Yes, an MBA is BS, that is for sure. I already know that. I guess if I ever go to one it’d be because I want the 2-year break… but for ~100k I can probably just live in Brazil for 2 years and have a ton more fun…
Right now I’m leaning toward doing my own startup, or to open up a cafe that only serves ristretto and french press, no sugar, milk, cocca powder, cinnamon, and other stuff that really shouldn’t be in your coffee… Or maybe a denim and sneakers bar…
But of course, working for Fred might be interesting too… 😉
Business school certainly has value and serves a useful purpose in this world. However, the essence of the question points at one of the fundamental problems (and possibly misconceptions) about business school. I?m 40. I don?t believe that the degree I have has ever had any material impact on my ?career? during the last 20 years. I can?t think of a single situation where it came up in a conversation about anything that I was considering doing. For a while, I obsessively corrected the ?MBA? and ?MS? listings that would show up on web sites and in public filings ? I finally gave up because I decided it simply wasn?t relevant. While many people wear their degrees as badges of honor on their chests, I prefer to let actions speak for themselves (and ? rather than look at the badges people have, I look for the actions.)
If you want a two year break from life, go to business school. If you want to meet a bunch of new, generally smart, and always interesting people, go to business school. If you are a techie but like the business side of things, want to get an intellectual (and functional grounding) in business stuff, want a two year break from life, and want to meet interesting people, go to business school. But please – don?t worry about whether you are getting an SM or an MS or an MBA – that?s not what you are going for.