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!
Of course, though, there's more to it than that. For one thing, we shouldn't soft pedal the number of people who have experienced the highly structured learning environment of an elite MBA program as exactly the milieu for mastering just such skills. That though isn't the only matter that has to be weighed in taking the measure of such criticism.
Here are a few things you might ask in assessing if an MBA is right for you.
Let's say that you put absolutely no value on the academics. Surely, though, you value having a strong business community network. What other experience is going to give you one like an MBA will? The business superstars frequently come to guest lecture at the top schools. And even more important than their talks is the opportunity to socialize, which is never squandered. Furthermore, don't forget about your peers. Many of them will turn out to be the superstars of the future.
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.
Have you considered the blank slate effect? Obviously, graduating from an MBA program doesn't mean that in any way your past experience is erased. However, neither are you limited to or constrained by it. When the potential employer looks at you freshly out of your MBA program, they don't look at your past work history as a summary of your future potential.
Your past work history is no longer evaluated as a summary of your future potential. Now, your past work experience merely supplements your value as a prospective new colleague. But now you have the additional virtue of having demonstrated the initiative and exercised the discipline to better yourself; to in fact have equipped yourself with an exciting new skill set, body of knowledge and valuable professional connections. You're now full of the promise of new opportunities.
What about the benefits of challenging your comfort zone? It's all nice and good to talk about getting out there and mastering the discovery of new ideas and so on. But what does that really mean? How do you actually start doing that? An MBA is a deliberate decision on your part to remove yourself from your established routine and place yourself in an environment designed to challenge you.
When you carve from your busy life the dedicated time, and commit the resources of your efforts, to pursue personal excellence, you place yourself in an environment that demands the best of you. Lots of people say they will challenge themselves, but how many do? When is that magic day really coming? Taking the great leap into an MBA program silences all such doubts -- from yourself or anyone else. 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.
Of course, though, there's more to it than that. For one thing, we shouldn't soft pedal the number of people who have experienced the highly structured learning environment of an elite MBA program as exactly the milieu for mastering just such skills. That though isn't the only matter that has to be weighed in taking the measure of such criticism.
Here are a few things you might ask in assessing if an MBA is right for you.
Let's say that you put absolutely no value on the academics. Surely, though, you value having a strong business community network. What other experience is going to give you one like an MBA will? The business superstars frequently come to guest lecture at the top schools. And even more important than their talks is the opportunity to socialize, which is never squandered. Furthermore, don't forget about your peers. Many of them will turn out to be the superstars of the future.
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.
Have you considered the blank slate effect? Obviously, graduating from an MBA program doesn't mean that in any way your past experience is erased. However, neither are you limited to or constrained by it. When the potential employer looks at you freshly out of your MBA program, they don't look at your past work history as a summary of your future potential.
Your past work history is no longer evaluated as a summary of your future potential. Now, your past work experience merely supplements your value as a prospective new colleague. But now you have the additional virtue of having demonstrated the initiative and exercised the discipline to better yourself; to in fact have equipped yourself with an exciting new skill set, body of knowledge and valuable professional connections. You're now full of the promise of new opportunities.
What about the benefits of challenging your comfort zone? It's all nice and good to talk about getting out there and mastering the discovery of new ideas and so on. But what does that really mean? How do you actually start doing that? An MBA is a deliberate decision on your part to remove yourself from your established routine and place yourself in an environment designed to challenge you.
When you carve from your busy life the dedicated time, and commit the resources of your efforts, to pursue personal excellence, you place yourself in an environment that demands the best of you. Lots of people say they will challenge themselves, but how many do? When is that magic day really coming? Taking the great leap into an MBA program silences all such doubts -- from yourself or anyone else. 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:
Thomas Ryerson write regularly for the site, Business Week MBA Rankings, check it out here.
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