An MBA for the Ages

Not many children have the opportunity to navigate the business world with their parent as a peer.

But Tasha Burns, a recent graduate working in computer services, and her father, Tom Burns, a 57-year-old senior project manager at Oracle, now find themselves earning their MBAs together at Jack Welch Management Institute. Although they come to the program at very different stages in their lives and careers, they're both learning to be better businesspeople, thanks to a new, flexible online curriculum that engages learners across generations.

Tom knew they'd face some challenges starting the Jack Welch MBA program together. "Tasha's biggest fear when we started was that she wouldn't be able to compete at this level because she doesn't have the 20-30 years of experience. But the first week of Communications and Ethics, the professor said she made a very good argument to the class. When I talked to her that week, I pointed out that the professor didn't say that to me. She hit me with, "That's because I'm better." Tom's laughter conveys equal parts pride and bemusement.

"Right now, we're doing a module on confidence and, usually, it comes from experience; doing things and accomplishing them. That's what life does for you. But this program is doing it for Tasha because there's so much real-world application. I have 30 other professionals throwing things at me here. Among us, we had a couple of hundred years' experience working on our last project."

Tasha, who aspires to be a high-level property manager, also focuses on the practical aspects of the program. "I can't even describe how different this is from my undergraduate classes. I learned theories, but we never actually used them.

"I've discussed this program with a couple of my friends who are taking other MBA programs. It seems to me they're doing it because they 'have' to; they often say they 'have' to do home work. I get off work and I'm excited about doing my homework or talking to people online. Call me a nerd, but I think it's the difference in what I'm getting from the Jack Welch MBA program."

Tom similarly describes himself as a geek, adding, "I've got enough letters behind my name. I wasn't going to just do this program to do it. I want to learn something. And it's already affected people above me, lateral to me and on my teams."

Yet most of all, the Jack Welch MBA has brought Tasha and Tom closer to each other. The 22-year-old points out, "It's really cool now to be able to call my dad and talk about our homework. I think my mom might even be jealous of how much we talk."

Tom concurs. "The experience has been fantastic. Now that my children are grown, they've come to me and thanked me for pushing them so hard. And now I'm competing with my daughter and she's beating me."

"That's my revenge, Dad," Tasha answers with a smile.

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