PhD and DBA question

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by bo79, Feb 12, 2004.

Loading...
  1. bo79

    bo79 New Member

    Hello,

    I noticed a lot of people on this forum ether have or are working on a PhD or DBA. After I get my MBA the idea of getting a DBL from UNISA has crossed my mind a few times. However I am concerned that getting DBL or DBA would make me over qualified for most jobs and that I would end up working at Burger King or something. What would be my chances at teaching in Canada if I get a DBL from UNISA? Would a fortune 500 company be willing to hire someone with an MBA and a PhD or DBL over someone that just has an MBA and would a company be willing to pay the extra cash?

    Bo
     
  2. -kevin-

    -kevin- Resident Redneck

    Whether working at Burger King is bad or not depends on the step of the foodchain :D you were successful at being employed.

    If you do a search on monster.com you may get some better thoughts on the return on your investment. Most of the PHD requirement jobs also have positive experience requirements.

    When pondering the same question I looked at job boards. Of course it may be difficult to project that far into the future. Also, in one of the posts awhile back someone posted the return on investment for MBAs from elite schools vs others.

    I do know several PHDs in very senior positions. However, their PHDs are in engineering not business.
     
  3. BoogieRambler

    BoogieRambler Member

    That is a fair question but of course the answer depends on many variables: Chief among them would be the problem solving skills as well as the intangible "leadership" potential of the individual. This forum is like real life: There are those forum members who are pursuing doctorates and really aren't top notch problem solvers. I guess the advantage of graduating from a brick and mortar (traditional) university for my undergraduate degree is that I've seen the process used to weed out the pretenders. I can honestly say all of the PhDs I've encounterered at ULL are, well, pretty doggone impressive. The DL-only PhDs I've encountered and been introduced to have range from exceptionally bright to remarkably average. Fortune 500 companies will undoubtedly weed out the pretenders and determine where an employee can--if it at all possible--contribute to the bottom line.
     
  4. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    Bo,

    Bear in mind that with the massive amount of new comers to Canada (about 250 thousand a year), the market is a bit saturated with PhDs from less developed countries like India, Pakistan etc. In the school that I teach, we get tons of applications from applicants with PhDs from less developed countries, some of them get jobs at the community college level but very few at the university level. The Universites are normally more favourable towards holders of PhDs from developed countries although there are exceptions.

    Also, it is a lot more hard to find academic job in the general business area. If the foreign degree is going to be considered, I would suggest a field of business in high deman like accounting, finance or marketing instead of a DBL which seems to be a generalist degree.
     
  5. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    Even an MBA seems to be already too much for most the industry jobs. I completed my MBA part-time at a local university. At the beginnig, it was helpful to get a small promotion within the company that I was working for, after I lost my job, I had to erase my MBA from my resume since at the beginning I was getting very few phone calls. My advise is to follow a DBA part-time, if you cannot find a job with a DBA, you can always erase it from your resume and it won't be a gap in your resume since you followed it part time.
     
  6. bo79

    bo79 New Member

    Re: Re: PhD and DBA question

    Thanks for your input RFValve. You have made some good points, however could you please elaborate more on this statement. I have been checking out web sites of some fortune 500 company's and it looks to me like most the good positions they requirer you to have a masters degree in a business related major. It looks to me like having a masters degree is almost the basic requirement if you want to land a good position in a good company.
     
  7. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    Re: Re: Re: PhD and DBA question


    It depends on your field. I'm a computer engineer and normally an engineer with an MBA is seen as an expensive asset. It was easier for me to land a technical job than a managerial job in times of recession.
     
  8. Kirkland

    Kirkland Member

    Technical and functional roles are in more demand than managerial roles. You will have better luck in pursuing a Fortune 500 position by being aligned to the customer facing (revenue) work they do. A DBA is an asset generally and is a differentiator but not required for most positions; frankly an MBA is more than sufficient and most hold a bachelors only. One must be careful not to imbalance their resume e.g. showing a ton of education with little experience (could give the perception you are an academic rather than a practitioner). More importantly, it's your skills (and certifications of those skills) that will be the key hiring determinant along with your education (training) not forgetting other factors such as your ability to present yourself as a dynamic asset to the company and perhaps personal recommendations.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 14, 2004

Share This Page