[In english] How to choose an advanced master in digital? (when you’re 36 and French)

My article on « Digital me up » blog

pursue

You want to pursue your studies with a great diploma, and learn more about the digital world? That was my position 1 year ago, when I had the idea to begin an advanced master in digital business. Let me tell you about this personal experience: how I chose the advanced master I’m currently in, why, and the most important, how it is.

Hi, I’m Max, 36, from France. I’ve been working in the digital world for over 15 years now, in the marketing field. I truly know that this digital marketing area is my passion and career. But on the digital side, I’m a self-taught, I never got any diploma about it (yeah, it didn’t exist at that time).
So I decided last year to continue my studies, in order to 1. Improve my knowledge by learning new methods, and 2. Finally get a diploma in the digital field.

How to continue my studies in digital?

I started to look over the web, for the perfect grail:

  • Best content : A program with really great content, and which is 100% digital-oriented
  • Flexible schedule: As I’m an executive (I’m working in a great company in Bordeaux), the schedule was important for me, I couldn’t be full time, I had to continue to work at the same time.
  • Right level: As I had a Master degree level in Marketing, I was looking for a program to improve my knowledge, so certainly a Master of Science or around this level.

I ranked every Master I found online, I used comparator websites like meilleurs-masters.com (in French), and finally I turned myself to the Advanced Master’s in Digital Business Strategy from GEM Business school (Grenoble Graduate school of Business).

Why did I choose the digital business strategy master from GEM?

I will tell you objectively why I thought -and still think- this program is the best program in my case:

  • The program director, and the teachers are professionals, who are currently working in digital fields. It definitely makes a difference: you learn practical skills you can use in your work from day 1. And you get lot of feedbacks from different industries (this year: from luxury market to Google’s insider).
  • The whole program is in English. Honestly, that was not what I was looking for at first. But Internet is worldwide right? What’s the best language to learn about the digital world? Definitely not French. And 50% of all our business jargon is already in English. So that’s a good knowledge to improve.
  • All courses take place in Paris. That’s not the worst city.
  • The program duration is 15 months, with 3 days per month classes. So you can continue your job at the same time, or find an internship. It’s not a full-time job, even if you got a lot of work to handle.
  • The main advantage of this program will never be featured on school’s brochure, but here it is: Huge emulation. By working on digital all day, and talking about experiences with every student and speakers, motivation is increasing, and it brings you new ideas, and projects. Your mind will quickly become 100% digital-oriented.

I’ll be part of this program for a few more months, and my to-do list is already full of projects. When it will ends, I’m sure that it will only means this is the beginning of a whole set of new digital ideas to test and develop.