Getting an MBA is not the right decision for everyone. A Forbes opinion piece a while back gave a thumbs down to the MBA route. And it made some valid points. The true key to success is indeed mastering the process of idea and solution discovery. And if you can figure that out to the degrees necessary for your success, then maybe you should save the $150k!
The thing is, of course, that an awful lot of people have found that the rigorous and structured learning environment of a top-level MBA program is the ideal environment for mastering just such skills and aptitudes. How do you know if it's right for you?
Here are a few more queries to put to yourself.
Even if you put no value at all on the academics, where else are you going to get exposure to this kind of a network? At the top schools, the best in the business will come in as guest speakers. And socializing opportunities are never missed. Plus, among your own classmates, you'll find many of the hot up and comers.
Make those valuable connections while you're all still climbing up the latter and you'll have the network of a lifetime to last your career. (Though, this does require, as we've emphasized elsewhere, choosing the right program for your chosen industry). And don't underestimate the value of a strong, well-placed alumni coterie.
Another dimension of the MBA experience you might not have considered is the blank slate effect. No one is saying, naturally, that an MBA in any way invalidates your prior experience. What is true, though, is that once you have that MBA no longer is your perceived value limited to past work experience. Prospective employers will see something very different when they take a look at you, fresh from graduating.
Instead, that work record is just supplementary to a potential colleague who has taken the initiative and exerted the discipline and work to equip themselves with a whole new set of skills, knowledge and professional connections. You're now a freshly wrapped and exciting promise of new possibilities.
Another benefit that is easy to overlook is that which comes with challenging your comfort zone. Talk about self improvement and mastering the discovery of new ideas is great, but, let's face it: like all talk, it comes cheap. So no one can accuse you of cheap talk once you've taken the plunge into an MBA. You've removed yourself from comfortable routines and put yourself out there, where it's either put up or shut up. There's a lot to respect in doing that.
You carve from your busy life the time to concentrate on personal improvement and advance. And you place yourself in a situation which will demand the best of you. If you can do that all on your own, that's excellent. But how many people fool themselves that they are (or will, someday soon) do so? When you take the leap and enrol in an MBA program, there's no fooling anyone. You've taken the challenge and have to rise to your best to succeed.
It's probably true that a lot of money and time is wasted on MBA pursuits that might have been better left unfulfilled. However, even aside of the curriculum there are many subtle, though extremely beneficial, perks of an MBA which it would be a mistake to underestimate. These are some the questions you should be asking yourself to be sure that it's the right choice for you.
The thing is, of course, that an awful lot of people have found that the rigorous and structured learning environment of a top-level MBA program is the ideal environment for mastering just such skills and aptitudes. How do you know if it's right for you?
Here are a few more queries to put to yourself.
Even if you put no value at all on the academics, where else are you going to get exposure to this kind of a network? At the top schools, the best in the business will come in as guest speakers. And socializing opportunities are never missed. Plus, among your own classmates, you'll find many of the hot up and comers.
Make those valuable connections while you're all still climbing up the latter and you'll have the network of a lifetime to last your career. (Though, this does require, as we've emphasized elsewhere, choosing the right program for your chosen industry). And don't underestimate the value of a strong, well-placed alumni coterie.
Another dimension of the MBA experience you might not have considered is the blank slate effect. No one is saying, naturally, that an MBA in any way invalidates your prior experience. What is true, though, is that once you have that MBA no longer is your perceived value limited to past work experience. Prospective employers will see something very different when they take a look at you, fresh from graduating.
Instead, that work record is just supplementary to a potential colleague who has taken the initiative and exerted the discipline and work to equip themselves with a whole new set of skills, knowledge and professional connections. You're now a freshly wrapped and exciting promise of new possibilities.
Another benefit that is easy to overlook is that which comes with challenging your comfort zone. Talk about self improvement and mastering the discovery of new ideas is great, but, let's face it: like all talk, it comes cheap. So no one can accuse you of cheap talk once you've taken the plunge into an MBA. You've removed yourself from comfortable routines and put yourself out there, where it's either put up or shut up. There's a lot to respect in doing that.
You carve from your busy life the time to concentrate on personal improvement and advance. And you place yourself in a situation which will demand the best of you. If you can do that all on your own, that's excellent. But how many people fool themselves that they are (or will, someday soon) do so? When you take the leap and enrol in an MBA program, there's no fooling anyone. You've taken the challenge and have to rise to your best to succeed.
It's probably true that a lot of money and time is wasted on MBA pursuits that might have been better left unfulfilled. However, even aside of the curriculum there are many subtle, though extremely beneficial, perks of an MBA which it would be a mistake to underestimate. These are some the questions you should be asking yourself to be sure that it's the right choice for you.
About the Author:
See the superb analysis in Thomas Ryerson's most recent piece on looking behind the rankings of business schools.
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