And that's what Ms Noel Lee, who graduated from her Master in Business Administration (MBA) programme last year, did.
Said Ms Lee, 39, who took her MBA at Singapore's oldest not-for-profit professional lifelong- learning institute, Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS): 'The skills learnt during the course helped me manage my team of four effectively.
'For example, I learnt in the organisational-behaviour module what the different roles in an organisation are, how these roles work together efficiently, and how best to supervise and motivate employees under my charge.'
The mother of a five-year-old girl was promoted to lead print production manager at Schawk, an international brand-imaging- solutions provider, a few months after she graduated from her MBA programme.
Ms Lee's part-time programme was offered in association with MDIS' partner, the Southern Cross University in Australia. MDIS also has other MBA programmes, like the one awarded in association with Edith Cowan University (ECU), also in Australia.
For Ms Lee, the subjects she had studied helped her understand her job function better.
'The programme taught me to not only manage the team and to be a leader, but also to see things in a broader view, in terms of the business and the company as a whole.
'Learning the theories behind certain solutions and actions, some of which I've already been practising, certainly helped me understand the reasons behind those decisions.
'I realised experience is valuable, but theoretical knowledge is also important.'
Perhaps, that is why the MBA programmes at MDIS are more suited for students with a minimum of three years working experience. Most students enrolled in the MBA programmes are in their early 30s to early 40s.
So, prospective students can be sure that their course mates and lecturers have a wealth of working experience to share.
Like Mr Chong Khin Voon, 39, a Singaporean manager who just returned to Singapore after a 10-year stint in China.
Mr Chong, a former operations manager who had helped set up his ex-company's China branch from scratch, said: 'I wanted to widenmy local and international knowledge, after so many years away from Singapore.
'I believe the professional skills and exposure in the ECU programme I'm taking now will help me be a better manager.'
Although Mr Chong had managed more than 1,000 employees in his previous role, the diploma-holder is still very keen to upgrade his skills.
He said: 'It is important to gain the latest knowledge, especially when it comes to leadership, business marketing and management.'
