A New Path for Alumnae
HBS Course Builds Skills for Successful “On-Ramping”
Professor Myra Hart focuses her research on high-potential ventures, but the career challenges and opportunities of HBS women have also captured her attention. In 2001, she launched Charting Your Course, a career strategy program for HBS alumnae, which will be followed this year by a more tactical offering, A New Path.
Hart’s survey of HBS alumnae indicates that 60 percent of respondents between the ages of 35 and 45 dialed down the volume on their professional careers to care for their young families. Although 40 percent continued on a part-time basis and 10 percent developed consulting practices, most felt they were professionally sidelined. The women who elected to leave the paid workforce altogether felt even more disadvantaged when they later chose to return to it. For Hart, this signaled an opportunity for HBS to provide help in developing successful career “on-ramping” strategies. Here, she shares some thoughts on the issue.
First off, can you define on-ramping?
Sylvia Hewlett and Carolyn Luce used the term in an HBR article that addressed the concerns of women who wanted to resume their previous career paths. I found few HBS women (less than 10 percent) who wanted to do that.
What is more typical of HBS alumnae?
Although they all wanted meaningful full-time employment, their goals had changed substantially over the years: Money was important, but not the primary motivator. Organizational purpose and values were given highest priority. The women wanted significant responsibility, but also insisted on autonomy and flexibility.
Is on-ramping predominantly a women’s issue?
Fewer of our male alums, less than 10 percent, take time out from their full-time careers to deal with family issues. I believe this is because of the cultural norms for women to be primary caregivers and because of a perceived difference in earning power. Even among HBS grads, who puts a career on hold is often economically determined.
What are some on-ramping tips?
It’s essential to clarify life goals as well as career goals, and then identify potential professions and employers. It’s important to maintain existing ties with those who value your professional skills, but it is equally necessary to build new network connections. In Charting Your Course we talk about developing a strategic plan for reentry in the next three to five years.
What about those who are closer to making the transition back to full-time employment?
Those who are really “ready to go” want a personalized plan plus a timely update on key business skills such as marketing, accounting, finance, social enterprise, and entrepreneurship. The New Path program that will be offered to our alumnae for the first time in April was developed to do just that. It’s an intensive, six-day course that concentrates on tactical job search and interview skills, but also provides updates on the latest developments in functional skills such as negotiating.
In general, do you think MBAs are changing their concepts of success?
A successful life is like a beautiful symphony. There are moments of intensity when every instrument is fully engaged, the volume is high, and the themes are varied and complex, but there are also moments when all attention is focused on a single instrument and a solo perfor-mance. Successful lives are rich, varied, and have many different passages.
— Deborah Blagg
For more about A New Path, visit www.alumni.hbs.edu/path/. For information about career resources and tools, visit www.alumni.hbs.edu/careers/.
