Law degree is even better, if you want to be part of the ruling class.
Do what you love and enjoy what you are doing. If that leads you down the path of continuing your MBA, great. A MBA used to mean a lot but these days, it is so common it doesn’t have the prestige it used to have. I completed mine in 2001 and found that things like PMP certifications and professional reputation take you a lot further.
I too worked in government, transportation, and biotech; difficult to transition [internal or external]- based soley on IT background and experience. MBA = Business + technology background is a good combination [still].
There are MBA programs with concentrations in Entrepreneurship. I’ve seen them offered af different universities (AACSB) around the country. Maybe the curriculum in that concentration would be more useful to you.
An MBA will further enhance your success as a business man, and will affect your ability to attract top notch people. Investors are more confident in a company lead by a hands on, experienced, leader with an MBA, as well.
My hat’s off to you for your achievements. Don’t stop.
The MBA will teach you bad habits, especially if you want to own your own business.
Instead, take finance and investment courses. They will teach you tax laws, banking, investing, economics, accounting, etc. Those are the tools of business.
An MBA is how to get along within a corporation. I have never seen anyone use anything they learned from an MBA. An MBA is an extremely lightweight introduction to business. All flash, no substance; hence the term Mediocre But Arrogant.
Abolutely get your MBA. Be very grateful that your boss is not only supportive but is encouraging you.
There is a huge difference in opportunities and credibility (in the corporate world or if you start your business) if you have a Master’s degree vs only a 4 yr one. By the time you might realize this on your own, it will probably much more difficult for you to go back to school.
Now is the time to get your MBA. It’s hard to work and go to school, but it will be worth it.
Change your attitude, realizing that this is an important means to an end.
You sound like a hardworking, energetic person, so you can do it!
Good luck!
Hi Mike. Listen, the best advise depends on a lot of variables. How far are you into the program? If you only have 2 or 3 classes to go, it’s a moot point - do it. I am a 46 year old in financial services. I have a BS in Economics, MBA in Finance. I earned the MBA in 1992 when I was 29 years old. That being said, an MBA is really more of ticket to be considered for higher managerial positions. What you stated is that you want to quit your job and work for yourself. In that regard, the only real use of the MBA would be for marketing your services (people like to see initials after a name like J.D., MBA, CPA, etc when hiring your company to do whatever it is you will do).
In grad school it was told to me (mind you I had a managerial job while I was going to grad school) that I wouldn’t use anything learned from the MBA until 10 years down the road. Now that may have been only in my industry (finance) but I think it’s pretty applicable across the board.
So, continue if you only have a little time left, or as a security net in case you need to re-enter the work world, or if you think it will enhance the marketing of your endeavors after you quit and start your own company. Otherwise, save your money and time!
Slodge through the MBA; because if you don’t, you will invariably look back with regret and second guess your decision whenever one of your business ventures invariably throws you a curve-ball.
Cheers
Hello,
I work for a Graduate School and am the dean’s assistant on all academic matters. If you were a friend/student asking what I thought, this is what I would say.
One - Sit down with your supervisor and find out what exactly the benefits are to the company and you long term. Your supervisor may think you would be a great employee to pull/push up the ladder but you need the 3 magic letters on your resume. It may have to do with selling your company to prospective clients. Self-motivation is a huge part of Graduate School and it looks like you need a bigger picture.
No one should EVER go to Graduate School for the sake of going to Graduate School.
Two - Talk to the school you are attending and look at any other AACSB programs around to see if there are professional/executive cohorts. These groups tend to be older, have business experience, and may be a better fit. Graduate School is as much about your classmates as it is the materials.
Three - As goofy as it sounds, take your emotions out of it as much as possible. You seem frustrated with the kids’ ignorance. I was in this boat in a couple of classes when I finished up my master’s. At the end of my degree I ended up saving papers as things like “Two to go” “This is It” “One semester after this one.” It reminded be that if I focused I’d be done and I wouldn’t have to put up with the silliness much longer. That eased my frustration.
Good Luck with your decision.
Do a cost analysis. How much longer do you intend to work and how much will you make in that time? Divide that by how much will the MBA cost, not just tuition but incidental and peripheral/ misc costs/ opportunity costs. Sit down with a calculator, I’ve been thinking about the same thing. I’m 46 and thought about an MBA but I’m still not sure.
... I’m an old guy (76), been tracking Free Republic since 1996, mechanical engineer from Rice, Harvard MBA, first 10 years in industry, then mgmt consultant as hk ball and associates from 1968 until now ...
