27 July 2019
“Why did you pursue an MBA?”
“What are you planning to do with it?”
These were some of the questions that kept popping up in my conversations with friends and colleagues. A lot of times, it was because they were interested in the possibility of pursuing an MBA degree but wanted to know more. This is my way of multi-casting my experience and thought process to anyone interested.
I had taken the GMAT’s about 8 years ago and scored well enough for USC Marshall. I did not pursue an MBA then because the cost was prohibitive for someone with no real plans for what to do with the degree. If I had scored in the typical range for Stanford or Berkeley, I would have tried applying to those schools. I had no clue, I was still looking for something.
Typically an MBA is only as good as the use cases it is applied towards…unless you get into a top 5 MBA program
If you’re interested in solving business problems just go even if you don’t have a plan. Proximity to the talent pool in a top program and ancillary programs makes for an amazing learning experience.
Top thoughts swirling through my head:
Only in the last few years had I developed some solid direction in life (Marriage helps with that too). Starting my own company has been a goal of mine. It’s the reason I moved into technical product and also the reason I joined this MBA program. I’m also a risk-adverse person so it also doubles as an insurance policy in case I pivot from #1. Moving up the corporate ladder isn’t a goal of mine but is a possible consequence of #2.
| Program Type | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Online MBA | Low-cost option Flexibility |
Little physical face-time with others for networking Motivation |
| Full-time MBA | High level of immersion and learning | High CapEx High opportunity cost from no job |
| Part-time MBA | Medium level immersion and learning Continue making money at your day job |
Medium CapEx cost |
| Incubator (Full-time) | High level of immersion and learning Funded seed round |
Not everyone is accepted into the program Need to quit full-time job Lack of certification |
| Start a company today | Low-cost option Flexibility of time |
Support system is dependent on your personal network Motivation |
Rankings of schools help to determine the quality of the faculty, curriculum & future cohort. The opinion of those whom have worked in startups extensively tend to think an MBA degree’s utility is minimal. For those whom have worked the majority of their career in large or medium sized company will benefit much more from an MBA program. You can see from the last option, “Start a company today” (leap of faith) without any guardrails is also the most ambiguous and scary.
| Program | Top 5 | Top 15 | Entrepreneurship? | Length of Program | Distance from Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford (Full-time MBA) | Y | Y | Y | 24 months | 21 miles |
| UC Berkeley (Part-time MBA) | Y | Y | Y | 24 months | 50 miles |
| SCU (Part-time MBA) | N | Y | Y | 18 months | 6 miles |
| Y-Combinator (Full-time) | N/A | N/A | Y | 3 months | 51 miles |
| Start a company today | N/A | N/A | Y | Depends | Depends |
| Program | Tuition Cost |
|---|---|
| Stanford (Full-time MBA) | $146k |
| UC Berkeley (Part-time MBA) | $141k |
| SCU (Part-time MBA) | $100k |
| Y-Combinator (Full-time) | $120k seed round for 10% of your company |
| Start a company today | Depends |
These are the ROI metrics I’ll be keeping track of. Someone looking to move up the corporate ladder might be looking at % increase in base salary over the next 2 years.
I chose the Executive MBA program at SCU because:
An MBA is not a track career since your ROI and career path are very dependent on what you’re looking for and how smart you grind.
I would spend a lot of time doing some soul-searching and figure out what your goals are. Where do you want to be in 5 years? Do you have the money to spend for an institutional education? Or maybe join an incubator or startup or start your own business to get straight to the point. Good luck!