Q: I'm in a fast-track marketing career that usually requires an MBA from a top school, and I work about 50 hours a week. I am in a program to attain that degree, and I have one year left. My class meets 7 1/2 hours a week, and I have to study all weekend. I am also a husband and a father, which makes this schedule tough. My family has come first, then career and education, but it has to change. I just don't know what or how. An MBA from a top school would offer greater growth in my career, as well as allow us a higher standard of living. How do I choose priorities when everything is important?

A: Marrying, child rearing and being the sole supporter of your family are long-term commitments. Having an MBA degree from a top school is a valuable commodity for any job you choose, not just the one you are in now. As you have only one year remaining to obtain your MBA from a top university, it sounds like this should be your highest priority. Your degree will increase your value to any company, which, depending on your drive and work performance, will likely increase your ability to support your family in a style that can ultimately make life a bit easier.

Committing your time for the one more year it will take to graduate will also offer greater options for your wife. She may choose to stay home to create a strong bond with your child in his or her early years, and then she may return to the workplace to develop a career of her own. This could remove the pressure of you being your family's sole supporter. Earning a greater income would also allow you and your wife the ability to have another child, without sacrificing a lifestyle you both choose to live. Money is not critical to being happy, but having an abundance of it certainly cuts down on many of the hardships young couples experience in the growth years of their marriage. In the overall picture of life, a year of sacrifice could lead to far-reaching dreams for the future.

MENSA IQ ON RESUME WILL NOT HELP GET THE JOB

Q: My husband is a CPA and has an MBA from a top-five school. He also qualifies for joining MENSA and thought he would add it to his resume. I fear this would make him seem arrogant, which he is not. He is not currently job-hunting, but he wants his resume to be prepared for when he does.

A: "Mensa is the high IQ society, which provides a forum for intellectual exchange among its members in more than 100 countries around the world. Activities include the exchange of ideas through lectures, discussions, journals, special-interest groups, and local, regional, national and international gatherings; the investigations of members' opinions and attitudes; and assistance to researchers, inside and outside Mensa, in projects dealing with intelligence or Mensa."

Joining Mensa may appeal to your husband because he wants to participate in its activities, but it is not a good idea to include it on his resume. Most people, particularly those in charge of interviewing job candidates, are aware that people who graduate with an MBA from a top-five school and become a CPA are in the top level of intelligence.

While having a high IQ may be a precursor in admittance to an Ivy League or top-10 university, many employers consider a high level of emotional intelligence more important than a high IQ. According to the Institute for Health and Human Potential, the term "emotional intelligence" (EQ or EI) was coined by researchers Peter Salavoy and John Mayer. EI is defined as "the ability to recognize, understand and manage one's own emotions, and to recognize, understand and influence the emotions of others."

According to Marc Brackett, a senior research scientist in psychology at Yale University, as cited in The New York Times, "Something we now know, from doing dozens of studies, is that emotions can either enhance or hinder your ability to learn." In the workplace, this translates to a good leader/manager can control his or her emotions and not the other way around.

Listing MENSA on a resume may seem arrogant to some, irrelevant to others. It also may offend insecure others who feel "less than" the job candidate.

Email your workplace issues and experiences to lindseynovak@yahoo.com. For more information about career and life coach Lindsey Novak, visit www.lindseyparkernovak.com, and for past columns, see www.creators.com/read/at-work-lindsey-novak.

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