... I’d finish your MBA because you will learn things there that you can’t learn any other way, but ...
... the most important thing I learned had to do with how phoney those professors were ... it took me ten years to fully realize it, but much of what they taught are the very things we are fighting here on Free Republic today ...
... in short, get an MBA, know thine enemy ...
... of course, you’ll learn alot of good stuff too, but your Freep buddies will provide you with the filters you need with which to discern the right from the wrong ...
hk ball
Absolutely complete youe MBA.
Talk to the MBA Advisor at your school, see if there is a way to get into classes with more grownups. They may have an “Execcutive” program that are weekend intesive.
The MBA is valuable if you look to change jobs before you start your own firm. It also makes it easier to rise within your current company. It will also make your bussiness plan look stornger when you look for bankfinancing or investors.
Seek out the grown-ups in class, you will learn as much from them (and they fromyou) as you will from the professor.
Also pay close attention to the HR/subordinate management classes as this will land in your lap when you become an small bizman
Good Luck
Will you buy businesses and turn them around or are you someone better suited at building them up from scratch?
Or are you a good hands-on manager who is better suited at maintaining stability?
The question about the MBA is really secondary to those questions. Running a business is usually more of a hands-on endeavor, but an MBA degree can be valuable in helping you get to such a position.
As you know, some entrepreneurs first rise to management inside a larger company (an MBA would certainly help there) and others are wild-catters who start or buy something small and grow it either internally or by acquisition.
BTW, I am an MBA (top of my class at a top state school) and, as an investment banker, worked with many entrepreneurial sorts who grew by acquisition. I have also done a goodly amount of venture capital financing and have had the opportunity to study good and bad start-ups as well as mezzanine ventures.
As a final note, your personality type plays a big part in the path you will take. Turnaround specialists are usually not good at (nor interested in) day-to-day management. And start-up guys usually leave their companies once a certain size is reached.
Bottom line: what kind of entrepreneur are you?
My personal opinion is, unless you’re going to a top 20 school (Darden, Duke, etc.), you’re wasting your time. However, if your company is paying for it, you may as well finish up.
Personally as a manager, I’m unimpressed with an MBA if it’s from a school like Strayer, DeVry, etc. I’m also unimpressed when I see a person goes straight from undergrad to graduate school.
Do both - finish the MBA courses and look into business opportunities. If the business opportunities don’t work out, you will be well served by having an MBA on your resume - employers love that sort of stuff although in a lot of cases it’s worthless in the real world and only valuable if one has inherent abilities beyond the class room environment.
In my 35 year career with my old employer, I only had one MBA manager who was smart and I respected. All the others I worked for were nothing but self serving idiots who rose thru the ranks via the "buddy system".......
A very smart guy once advised me that, in choosing your path, choose what you love.
If you are doing what you love, you will pour your enthusiasm into it (and anyone who pours his heart and soul into something is going to be much smarter, luckier, and happier in doing it than those who are only moderately interested).
Think of this as if you ALREADY HAD an MBA. Do a cost/benefit analysis.
This is what we did with our son when he entered Wharton.
Calculate what it will cost you do to this. Calculate what you will be expecting to increase in earnings over a 5 year period AFTER you graduate (you can get data from a variety of sources including the schools themselves and other MBA candidates). Decide whether there is somebody out there who will pay for you to get your MBA in exchange for some well-paid indentured servitude.
Then, you come up with the best option. Part of that option is your own personality and your goals. YOU are the biggest factor in this. Do you have an idea of what you want to DO with an MBA? Do you have a plan already? Are you doing this just as a resume enhancement or because ‘it’s the next thing to do’?
And an MBA from a place with a specific reputation makes a big, big, big difference in what kind of job you get offered. If you are starting your second year in an MBA program and you aren’t already getting offers, something is wrong.
In our own case, our son had an offer to pay for a Harvard MBA with a 3 yr contract at $125K. Despite the $150K price, he decided to go to Wharton and become a free agent. He not only matched his salary at a bigger company (not Wall Street, which is a $$$$$ only decision), stock options and a future of advancement in something interesting. And within 5 years he will have paid back his entire MBA costs and still be at those high end salary ranges.
It’s equal parts calculation and ambition/planning. Decide WHAT you want this for and that will rule out the bad options right away.
Hope this helps. This is a very exciting point in life. But be prepared for a whole lot of math....
You need to find yourself an “Executive MBA” program. These require years of job experience to get into, and have a much higher maturity level.