Comment by davidwparker | Hacker News Reader

Comment by davidwparker | Hacker News Reader

As someone who actually has my MBA (and is finishing my MS in Computer Science), I disagree with this.

For example, in my MBA at the University of Colorado (CU), for:

#1 What you actually learn: there are a ton of startup/entrepreneurship classes: Startup Feasibility, Business Plan, Startup Execution, Entrepreneurial Projects, Entrepreneurial Finance, Entrepreneurial Marketing, just to name a few.

#2 In state tuition turns out to be around $25k/year. That's $50k total, which is 1/3 the cost stated (granted, CU is no ivy league).

#3 Making up what people actually do (agreeing to jobs for an additional +2 years) doesn't necessarily mean it's what everyone does.

#4 The right network. Boulder is the home of TechStars, The Unreasonable Institute, as well as a ton of other startups. It has a huge tech scene, outdoor industry, natural+organics, and green energy scene- all of which have a host of startups.

#5 Just because other people don't start businesses with their MBAs doesn't mean you can't.

I understand it's common for a lot of places like HN to dog on MBAs, but as an engineer who finished my MBA (but is staying an engineer), I think people underestimate some of the value of getting an MBA. Granted, it really depends on where you go, but there is such a thing as a good MBA.

I also have an MBA and I read hacker news.

I'm not going to tell people to get an MBA or a CS degree or take some kind of sabbatical. My MBA found me a better job even before I graduated (I went to evening classes). So I consider it to be helpful to me. I paid my tuition as I went.

Still, an MBA pushed me to start learning programming after seeing the MBA job market vs. programmer job market. Plus I was just used to learning at night after 3 years of evening classes.

If you don't want to get an MBA, maybe consider having one on your team. Don't think you can give yourself an MBA by reading HN. Most of the articles on HN relating to business are simplistic overviews of some of the basic concepts they teach MBAs. This includes anything related to finance, economics, marketing, branding, communication, leadership, critical thinking, and public speaking. It's disappointing when I go to a meetup and the speaker(s) cannot communicate their great ideas or businesses.

Other than the stress of school and work, the worst thing about getting an MBA was the blank stares when I mentioned something about Star Trek in class once (something like, "This case is just like Kobayashi Maru"). Maybe I'm different, then.

Don't have too much of a negative view about MBA people or the degree. They're closely related to computer folks. For instance, like CS, it helps to like math to be good in finance.

USF Tampa has a dual MBA/Masters of Entrepreneurship (#9 in country) and it is an excellent program. It is way way cheaper than even that price. The network effect isn't as strong, but the knowledge is solid.

I believe my total tuition costs for BA, MBA, MSE were $18k. Best 18k I will ever spend in my life. Extremely high percentage of graduates from that program go out and work at startups.

EDIT: Technically the company I was working for paid for 12k of that.

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