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Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?

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Re: Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?

#11

Post by nileshtrivedi »

rick_2047 wrote: post #7
ojbyrne wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Good point. Although, I have to add that the trend has already reversed. Most IITians now consider IIMs beneath them. "Only mediocre crowd goes to IIMs" says a recent fresh graduate from IIT Kharagpur.

The reason is that IIT grads are now able to get the same jobs and roles as the IIM grads - McKinsey / BCG / Goldman Sachs / and other investment banks have been regulars at IIT campuses for quite a few years now. Their reasoning goes that why not catch this talent early instead of getting the same bunch of people from IIMs a few years later.

It's indeed sad that there is not enough money in the core engineering disciplines yet.

Re: Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?

#12

Post by gaius »

profgubler wrote: post #9
ojbyrne wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

It's often business degree -> analyst at a bank or consultancy -> MBA -> associate at bank or consultancy -> industry job when it becomes apparent that partnership isn't on the horizon.

The problem with MBAs of this type is that they believe management is a universal function that can be applied directly to any industry. The real world is more subtle than that.

Re: Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?

#13

Post by NyxWulf »

davidw wrote: post #10

I 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.

We actually do have some data, but a little thing like facts never hinders an uninformed opinion.

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1127248

Re: Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?

#14

Post by sachinag »

I'm a non-technical founder who's founded one startup, joined another, and am now an Advisor at TechStars - before I go back to B school to get an MBA. And that's after I did a business degree in undergrad.

To me, getting an MBA is all about option value. If I want to go to a big company, it's a prerequisite. If I want to do startups, it's not. If I want to jump back and forth, then it's a prerequisite again. I'm willing to pay $150,000 to have the option value of jumping back and forth for the thirty years after I graduate, not to mention the experience of the two years there, the network I'll have, and the other attendant benefits.

I wrote about this decision last week; maybe it'd be useful to some people here: http://www.sachinagarwal.com/why-this-startup-guy-is-going-b...

Re: Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?

#15

Post by roel_v »

rick_2047 wrote: post #7
ojbyrne wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

What's an IIM and IIT? How much is 900k Rs?

Re: Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?

#16

Post by rick_2047 »

roel_v wrote: post #15
rick_2047 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

What's an IIM and IIT? How much is 900k Rs?

IIM : Indian Institute of Management. These are the most premium B-schools of India supported by Indian government.

IIT : Indian Institute of Technology. These These are the most premium tech schools of India supported by Indian government.

900 000 Indian rupees = 19 758.6 U.S. dollars

Re: Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?

#17

Post by rick_2047 »

nileshtrivedi wrote: post #11
rick_2047 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Good point. Although, I have to add that the trend has already reversed. Most IITians now consider IIMs beneath them. "Only mediocre crowd goes to IIMs" says a recent fresh graduate from IIT Kharagpur. The reason is that IIT grads are now able to get the same jobs and roles as the IIM grads - McKinsey / BCG / Goldman Sachs / and other investment banks have been regulars at IIT campuses for quite a few years now. Thei…

The problem is not money in this case. There was never the equal amount of money in Engineering that they have in business. The problem here is that there is not passion amongst the engineering graduates in general towards there discipline. Most join engineering because there peers are joining or there parent told them to. It is indeed sad that students think in pure monetary terms rather than there passion. I have seen many engineering undergrads who wanted to go into fine arts and joined up just so because there "uncle" told them to.

Re: Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?

#18

Post by rick_2047 »

Maro wrote: post #8

In the Startup World, it's not the MBA that matters, it's you!

I don't know much but I have a slight doubt whenever I read something like this. I presume you get an MBA to give you a better understanding about business. And startups are in essence businesses. Then how come having a better understanding not impact your startup?

Re: Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?

#19

Post by some1else »

barnaby wrote: post #5

It was a very good plug for the authors' own classes that he teaches (link in the last paragraph).

I don't mind it. Almost everyone plugs their own stuff in guest posts on TC, and I've read plenty of Vivek's brilliant posts to allow a plug like that in the latest one. I do mind the fact that he maintains his affection towards the MBA and disagreement with Guy although he clearly believes an intense one-year program that focuses on the important bits is a better alternative.

Re: Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?

#20

Post by PG-13 »

rick_2047 wrote: post #18
Maro wrote: post #8

In the Startup World, it's not the MBA that matters, it's you!

I don't know much but I have a slight doubt whenever I read something like this. I presume you get an MBA to give you a better understanding about business. And startups are in essence businesses. Then how come having a better understanding not impact your startup?

Because this assumption is false.
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