you can argue that an MBA is very shallow on technical skills. There is a large difference between MBA, and getting something like Masters in Finance.
MBA is the more generic one, where you get to learn fewer skills, many of which you can learn while working. Somebody with real finance skills, is more valuable in my eyes.
Having done a year part time program, I can say that the number one thing I learned there was that MBA is very overrated, and you can pick a lot of skills/more by being in the right place (small company).
It might be valuable for people that are looking into higher title in the coorporate world/consulting (an MBA is more like a gateway to some jobs), but for all those startupers, it is really of little value.
You waste a lot of money and 2 years of your life that you could have been spending creating a real product.
Now with all that financial engineering bubble going away, we will see the real value of the MBA.
you can argue that an MBA is very shallow on technical skills. There is a large difference between MBA, and getting something like Masters in Finance.
First of all, the top-tier programs aren't all the same. The University of Chicago MBA program, for instance, is widely considered finance-centric since it has a relatively low number of required core courses, so a student can (and many do) choose a curriculum that is very finance heavy and will end up with a better finance education than most people with straight finance degrees. However, you could end up pigeon-holing yourself in the same way you would with a straight finance degree, and this is a common reason for someone deciding against University of Chicago, especially if they already have a strong finance background.
The fact is that someone with an MBA in finance will be better equipped for pretty much any senior position than someone with a straight finance degree. There are plenty of people who can do finance, there's even probably an oversupply right now, but senior finance positions typically require a lot more than sitting in your office generating reports, which is what you'll likely end up doing with a finance degree. The fact is that a whole lot of people with straight finance degrees never learn the range of skills needed to run a business.
In fact, the value of MBAs has been made more obvious during the recent crisis in every business I'm familiar with (mostly private financial firms or web-oriented companies). People who have gone through MBA programs studying other businesses experiences in similar conditions and learning to analyze businesses in various stages and situations have been able to come up with effective strategies to keep the businesses profitable despite the odds.
MBA is the more generic one, where you get to learn fewer skills, many of which you can learn while working.
Not true. It's actually the opposite, you learn a wider variety of skills and concepts that you wouldn't have time to learn or even get exposed to at all while working.
MBA is the more generic one, where you get to learn fewer skills, many of which you can learn while working. Somebody with real finance skills, is more valuable in my eyes.
Having done a year part time program, I can say that the number one thing I learned there was that MBA is very overrated, and you can pick a lot of skills/more by being in the right place (small company).
It might be valuable for people that are looking into higher title in the coorporate world/consulting (an MBA is more like a gateway to some jobs), but for all those startupers, it is really of little value.
You waste a lot of money and 2 years of your life that you could have been spending creating a real product.
Now with all that financial engineering bubble going away, we will see the real value of the MBA.