Will an MBA Help Your Tech Career?
Posted February 6th, 2014
Traditionally, having an MBA after your name has been a symbol of elitism in the world of business and a key to advancing your career. And it’s still not a bad thing, by any means. But in today’s marketplace, it’s no more than window dressing unless it’s backed up by proven achievements and demonstrable results.
An MBA is an impressive credential, but it’s advisable to evaluate how well it will increase your perceived value and career potential before you invest a significant amount of time and money into earning it.
The Pros
An MBA demonstrates your ability to commit to and achieve your goals, emphasizes your willingness to learn new skills, and gives employers a baseline against which to gauge your knowledge, especially if you earned it while your were working.
- An MBA can set you apart from the competition. The current IT market is so strapped for talent that technically skilled mid-level managers tend to advance quickly into leadership positions. If an employer has their pick between two candidates for promotion, one with an advanced degree and one without, an MBA is a deal breaker. If you’re a superstar, you’ll achieve your goals. But an MBA may get you there faster.
- An MBA gives you an edge in the global marketplace. A quality MBA program teaches an adaptability. This is invaluable in an economy where career switching and constant change are the norm.
- Certain business segments require an MBA. In some organizations, such as top-tier consulting firms, an advanced degree is practically a requirement for certain positions. It’s difficult to move up the organizational ranks without it.
The Cons
Many experts argue that MBA programs focus too much on research and not enough on practical management techniques or business ethics as they apply in the real world.
- Professor Henry Mintzberg of McGill University, Montreal, argues that MBA programs are too theoretical. “You learn to read case studies and sit in classrooms and learn to pronounce judgments on companies about which you know almost nothing,” he argues.
- Today’s employers tend to focus more on candidates’ business accomplishments. As noted by Chris Duchesne, vice president of global workplace solutions at Care.com, “Seeing an MBA on a resume used to mean candidates would get a de facto stamp of approval. But because of how rapidly things change in the technical and business world today, those in positions to hire tend to look at candidates’ knowledge and achievements when filling a role, and use their ability to adapt to changes to suit a challenging market as a predictor of future capabilities.”
Survey Says …
In a recent survey, Business Insider asked more than 300 professionals from various industries what value they saw in an MBA. While only 3 percent said an MBA was “extremely important” as a career-building credential, 61 percent said it was “moderately important” or “slightly important.”
Specific fields that tend to more commonly seek an MBA degree included:
- Consumer brand marketing
- Corporate finance
- Venture capital
- Investment banking
- Commercial banking
- Production/operations management
- New product development
- Management consulting
- Private equity
- Strategic planning and business development
As you implement your successful career path plan, read our related posts or contact the team at Bayside Solutions today.If you are looking for information technology jobs in Pleasanton CA, contact our team today.
