Every year, Nigel Cain, a Chartered Director and Cloud Platforms Leader for IBM’s Asia Pacific region, identifies a topic he wants to learn more about and sets out to secure that knowledge. Back in 2018, Cain’s focus was on blockchain technology, and he found the perfect resource at MIT Sloan Executive Education, enrolling in the self-paced online course Blockchain Technologies: Business Innovation and Application.
“I thought I would try it out and see what would happen,” says Cain, whose career goal is to become CIO of a large, multi-national organization. “It was very inspiring. I saw that the course was part of the Management and Leadership track, and I thought an Executive Certificate from MIT Sloan would be a really good angle for me to pursue. So, after my start with the blockchain course, I began to plot out the remaining courses that would help me meet the requirements.”
One Thing Leads to Another
To complete his Executive Certificate in Management and Leadership, Cain enrolled in Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy, Cybersecurity for Managers: A Playbook and Strategies for Career Development: Charting Your Path to the C-Suite, completing the requirements in October 2020.
“Becoming a well-rounded senior leader requires learning about many different subject areas and how they impact business. As you can see through my course selections, I took a definite path; all of the modules and courses I chose orientate toward my North Star. There’s something that I’m building all of this knowledge to achieve, and that’s what keeps me moving forward.”
For Cain, his thirst for knowledge increases with every course he takes. “I took the MIT cybersecurity course and was so motivated by the content—and the course in general—that I signed up to take the online virtual training for CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) in 2020. I went on to take a follow-up course leading to CISSP-ISSMP (Information Systems Security Management Professional) this year.” Cain passed the CISSP exam in August of 2020 and the CISSP-ISSMP exam in June of 2021, crediting MIT with his decision to take a deep dive into the topic, which fits seamlessly into his career plans.
“Cybersecurity for Managers opens your eyes to what being cyber secure really means. I work with business leaders and senior executives helping to define strategies for cloud adoption and digital transformation. Security and ‘secure by design’ thinking and culture needs to be embedded from the very beginning,” he says. “You can’t move forward with digital transformation if you’re not also thinking about risks, potential vulnerabilities and threats to your environment and how you intend to manage them. The foundation laid by the MIT course was great and inspiring from that point of view.”
"I took a definite path; all of the modules and courses I chose orientate toward my North Star. There’s something that I’m building all of this knowledge to achieve, and that’s what keeps me moving forward."
Making It Happen
With countless responsibilities and a busy schedule, finding time for his annual educational activities can be a challenge. However, MIT Sloan Executive Education allowed Cain, who is based in Singapore, to choose self-paced courses that he could complete on his own timeline. Of course, nothing takes the place of in-person interaction, and Cain was looking forward to traveling to Cambridge for his final Management and Leadership course in 2020. Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic changed his plans, and he ended up taking the live online class, which he actually really enjoyed.
“It was properly virtual, so we had conversation, we had communication,” he notes. “There was much more interaction with the professor during this course, and you got to meet other students. We had small breakout groups and discussions, which was great. What I loved was getting a different perspective from people who are in so many different industries. It really helps you open your mind and introduces you to things you didn’t know. It’s just a fantastic way to learn new things.”
That doesn’t mean it’s easy to find time for opportunities like the ones MIT offers. Yet, Cain makes it happen because it’s that important to him. In fact, during the Strategies for Career Development course, he would log on at 10:00 p.m. his time and participate until well after midnight. But it didn’t faze him at all. “When you are really interested in what you are learning and are motivated by the material, then you can get through it. When you have an engaging professor and an engaging group of students, then you feel it’s well worth the time and effort,” he says. “That’s the key … if you want something, you’ll find the time.”
As soon as 2021 comes to a close, Cain will be looking for his next big educational opportunity. He’ll ask himself what he wants to discover and how he can go about securing the information that he needs. “I’ll look at the trends and key issues in the press and consider the big topics of importance to business. I’ll ask what senior leaders are doing and figure out what I want to jump into and learn,” he concludes. And, as it has before, it might just lead him back to MIT Sloan Executive Education and its myriad offerings.
Learn more about MIT Sloan Executive Certificates.