Get real

YOU'RE HIRED The Apprentice highlights desirable business assets.

Inspiration The Apprentice
Think what you will of Donald and his power comb-over. But there he is, week after week turning Manhattan corporate boardroom strategy into reality TV for NBC. Some business mavens think it’s not so far from the truth.“Donald Trump really inspired me,” says Olivier Segal, 36, who left France for Manhattan, already educated and filled with ambition, in his early 30s. “The contestants are really pushy and business-oriented. I definitely identified with them — and with the fast-paced, time-is-money spirit of New York,” he says.Seeking an intense education in U.S. business, Segal enrolled in Baruch’s Contemporary American Business Practices program. The hothouse for go-getters wasn’t theoretical, it was very concrete,” Segal says. “Our teachers were from the corporate world. What I learned really boosted my career.” Hired right out of the program, Segal is now director of the Canadian subsidiary of an international cosmetics company, in charge of strategic marketing. Score one for the American Dream.

For the curious Extreme Project Management, NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies
Part of the Project Management Certificate course, this class works well as a stand-alone for anyone interested in project management. An “extreme project” is a high-stakes, limited-schedule, limited-resources effort where quality is paramount. Participants learn extreme project management theory and processes, and employ the tools required to complete extreme projects; they are encouraged to bring in a current project they can work on in class, using the principles they’ve learned with the assistance of the professor, a senior manager at Con Edison. The course usually meets on nights and/or weekends.
145 4th Ave (212-998-7200, scps.nyu.edu)

For the career changer Certificate in Contemporary American Business Practices, Baruch Continuing and Professional Studies
For American or international students, whether enhancing or shifting your career, this full-time (18 hours a week) program prepares you for an M.B.A. or a career in Finance, Accounting or Management — and has core courses that branch into those tracks. Students learn the processes, routines and practices of modern business in Monday to Thursday evening classes. The program includes conferences and lectures with Fortune 500 and corporate executives, and is continuously revised based on their feedback. The program meets the requirements for an I-20 “certificate of eligibility,” for international students, and allows them to apply for an F-1 student visa. And instead of hearing “you’re fired,” you’re more likely to hear “you’re hired.” If you successfully complete the program, you may apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT)—temporary employment in your field.
55 Lexington Ave (646 312-5000, baruched.com)