| Topic Name: |
MBA Dilemma for "Experienced" Professionals |
| Message Name: |
You Should Go |
| Date Posted: |
06/22/2001 |
| In Reply To: |
Looking for some advice,
I am 33 years old and am now working at one of the many dying internet consulting firms as a strategist.
Previous to that I spent four years as a part-time PhD student in economics/ independent consultant.
I basically grew disenchanted with the academia path, and made the move into consulting.
My dilemma now is that I think many of the jobs I am looing at require an MBA.
(e.g. finance and management consulting)
Questions:
1. Should I get an MBA
2. Will it be a waste of time given that I have an undergrad from Wharton and completed my coursework toward a PhD in economics.
3. Do I need an MBA to break into mainline strategic consulting, I think I have the knowledge, just going for the stamp
4. Am I too old for an MBA
|
| Message: |
Based on the facts you provided, you should definitely go get an MBA.
I'm a 34 year old who just graduated from a Top 5 MBA program. During my summer internship, I also worked at an internet consulting firm. My conclusion (based on a sample size of only one) was that they were a bunch of web development kids who were pretending to do real strategy. I don't mean to be cocky about it, but I felt that I should have been RUNNING the company, not trying to learn from it as an intern. I was extremely grateful that it was only a summer internship and that I didn't choose them as a full time opportunity.
Answers to your questions from my perspective:
1) Should you go? Yes
2) Will it be a waste of time given your economic background? Hell no. This, in my opinion, is one of the biggest fallacies most people make when deciding whether to get an MBA (one I had myself). People (myself included) come into MBA programs thinking they are just going to get "the stamp". In reality, there is a wealth of information to be learned in a variety of areas that no other real education covers. If you have a good background in one area (i.e. economics) then you exempt those classes leaving you room for more electives. And electives are where the REAL education is at. The first year of school brings everyone up to a level playing field (stats, econ, finance, acct, mktg, etc...courses anyone can teach). The second year (electives) is where the real epiphanies take place and where it is critical to go to a good school (the best professors make a HUGE difference). An MBA could be taught in a corn field if you have the right professors.
3. Do you need an MBA to break into mainline strategic consulting? If you actually HAD your PHD in economics then I would say that you could probably break in without it. Having only completed your coursework for your PHD, then I would say that an MBA will increase your knowledge base as well as better POSITION you for "mainline" strategic consulting.
4. Are you too old? Not too old but you are getting there. The Top MBA programs (and I would only recommend the top programs) practice a genuine form of age discrimination. 35+ students are about 3 standard deviations out from the mean (i.e. rare but there).
Good luck.
|
|
