O R I A L

S H A N N O N S C H O O L O F B U S I N E S S AT C A P E B R E T O N U N I V E R S I T Y

An MBA for Leaders in a Changing World Types of Programs

MBA in Community Economic Development with Options in: Strategic Leadership, Public Policy, and more…

Length of Program

• Full-time program: 12-15 months • Part-time weekend program in Toronto, Edmonton, Saskatoon etc.: 24-26 months • Part-time July short-residency program: 26 months Now also delivered on alternate weekends in Toronto, at Centennial College.

Tuition Fees

Offered by the Shannon School of Business at Cape Breton University (CBU), a public institution established in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1974, the MBA in Community Economic Development (CED) program provides options for students starting their career or professionals advancing their career.

Global competition and technological change are driving today’s economy and organizations realize that they require leaders who understand the dynamics and complexities of growth, innovation, and community. This is what drives the demand for multidisciplinary MBA programs. A combination of business, leadership, and development fundamentals, the MBA in CED prepares students for transformative careers in business, government, or community organizations.

CBU’s MBA in CED is a flexible option regardless of your location. You can earn your MBA over 12-15 months as a full-time student on campus, or as part of a 26-month program that requires three July residencies, or as part of a 26-month program that takes place on alternate weekends in cities such as Toronto, Edmonton, and Saskatoon.

SPECIALIZATIONS The MBA in CED consists of 13 core courses, 2 elective courses, and an Applied Research Project (ARP). One can earn an Option when one completes the 2 electives and the Applied Research Project in the same area. Options include: International Business, Strategic Leadership, Tourism, Marketing, Public Policy, Sustainability, First Nations, and Peace-building.

WHY CBU The Canadian Business magazine observed that students who pursue the program on campus “can’t help but fall in love with Cape Breton’s friendly vibe and breathtaking scenery.” CBU supports students in their learning, with small classes, committed faculty, writing centre services, student placement services, and hands-on research projects.

Canadian students • Full-time program: CAD $22,664 • Part-time weekend program: CAD $33,312-$39,632, depending on location • Part-time July short-residency program: CAD $22,664 International students • Full-time program: CAD $33,368

Entry Requirements

• Three start dates per year (January, July, September) • Open to graduates from any degree program • B+ standing in a recognized 4-year bachelor degree • Minimum GMAT score of 500, with balanced verbal and quantitative scores. The GMAT may be waived for students who completed their postsecondary studies in Canada, and earned a B+ average in quantitative courses or have managerial experience • Work experience preferred, but not required • International students: TOEFL score of 550 (213 CBT, 80 IBT); IELTS 7.0 Application fee: $88. Apply before March 31 for July or September admission. Apply before October 31 for January admission.

With more than 1,000 international students on campus, CBU’s MBA students find themselves in a rich multicultural immersion environment that helps improve cross-cultural, interpersonal skills.

“Working in administration and stakeholder engagement, CBU`s MBA helped further develop my business and management skills and broaden my professional opportunities,” said Amanda Tarr, Clean Technology Development Officer, Innovacorp. “I really enjoyed my classes as the diverse backgrounds of my fellow students enhanced classroom discussions and the overall learning experience.”

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CONTACT EMAIL: MBA@CBU.CA PHONE: +1 902 563 1664 WEBSITE: WWW.CBU.CA/MBA FA LL 2 0 1 5

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Go to school.

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