Becoming an operations director could take up to 15 years. By earning your master's degree, you'll stand out from your peers and acquire the skills and knowledge needed to be an effective COO. An MBA or master's degree in management and leadership can be crucial as you prepare to advance your career. It takes 10 to 15 years to become a director of operations.
That's 10 to 15 years of experience working in a specific industry. In addition, they must have at least a four-year degree. That represents a total of 14 to 19 years of education and work experience needed to become a chief operating officer (COO). To be an operations manager, you must also cultivate the right skills.
Like all high-level executives, operations managers must be excellent communicators and leaders, according to Windler.