When I started the IEM focus of the Master of Engineering program in 2015, I was making $50,000 per year but was having to spend about $8,000 per year on equipment and education to remain productive and learn new skills. So, the job was netting me $42,000 per year. Within the first two terms of IEM, I was able to release my first book and set up a very small side business.

So, perhaps I can say that the confidence of taking some risk is the most beneficial part of IEM.

Perhaps not; because less than a year after starting IEM, the company that I worked for downsized, and I was one of the people left unemployed overnight. Even though I had the side business up and running, there was not enough of a local market for my services at the time and traveling for clients was eating into the revenues.

Lucky for me, once one of my IEM classmates learned of the problem that I was having, he was able to reach out to a coworker and secure me an interview that eventually led to employment. The new job was $63,000 per year and did not require me to pay for additional tools or training. So, I was saving $8,000 for a salary increase of $21,000 per year. At the same time, my side business was earning about $6,000 per year so I was seeing a fiscal increase of $27,000 within 14 months of starting the program.

So, perhaps I could say that the networking and camaraderie of my fellow IEM classmates is the most beneficial part of IEM. After all, it greatly improved my lifestyle.

Maybe I am wrong again. You see, I realized that I should not stop learning and I wanted to continue to the doctoral level after I finished the Master of Engineering degree program. One of the building blocks of IEM involves its clients to treat themselves as a company of one. Within the company of one model is the key concept of being the Chief Research Officer; of which one needs to constantly learn new things to truly expand and grow. With this mentality, I eventually enrolled in the Ph.D. in Computer Engineering program.

So, I guess that gaining the focus to consistently learn in order to better myself might be the most beneficial part of IEM.

Whom am I kidding; that is not the most beneficial part of IEM. I realized this once I began to realize that my career at the new company was a dead end after a single promotion.

It was at that point in time that I looked forward to what I wanted to do once I completed the Ph.D. program. I realized that I wanted to work for a company with great benefits while running a side business for additional revenues and possibly teach at a university for additional income and more brand recognition.

I also realized that I could not accomplish all of these things at the level I wanted in Birmingham, AL. It was at that point which I began to look around the country for areas that would provide me with what I needed to accomplish my goals; for this, I chose to move to the Greater Boston, MA area. So, in the highly competitive Greater Boston market, during a global pandemic, I managed to secure a position as an Implementation Manager. I served over two departments, and I secured a six-figure income with great benefits.

So, identifying the opportunities and the needs which aligned with my overall goals can be seen as the most beneficial part of IEM. However, it isn’t.

Alas, the most beneficial part of IEM is that it teaches you to constantly reevaluate yourself and your goals. Moreover, it teaches you to leverage all of the benefits that I mentioned here (as well as the ones I did not mention) in order to place you in a better position to make yourself successful and happy.

You learn to understand yourself and gain confidence. You learn when to reach out to the ever-expanding IEM network and other personal networks. You learn to reevaluate your situation and goals with every new piece of information; just as I have done throughout this letter.

When I look back at my experience in IEM and afterwards from 2015-2020, I went from making $50,000 salary minus $8,000 in expenses annually to almost tripling my income in five years. This increase does not reflect my side business income that is launching now that the pandemic is starting to let up. That’s not a bad return on investment as my degree has paid for itself several times over. I look forward to the many more years ahead of me as my IEM journey is still ongoing; albeit the actual classes ended several years ago.

On a side note: My current CEO is so impressed with the results of IEM, he is currently looking at ways to work with the IEM network to leverage the skills of its members while they are still learning.

Regards,
Jim Pierce