41, how should I be approaching my career

[Anonymous]

I’m your age and I am laying a foundation for my second career. It will be hard to start over and compete with the young guns, but I have seen others do it. It’s never too late.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Dumb question... is executive MBA for execs only or those who want to become one?

Exec mba just means not a full time program and can be done while working full time, usually at night.

At least in my career path, not worth it as they are looked down upon as a wannabe actual MBA program.

Half the benefit of an actual MBA is the network/contacts that come out of it, and hopefully a to 20 name brand. Going to school full time in your 40’s with classmates near half your age, I don’t know if you’d come out with as tight a network as if you had done it in your late 20’s. Of course there’s value in what you learn and the case studies, you just have to weigh the benefits and tradeoffs in your particular situation.

So why do people even take exec MBA? Are their roles that require it for you to make an internal promotion? It’s not like it’s a CPA or Bar exam.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you make 100k at 41 you don’t have a career to begin with.

But I was same in same boat. The key is to get an MBA, Join volunteer boards, work at a prestigious company or two. Work long hours.

Guess what magically at 50 you will have a big corner office with a big salary.

Do nothing and nothing will happen

NP. Looks like you did few things right to get into a big corner office. I did the same thing you suggested - to get an MBA from a top-tier school at 40 and still not much progress at 54. Maybe I didn't take my chances and was a bit risk averse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you make 100k at 41 you don’t have a career to begin with.

But I was same in same boat. The key is to get an MBA, Join volunteer boards, work at a prestigious company or two. Work long hours.

Guess what magically at 50 you will have a big corner office with a big salary.

Do nothing and nothing will happen

NP. Looks like you did few things right to get into a big corner office. I did the same thing you suggested - to get an MBA from a top-tier school at 40 and still not much progress at 54. Maybe I didn't take my chances and was a bit risk averse.

How do they go from lackluster career to prestigious job at 45? Only way that is possible is if you get into a T10 MBA, right? And how do you do that with a middling career? Talk about magical, this story makes no sense, there are so many mystic leaps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you make 100k at 41 you don’t have a career to begin with.

But I was same in same boat. The key is to get an MBA, Join volunteer boards, work at a prestigious company or two. Work long hours.

Guess what magically at 50 you will have a big corner office with a big salary.

Do nothing and nothing will happen

NP. Looks like you did few things right to get into a big corner office. I did the same thing you suggested - to get an MBA from a top-tier school at 40 and still not much progress at 54. Maybe I didn't take my chances and was a bit risk averse.

How do they go from lackluster career to prestigious job at 45? Only way that is possible is if you get into a T10 MBA, right? And how do you do that with a middling career? Talk about magical, this story makes no sense, there are so many mystic leaps.

I did it was simple. Got MBA at night local college, got a few certifications, started speaking at conferences, joined a work related board, then got into name brand companies.
Monday I leave house at 7am get home 11 pm, same on Wed or Thursday. Then I had a monthly board meeting. Then speaking at conferences. And of course chutzpah. I was pushing to be a speaker at an advertised event, one with mailings, advertised on web. High profile. Out of blue I got asked to speak at Harvard Club in front of 120 people. I said yes not realizing I was only speaker and did not even have a topic. Somehow I did it. 6 years later I was on a stage in front of 800. You have to get your name out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you make 100k at 41 you don’t have a career to begin with.

But I was same in same boat. The key is to get an MBA, Join volunteer boards, work at a prestigious company or two. Work long hours.

Guess what magically at 50 you will have a big corner office with a big salary.

Do nothing and nothing will happen

NP. Looks like you did few things right to get into a big corner office. I did the same thing you suggested - to get an MBA from a top-tier school at 40 and still not much progress at 54. Maybe I didn't take my chances and was a bit risk averse.

How do they go from lackluster career to prestigious job at 45? Only way that is possible is if you get into a T10 MBA, right? And how do you do that with a middling career? Talk about magical, this story makes no sense, there are so many mystic leaps.

I did it was simple. Got MBA at night local college, got a few certifications, started speaking at conferences, joined a work related board, then got into name brand companies.
Monday I leave house at 7am get home 11 pm, same on Wed or Thursday. Then I had a monthly board meeting. Then speaking at conferences. And of course chutzpah. I was pushing to be a speaker at an advertised event, one with mailings, advertised on web. High profile. Out of blue I got asked to speak at Harvard Club in front of 120 people. I said yes not realizing I was only speaker and did not even have a topic. Somehow I did it. 6 years later I was on a stage in front of 800. You have to get your name out.

Okay, you got me with your trolling. This is excellent!