I wish I’d thought about alternatives to an MBA
As I’ve written about before, I really enjoyed going to business school, and I learned a lot of topics that I never covered in my Bachelors of Science in electrical engineering. Here are some great things about the UCLA Anderson MBA program:
- Learning about tons of topics outside of engineering (strategy, marketing, organization behavior, mergers and acquisitions, real estate) and models that I still use today
- Meeting non-engineers who are great people, ambitious, and curious (my class was ~25% current and former engineers, 20% consulting, 20% finance, and various other disciplines)
- Fun social events with said great people
- Many opportunities to explore different career paths, with varying levels of engagement and commitment: case competitions (marketing, banking, hackathons, startups, consulting engagements, real estate deals, nonprofits)
I’ve described UCLA Anderson as “a 5-star buffet of educational opportunity (and I’m not just coming hungry, I’m bringing Tupperware!)” (They love to put that in the promotional emails). But what if you don’t need a 5-star buffet? What if, instead of the $50 Bacchanal Buffet at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, you just feel like some high-quality sashimi and only need to spend $25 to get it?
Here’s a decision flowchart that can help you decide whether an MBA is right for you:
Some quick takeaways from this flowchart:
- Instead of a full-fledged MBA from UCLA Anderson (and other top business schools), you could enroll in targeted certificate programs if you’re more sure about what you want to do after school.
- If you’re curious about other jobs, and you work in a company with people who do those jobs, talk to them before committing yourself to an expensive degree. Go out to lunch / coffee / drinks with them and say you’re considering a career change. Ask them how they got into this field, and what experience and education helped them. Ask if they ever hire internally. Ask if you can help out with a project, something they’d use an intern for.
- There are many ways to learn the same thing. Some career paths require a name-brand education, or formal training, and some don’t. Knowing which you need can save you lots of time and debt.
- I’m not against getting an MBA! Far from it, I’m happy I got a part-time MBA. It’s taught me many helpful concepts that I still use today. However, when I was deciding whether to pursue an MBA, I didn’t have this whole picture at my disposal. As informative as they were, the various info sessions I attended didn’t point us toward non-MBA paths (imagine that). I remember wanting to feel like I was making active effort and measurable progress towards my dream job. For some people, these paths do not require a fancy piece of paper.
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