MBA or Learn to Code?

The second issue I had with the article demonstrated the kind of mindset that comes from undervaluing 'soft skills' and the MBA education (as engineers tend to do) -- "If you build an excellent product with product/market fit then people will buy it." Obviously there are exceptions, but in the general realm of business, this is laughably naive -- there's a reason that marketing expenses (especially for startups who compete more for mindshare than monthly fees) are so high. Amazing products fail all the time.

I certainly don't mean to undervalue the ability to code: I'm a CS/Business double major, and without a doubt the CS degree is opening way more doors than the BBA. But, just as you're not going to hire an MBA to 'build stuff for the web', you're not going to -- or shouldn't -- hire a software developer to spearhead business development or marketing.

Coding is very much like learning a real language. You most likely are not going to be incredibly useful or valuable with it within the first few years and you can improve yourself in it endlessly. Similar to how an aspiring author is not going to be able to do good work when they are just starting to learn English. In other words, people who take some courses on codeacademy and think they have learned to code have essentially learned how to put sentences together - not write an engaging book. (Not knocking code academy - its a good thing)

So in that regard if your aspirations are to boost your income or move up in your career then an MBA is going to most likely be a much better shot. If you naturally gravitate towards software development then do that because you'll get enjoyment out of it but if your looking for a golden ticket it is certainly not that.

Someone saying they want to learn how to code to form a startup is like someone saying they want to open a restaurant by memorizing recipes. Memorizing recipes is only 1% of what it takes to be a viable chef.

Besides knowing the ingredients:

You have to know how to mix the ingredients properly.

You have to know how to select the better quality ingredients.

You have to know how to actually cook the food properly without burning it, etc.

As the recipes get more complex, you have to know how to time each aspect of the recipe so that different aspects of the dishes don't cook before others, and they're left cooling.

As you cook for more and more people, you have to know how scale your techniques for larger batches of food.

You have to know how to scale your suppliers, etc.

The exact same thing applies to programming. Learning how to "code" is almost meaningless. To be useful, and to actually build things that won't fail, you need to get experience so much more experience. If the person in question is actually interested in coding, and loves technology and loves the thrill of building stuff, then go ahead. If the point is to create a startup and be more "useful", then don't bother, because it's too hard, especially if you're starting from ground zero. It takes YEARS of coding experience, working 40 hrs a week, to be able to build something viable.

If you want to create a startup in the very near future, then hire the people you need, and concentrate on the vision, there's no shame in that. Be warned that managing programmers and programming projects is also a skill that takes years to develop as well.

If your time horizon is in the next few years, then roll up your sleeves and start now.

So, knowing I would start new companies again, I went for an MBA. I got one at Columbia. Before starting I wondered if I should learn to code instead.

I have zero regrets. On the contrary, it was one of my best growth and learning experiences in life (and most fun).

In all fairness, I would have had zero regrets learning to code because I always find ways to love what I do. I learned the hard skills of business, but I learned a lot more, in particular through classes like leadership, general management, negotiation, sales, and other so-called soft-skills.

I learned emotional intelligence, self-awarenss, the value of relationships.

I am a much better businessman for business school than I would have been otherwise.

For the author to say an MBA "is an expensive break from reality that will yield you a strong network and theoretical insight into the business world, but until you actually get out there and experience the business world for yourself, it is still just theory" implies he doesn't understand the value of things outside his immediate experience.

As his experience broadens I would bet he writes something different.

If you want to be an investment banker or a consultant, and you aspire to nothing outside of those two streams, get the MBA and have at it. For almost any other endeavor imaginable -- be it professional or personal -- you're better off learning to code.

Disagree with the comments about "if you have this dilemma, you probably aren't meant to code" and "don't bother with an MBA outside of the top 10 or 20 programs, they're mostly useless", but that's just my opinion/experience.

Get that to finding and you'll get a $2-3mm+ valuation, you've created more value than a job will ever create, you are in control etc... But that's just me.