Never Too Late To Learn

By Bob Violino

December 2, 2002 12:00 PM ET

Computerworld - Earning an MBA degree means many hours of classes and studying, personal sacrifices and stress. Is it worth it for an IT professional to pursue such a degree? Yes, according to some who have done it.
Many IT professionals have been focusing more on business, a trend that began in the 1990s. In a recent Computerworld survey, nearly 30% of the 6,408 respondents with bachelor's, master's or Ph.D.s said their degrees are in business.
The number of IT managers who have earned or are studying for MBAs is rising, says Mark Polansky, managing director of the advanced technology practice at executive search firm Korn/Ferry International in Los Angeles. "As the demand grows for business-savvy CIOs, there will be an ongoing increase in the number who hold these degrees," he says.
Sharon Mandell formed a small software company early in her career. The company did well and in fact grew to the point where Mandell felt she didn't have the experience to run it. She closed the business and in 1998 joined Tribune Publishing in Chicago as director of advanced technology. Mandell was soon promoted to vice president and chief technology officer.


Sharon Mandell, CTO of Knight Ridder Digital

The bachelor's degree Mandell had earned in computer science had prepared her for technology issues, but not for business functions such as measuring financial returns and planning budgets. "I'd go to business meetings and not understand the reasons behind decisions," she says.
When Tribune Publishing in 2000 offered to pay for an executive MBA program at the University of Chicago and provide flextime to attend classes, Mandell jumped at the chance. Executive business programs enable people who already have experience as corporate managers, such as Mandell, to continue working while they study.
Mandell attended classes every other weekend, six hours each on Fridays and Saturdays, for 20 months. Studying and homework took two to eight hours per week. After receiving her MBA in March, Mandell felt much better-equipped to make business decisions. "Some of the issues are not necessarily intuitive [to technology managers], such as how a decision will look on Wall Street, negotiating contracts and measuring returns," she says. "I gained a much broader view."
Mandell, who in June joined San Jose-based Knight Ridder Digital as CTO, doesn't think the MBA has had a major impact on her salary. But Mandell says she has gained respect from senior executives who previously viewed her as "just a technologist." In meetings, "I'm heard more because I understand the language and can present technology in

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