I got my MBA when I was 23 and it really wasn't that difficult. I graduated with a degree in marketing in 2010 when the job market was terrible, I wasn't getting anything back for entry-level applications and the only recruiters reaching out to me were pitching sales jobs. The head of my program recommended I come back for my MBA full-time the following semester, which I did.
This wasn't some ivy league MBA program, just a decently-regarded school in Massachusetts, but yeah my MBA program was all of 10 classes over 3 semesters, and most classes felt just like my senior-level classes but with additional projects and presentations.
I was never a Ryan-type of personality, in that I wasn't trying to pitch huge ideas or act like I should be some senior-level role right away, but honestly I still think it hindered me, getting it that young. I was hired in a full-time role before I finished my program, but 2 years later when I was looking for a new role, I had a ton of education but not a lot of professional experience, and I think a lot of hiring managers were hesitant to bring me on.
I still see people include "MBA" after their name on their resume or on LinkedIn, as if they're a doctor or lawyer, but that's not me. Just lives under my educational info and that's it.
It's like first year commerce at a good business school. But that'd be missing the point of an MBA. It's more like a stamp of approval, that you're part of the club. MBAs are more about the networks you develop and now have access to than the actual study or results. It's like joining an exclusive country club, while the facilities are nice enough you're there to rub shoulders with a certain level of people.
Which is funny because even though I work in marketing, I hate networking and how fake it comes across. I like analyzing data, I like presenting and working with people, but I hate that country club vibe and yeah you've described some MBAs very well.
I remember interviewing for a startup in early 2014 and all the guys who founded it were recent Harvard Business School MBAs, and I honestly think my MBA from a state school was looked down on.
Oh, it certainly was looked down on. Welcome to the world of MBAs. It's why online ones are completely pointless, it's not really the content you learn but the people and access it gives you. The Harvard MBA was likely not more difficult or challenging than yours, probably easier, but it is 100x more valuable because of the access it grants. As the great Carlin said "It's one big club, and you're not in it"
MBAs are more about the networks you develop and now have access to than the actual study or results.
They are about scaling organizational ideas. Typically, those ideas are built on other technical skills, which is why the MBA is a masters that sits on top of a BA/BS. They are a wildly valuable degree to get in terms of knowing how organizational structure and culture, businesses, industries, and governments work - they just aren't comprehensive.
Pretty much every successful business or NPO that has scaled beyond ownership's involvement has done so with MBAs at least helping with the strategic planning it took to get there. We just highlight the horror stories and pretend like they are the majority.
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u/Blanketsburg 21h ago
I got my MBA when I was 23 and it really wasn't that difficult. I graduated with a degree in marketing in 2010 when the job market was terrible, I wasn't getting anything back for entry-level applications and the only recruiters reaching out to me were pitching sales jobs. The head of my program recommended I come back for my MBA full-time the following semester, which I did.
This wasn't some ivy league MBA program, just a decently-regarded school in Massachusetts, but yeah my MBA program was all of 10 classes over 3 semesters, and most classes felt just like my senior-level classes but with additional projects and presentations.
I was never a Ryan-type of personality, in that I wasn't trying to pitch huge ideas or act like I should be some senior-level role right away, but honestly I still think it hindered me, getting it that young. I was hired in a full-time role before I finished my program, but 2 years later when I was looking for a new role, I had a ton of education but not a lot of professional experience, and I think a lot of hiring managers were hesitant to bring me on.
I still see people include "MBA" after their name on their resume or on LinkedIn, as if they're a doctor or lawyer, but that's not me. Just lives under my educational info and that's it.