Best path given existing hours?

[bricabrac]

@bricabrac - great post. the only thing I would add is to get and give specific details of any requirements. At a previous job, my manager and director supported my plans to return to school for a Technology Management degree but at almost the last minute, the director couldn't sign off on the plan when he realized they were business courses and not IT courses. I'm not making that mistake again. This time at the new job, I submitted a detailed rough draft of my proposal months before it is needed.

ajs1976,

Luckily in pharma, if you so choose, there is a pretty large choice of areas you can transfer to which keeps your work life interesting. In my case my Manager (SrVP) and his boss (President) were both very open to my goals. Basically, I already had the experience and only needed to check a box at the undergrad level. So me being who I am - checked a few. ;-) If I did not have the experience, the program would have been tailored to the job/department. At the masters level it is more career growth/path specific. I wanted to stay in the same area so chose a degree that, along with experience, would qualify me for a directors position.

Bachelors degrees are a requirement for salaried employees. Hourly wage staff are not required to have a degree but it is best if you do. If not, work hard the first year, impress your supervisor and have the company foot the bill for your degree. It's the only way to achieve career growth.

The beauty of the industry, especially in my area, is you do not have to stop at one degree, you can continue tacking on the credentials. They will actually support certain individuals to go as far as the employee would like to go. Of course, in this case your performance is expected to exceed expectations. They don't tend to allott company or department funds, time and support to average employees. Overachievers (exceeds expectations) tend to get whatever they want but their lives are usally dedicated to the job and academic demands.