To MBA or not to MBA - that is the question - Page 2

technospartan

cean mahul would you tell me how would you convince a venture capitalist for having him grant you money for your new project? you would definately need some (atleast some!!!!) technical knowledge for that.and the second aspect comes in the picture of market (after all you are meant to sell your technology!!!!!!!!!!) for that i guess you are supposed to have the managerial eye.mba can help you have that managerial eye.so from my side go for MBA.if you want to play as the big boss.or else as biggie said about Sir Richard Bransons quote "do what you love and money will follow"

kidakaka

crazyboy, I wouldnt say that's necessarily true, take any good techie ... let him mature for 2-3 years in his field, eventually he would be at the same level had he done an mba for 2 years. the fly high thing you are saying is because, technology naturally follows business ... it cannot be the otherway round .. technology needs money to sustain ... and money comes from business. So after 4-5 years, the same techie who earlier used to write a java class will now be taking decisions on which architecture to use or how best to customize the application framework for the client ... then he has a choice .. 1. be in technical field 2. do client liaison/interfacing and move towards business.

Even a CTO has to do basic budgeting, accounting and due diligence for each purchase that he makes. Thats business, and not tech

Eventually, an engineer will move from understanding code to understanding technology to understanding process and finally understanding business. So, the mix and match is always there ... it has to be there.

btw arti, the answer to "Why MBA" lies somewhere in this thread

crazyboy

Quote:

Originally Posted by kidakaka

crazyboy, I wouldnt say that's necessarily true, take any good techie ... let him mature for 2-3 years in his field, eventually he would be at the same level had he done an mba for 2 years. the fly high thing you are saying is because, technology naturally follows business ... it cannot be the otherway round .. technology needs money to sustain ... and money comes from business. So after 4-5 years, the same techie who earlier used to write a java class will now be taking decisions on which architecture to use or how best to customize the application framework for the client ... then he has a choice .. 1. be in technical field 2. do client liaison/interfacing and move towards business.

Even a CTO has to do basic budgeting, accounting and due diligence for each purchase that he makes. Thats business, and not tech

Eventually, an engineer will move from understanding code to understanding technology to understanding process and finally understanding business. So, the mix and match is always there ... it has to be there.

btw arti, the answer to "Why MBA" lies somewhere in this thread

Agreed....

arti_mishra

ok its accepted that after few years i would get more money but what to do till that time when we find our friends earning more money then us.the only answer i find is PATIENCE.But what if we dint have Patitence

mayurpathak

If you ask me, I did MBA simply because people advised and convinced me to do it. Frankly speaking, studying management has not added any value to my knowledge, except making me a more refined person. It also gave me an opportunity to work with and for the top management of the companies. I could present myself better to the world after doing MBA in Marketing.

Taking Kidakaka's point further, technology guys 'create' products, softwares, goods etc. You have business guys who take it to the market/customer. You need guys who can tell you how much you have spent... directly and indirectly on the making of that product. Most of the technology innovations today are driven by the business needs and competitive challenges. Studying MBA might make you better equipped to understand those.

Money will eventually come. If earning big bucks is the sole purpose of your life then there are many other methods to do that. Biggie will agree to this, ask Warren Buffet, Donald Trump, Bill Gates, Larry Page, Laxmi Mittal, Mahesh Murthy about importance of basic management education. The answers will baffle you.

The_Big_K

Wow! We've good discussion here.

Good to see different perspectives. My take on this is simple - don't do stuff for the heck of earning money. Just love what you love - and then find out ways to earn money through it.

Kidakaka & Mayur have a very right point. MBA does help - but it helps only when you KNOW (all caps!) what you're doing. If you are thinking about doing MBA so that you can earn more than your friends - you're preparing yourself for a big doom in your life. Its as simple as that.

See, I've seen this - especially among IT folks : They just love to think that they aren't earning enough money. Look around you - you're earning way more than you should actually be earning! Its a fact!

In a B-School - you will get to interact with the best & the brightest minds from diverse backgrounds. You'll develop contacts! Do you think its going to help you in any way - if you say 'yes' - go for it. If you are not sure - think .

As Mayur said - basic management education does help. At the same time, its not absolutely necessary.

My sincere request to all MBA aspirants - know where you want to go. MBA is just a path that 'might' take you where you want to go.

koli

I see nice debate here. I want to ask few questions

-> When is the right time to do MBA ? Right after your graduation or after gaining experience by working for few years ?
-> Do choice of B-schools / Universities matter ?
-> What specialization in MBA gives more career edge ?
-> Is MBA enough for you to be decision maker for organization or your own business ?

My general statement on "should you do MBA or not ?" - I would say you should. But dont expet that it will help you in first 2-6 years. It will definitely help you in your career when it is at peak.

koli

My view :
- My vote is for MBA after few years of work experience. Because if you do MBA right after your bachelors / graduation - you are still in the school/collage mindset and havent tested the work culture, etc. Most successful folks I know who are VP/ Director level - more than 75% have done there MBA during their employment.
- Choice of B-schools / universities is very very important. This may not be technically important. But since the perception of employers as well as the competitiveness matters the most.
- I think the Finance is most attractive from career edge perspective. I would treat MBA-IT on the lowest scale (my view).
- Real life experience, technical hands on experience, is definitely required. I have worked with many out of school MBAs. It is real challenge for them during their first jobs.

aashima

Knowing what you actually aspire for is the foundation step in deciding your career and steps in favor of it. As far as MBA is concerned, its a great option for those who look forward to managerial posts and environments for their efficient working.
But even if you're a techie one, MBA will provide you an edge to everything you've learnt in your graduation. But in my opinion, MBA after some years of work experience is lot more fruitful and wise decision. It helps!!

ankurhasit

well,good discussion going on here......

i am final year of my b-tech and i have joined mba coaching on advice of my parents and know 2....

but i am have die hard interest in technical field....i want to design cars
bikes ....automobiles,,,WORLD CLASS ENGINES.....ETC....

but my parents say and other who advise them that.....once i do mba.....then i can be in techincal field....in d higher post........

but i don't think then i will get a technical profile in d company coz i do not have any work ex............

i am very much confused....wat 2 do..........?

rite now to me(acc to my interest)...ms from a foreign university is looking 2 be d best option....

plz guide me...............