A few years later, I found a better job in my home country Lebanon but my wife and my son stayed in Dubai. Ironically, I returned to the same company I was working for before moving to Germany. I am involved in manufacturing business. I came back to the same company, but not the same position, now I am operations manager in a multinational company with 10,000 employees.
In 2018 we got a baby girl and I could not travel anymore weekly or bi-weekly to Dubai back and forth and I moved my whole family to Lebanon.
Home is where you are from.
Currently, we plan to stay in Lebanon. For sure, in the future, I will look for an executive MBA in the top Lebanese school so that it is around the corner. I will move further in my career.
I live where I want to live. I work where I want to work. I have my family nearby and I would say I am happy. Are you? If not, you know where to start now 😉
Chapter 3: Advice For Mature MBA Students
1. Looking back now, would I study in UAE or Lebanon instead of Germany?
No. We have top MBA programs in my country or in the UAE as well. But 95% of nationalities there will be from the same country. The global classroom is what makes the difference.
2. Do not aim for aiming a degree, aim for knowledge!
Consider an MBA as the bridge from the past to the future. And if you work hard and study hard MBA directs you. But its all in your hands if you succeed further.
3. I think nowadays if you want to succeed and to move in your career, MBA is a must. It is not anymore an option.
Engineers, hear me out!!!
Even if you are a doctor or you come from any other field, you should have an MBA.
In my company, accounting & sales departments are reporting to me. With a mechanical engineering degree, that would never happen. I got more responsibilities, I learnt how to manage my teams. Mechanical Engineers can be in charge of the department. But you have no influence on Marketing & expansion of the company. As a manufacturing engineer, you manage technical people.
Yes, the Mechanical Engineering Bachelor degree basis is amazing. But be ready to be back to school to take your career to the new level. Different parts of the company functions are being learnt in a short period of time within 1- 1.5 year time and that is exactly what you need.
4. Do people need an MBA or can they learn it on YouTube?
They can. But they will never have interactions with colleagues from all cultures.
I would not advise online programs. The result will never be the same. Cherish the human interactions: the spontaneous and impulsive teamwork decisions and the difference in management styles and risk facing/avoiding styles. How business is done in all the other countries: isn’t that all incredibly interesting?
5. For students with 10 years of work experience, I would recommend learning German before doing anything else.
Or choose a school that provides German language lessons! In Lebanon, we speak Arabic French and English. German is an advantage but then with the French language, I could work my way around in France. On the contrary, Germany is an excellent country. I wish more universities would offer free German language lessons for all enrolled international students.
6. If you want to study in Germany in English it is easy.
But make sure to parallel learn the German language. If you speak German and English with 10 years of work experience you will have no problems absolutely finding a very top-ranked position in a company in Europe.
