Outside the MBA: The Highest Paying STEM Management Degrees
STEM is everywhere. You hear about it constantly when it comes to career fields. The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that there will be more than 10.5 million jobs in STEM by 2028, but not enough employees to fill in the gaps. It’s partially why STEM has become increasingly important in education.
Continue reading…How You Can Become an Implementation Consultant with an MBA
If you’re a natural problem solver who likes tackling large projects and managing teams, a role as an Implementation Consultant (IC), could be the perfect fit. With jobs in fields as varied as compliance, human resources, software development, healthcare and pharmaceuticals (among others) this is a top job for MBAs who want to put their management skills to work.
Companies like Oracle, Deloitte, IBM, PwC and McKinsey all frequently seek ICs to serve in various capacities, which is great news for MBAs who are just starting out or considering a career shift.
What is an Implementation Consultant?
In short, an IC is hired by an organization to ensure that a new system, tool, or process is used efficiently. According to an article describing the position on modernanalyst.com, “You [will be] chiefly responsible for understanding the client’s requirements and … addressing gaps so that the solution or product will meet your particular client’s needs.”
An IC is hired by a service provider (such as a tech company or a finance and consulting firm) to put the service into place and ensure that it runs as smoothly as possible. Often, the IC is brought in on a project by project basis so a fair amount of flexibility is required in the role. Also important are communication and “people skills,” as the IC will work with teams in various levels and divisions within a company.
A story on LinkedIn explored the role of the IC in the tech realm. The skills laid out, however, are applicable to any field that requires such a position. They are:
- Client Engagement
- Cross Domain Expertise
- Presentation and Training
- Cross Cultural Competence
The Implementation Consultant often acts as the ‘face’ of the service or product, so an understanding of a client’s needs and values is one of the most important aspects of this role.
Examples of scenarios in which a company brings in an IC are implementing new software, which requires configuring the product to the company’s needs and ensuring follow through after installation; assisting organizations with new corporate structures such as those that happen during mergers or acquisitions, and putting new policies and procedures in place after shifts in government regulations.
Implementation Consultant Salaries
Implementation Consultants can earn an average of $98,000 per year, according to Paysa data. This represents a range of about $85,000 in the 25th percentile of earning and $110,000 in the 75th percentile. The top 10 percent earn over $123,000.
Five of the highest paying companies for ICs are Leidos, BlackLine Systems Accounting Software, Salesforce, Omniture, and Kaplan K-12 Learning. The cities with the highest paid positions for the role are Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia, and Boston.
A recent FirmsConsulting.com article says it best regarding the need for good ICs:
“No matter how good a firm is, they can never predict all the problems with implementing a strategy.”
Getting Started
Among the skills required to become an effective Implementation Consultant are project management and general management, along with analytics. While many undergraduate degrees with a business or information systems focus can get your foot in the door, an MBA may push you to the top of the list of desirable hires.
An MBA with a consulting, project management, or analytics focus is ideal for a future in Implementation Consulting. As previous articles have covered, Chicago Booth, MIT Sloan, Columbia Business School, and Northwestern Kellogg, are all considered leaders of the pack of feeder schools to top consulting firms.
Project management education can also help earn a way into the role. Penn State’s Smeal College of Business‘ program is one of the top in the field, as are those at Lehigh University College of Business and Economics, Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, and Boston University’s Questrom School of Business.
The Best Business Schools for a Career in Project Management
Broadly defined by the Project Management Institute, project management is “the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques … to meet a project’s requirements.”
A successful project comes to fruition only with the leadership of someone who is trained in time management, resource allocation, negotiation, conflict resolution, and budget planning. These are all skills one can acquire with a project management focused MBA. Continue reading…
For a Career in Supply Chain Management, Head to Washington DC
Today’s boardroom is tomorrow’s chopping block. Business is a beast, no doubt, one whose needs grow increasingly demanding and complex along with those of we, the consumers, who drive it.
To navigate let alone thrive in this hectic environment requires unprecedented strategy, analysis, and execution. For many companies navigating the unruly seas, so to speak, the great white hope is an unsung hero of sorts: the supply chain manager.
Supply chain managers, or SCMS, have long been vital to the quality and productivity of projects. In short: SCMs oversee how all the constituent parts of their product—raw materials, information, and finance—move from supplier to manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer.
There are certainly lots of moving parts to this position—no pun intended—which makes sense why supply chain management has become such a popular concentration at business schools and an increasingly in-demand gig for graduates.
When it comes to ideal places to pursue an SCM degree, it doesn’t get any better than Washington DC, a cosmopolitan, cross-sectional hub for politics, business, and tech. In addition to its strategic mid-Atlantic location, sandwiched between the business centers of the lower Midwest, the upper Southeast, and the lower Northeast, the Chocolate City is home to a wide range of industry players, offering infinite access to whichever field you aspire to enter through an SCM degree. In addition to the warm, friendly folks like Lockheed Martin and Capital One that make their home in the Beltway, startups like HireKeep, NotionTheory, and Click2Mail do as well.
For you aspiring supply chain managers out there, we did the legwork for you and took a deeper dive into four DC metro degrees.
University of Maryland’s R.H. Smith School of Business
The UMD Smith MS in Supply Chain Management is consistently ranked as one of the most innovative in the region. Whether you’re looking to become a buyer, a logistics officer, freight specialist, or key account specialist, Smith will give you the “relevant, real-world experience” needed to “drive business growth, promote efficiency, sustain the planet,” and last but not least—impress recruiters. Smith’s deep ties to Wal-Mart, Bosch Rexroth, AstraZeneca, China Mobile Cooperation, and Unilever will surely benefit Smith MBAs. All graduates become Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt™ (ICYB™) Certified by the International Association for Six Sigma Certification (IASCC).
Howard University School of Business
The Howard University School of Business‘ Supply Chain Management (SCM) concentration was designed specifically to prepare students for “leadership roles in global corporations and government entities.” Howard’s combination of faculty, curriculum, executive sponsorship, and real world experience means that graduates are well-equipped to meet the demands of an increasingly competitive job market.
CHECK THIS OUT: What Are The Differences Between The World’s Best Online MBA Programs?
Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business
Operations and Information Management (OPIM) concentration at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business is an interdisciplinary effort that combines Production and Operations Management, Operations Research/Management Science, Statistics/Decision Analysis, and IT/Systems Management. OPIM was designed to create opportunities for research and employment within information systems that support decision processes, risk management, business analytics, and global operations.
George Mason University School of Business
The George Mason University School of Business offers a Project Management concentration that might appeal to MBA candidates with an interest in supply chain. The Project Management concentration—available both online and on-campus—was designed to give MBA candidates the “knowledge and skills needed to manage major projects from conception to implementation.”
Rady Alums Leads New UC San Diego Building Project
Beginning the Summer of 2018, UC San Diego will expand its campus with a new seven-building project led by Carlos Gonzales (MBA ’07), the Regional Executive Officer and Senior Vice President of Clark Construction Group. When completed, in 2020, the building project will be home to Sixth College, as well as the Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities. It will be called the “Living and Learning Neighborhood” and will be located at North Torrey Pines, the school explained in a recent blog post.
Finding Your MBA Career At Capital One
If Samuel L. Jackson and Jennifer Garner can’t convince you, let it be known that the cat’s out of the bag on Capital One as a fantastic place for MBA graduates to hang their hats.
