Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?
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Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?
1–10 of 47 posts
Re: Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?
#2I think an MBA can be helpful in the right situation/startup, but in other situations it might not be needed or the person might need to unlearn some things. It's the debate between B-School and E-School (Entrepreneurship School advocated by Steve Blank).
Re: Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?
#3I don't get this either or thing. I got a BSc in Computing Science when I was a kid. I'm 30 now and preparing for the GMAT. I also keep abreast of the latest on the lean startup and on the fat startup. Why not learn it all?
Re: Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?
#4I don't get this either or thing. I got a BSc in Computing Science when I was a kid. I'm 30 now and preparing for the GMAT. I also keep abreast of the latest on the lean startup and on the fat startup. Why not learn it all?
In my opinion you're the ideal MBA candidate - undergrad in either engineering or a science, some work experience, then the MBA. The problem is that so many MBAs have undergrads in Business and go straight to the masters without any intervening work experience. So they don't have experience and the courses have a lot of overlap. They give the MBA a bad name, but they're the cash cow of business schools.
Re: Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?
#5It was a very good plug for the authors' own classes that he teaches (link in the last paragraph).
Re: Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?
#6[deleted]
Re: Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?
#7I don't get this either or thing. I got a BSc in Computing Science when I was a kid. I'm 30 now and preparing for the GMAT. I also keep abreast of the latest on the lean startup and on the fat startup. Why not learn it all?
In my opinion you're the ideal MBA candidate - undergrad in either engineering or a science, some work experience, then the MBA. The problem is that so many MBAs have undergrads in Business and go straight to the masters without any intervening work experience. So they don't have experience and the courses have a lot of overlap. They give the MBA a bad name, but they're the cash cow of business schools.
Where I live (India) most of the MBAs are Engineering or Science Graduates. This year only 9 people from business and 1 from arts got into IIM-A. Its a common choice among Engineers to take up MBA after there Graduation (BE/BS/B Tech).
It kind of annoys me though. Its fine if you are doing an specialization in something like Project Management, Computer Management, E-Commerce or something like that. But it just bugs me if you take up finance or banking. WTF? If you wanted to do finance or banking why the hell did you waste the one seat of Eng/Sci student. In a country where there is already a shortage of Quality Engineering studies, these people take there education from IIT and then join IIMs taking up banking or finance. This is a total waste of the Rs 900,000/- the government is spending on each IIT student. I just hate to meet someone working in a bank and them mentioning "I did an B Tech in Electrical from IIT then went to IIM".
Either I am missing the node joining finance and banking with engineering or this is really just the product of the herd mentality students here have. Its a trend now to go for MBA and they would take any branch if they get into an IIM, "Why bother, its IIM!!!".
Re: Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?
#8In the Startup World, it's not the MBA that matters, it's you!
Re: Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?
#9I don't get this either or thing. I got a BSc in Computing Science when I was a kid. I'm 30 now and preparing for the GMAT. I also keep abreast of the latest on the lean startup and on the fat startup. Why not learn it all?
In my opinion you're the ideal MBA candidate - undergrad in either engineering or a science, some work experience, then the MBA. The problem is that so many MBAs have undergrads in Business and go straight to the masters without any intervening work experience. So they don't have experience and the courses have a lot of overlap. They give the MBA a bad name, but they're the cash cow of business schools.
I actually think very few go from undergrad to their mba without work experience. Look at the average years experience for top grad schools. It is normally 3+ years on average. I am about to go to Notre Dame for an MBA and I have just under 3.
It is all great to pick on people who have a business undergrad and mba, but sometimes in life people don't know what they want to do at the undergrad level. I did not start my business undergrad thinking I would get an MBA, but it becomes the logical career move later on. I am way excited for where I am going now with it, but double business isn't inherently a bad thing in some industries.
For me I want to get more into tech, so I am teaching myself rails. People always talk about learning business on their own, why can't someone also learn programming on their own?
Re: Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?
#10I don't think this debate will really be settled until we have actual data to deal with, which isn't likely to happen any time soon, because you'd have to observe the same people with, and without MBA's.