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Thank you for adding a very interesting and important component to the conversation. I think you are right in that we overlooked discussing the relevance of the business skills learned in business school. And your second point too is critical, that at the end of the day, whatever is done with those skills is dependent on the individual.

Thank you and good luck with all of your business endeavors.

Eli

It appears that most readers are coming to a conclusion that it depends on the person if an MBA is useful or not, and, an MBA generally helps you building up the network.

But there is one aspect we seem to be ignoring. MBA also means structured formal education. It equips an individual with some time tested tools, some methodologies built on others’ experience, and a formal way of dealing with situations. Everyone who goes for an MBA studies this. But how they use it after they graduate is something that depends on the individual style of management. In any case, they do have some tools and methods to deal with situations. A person without an MBA can also read and develop such an understanding, but the quality of that self learning will again vary from one situation to another.

We have had many scientists without formal education, and we have had many who went to schools that provided ace education. We can find both kinds of scientists who did well and contributed to society and both kinds who maybe just ended up in something routine.

The point I am driving across is that like all other degrees, an MBA does provide good education (and also networking opportunity, which is trivial in my personal opinion). How one uses these benefits, depends from person to person.

good post and equally good comments!

Mohit

Have you worked with Spot Runner?
If yes, what was your experience like?

I imagine that it was less self-service than google adwords.

Thank you for your comment. It truly is amazing that pretty much everyone seems to agree that an MBA is not necessarily right for everyone. To each his own, as they say.

Eli

And now that I just decided to read everybody’s response at this time, it’s very surprising and encouraging that we are all thinking in the same line. WOW!

Thank you for your insightful take on the question. Networking is definitely a big component of going to Business School, but at the end of the day, meeting people can be done through various other cheaper alternatives.

I wish you all the best with Lexan Systems, I am sure you will be very successful with or without an MBA.

Tom,

Thanks for reading and for your comment. I think you hit it on the head, it really depends on the person and their situation. Good luck next year in Business School and enjoy everything it has to offer.

Ben,

It seems like you are right, there is no way to predict the “right” road to success, as it can take many shapes and forms…but the fact that you rarely hear of someone who is disappointed with their 100k investment speaks volumes of the degree.

Do you need an MBA to suceed in your career? Absolutely not. There is no one path to success. But depending on the individual and his/her situation these MBA-related value-propisitions are compelling, and in sometimes life changing. In my experience, I have met very few MBA grads who regret their decision to go to b-school – good sign I would say.

One point to consider is that a vast majority of B-school students are career switchers using an MBA to catapult them into a new industry or profession without starting from the bottom.

While an MBA may not be as much of a necessity as, say, a medical degree, in many (but certainly not all) cases, it can be highly beneficial. On the other hand, It seems that if you are interested in bootstrapping a small business, a b-school eduction might not be necessary: the 2 years and thousands of dollars would be better spent building the business, knowledge of the industry, and your network.