Need to Make Decision about MBA

[Blaise84]

I have the opportunity to get an MBA at a small university in exchange for coaching track at that university. I'm torn on the decision. The opportunity provides housing and meals along with the MBA, as well as a small stipend of $450.00 per month. The housing is appealing to me because I recently moved back with my parents, and I'd like to move out ASAP. However, the issue is that I'd be spending 50-60 hours per week coaching and recruiting, plus around 20 hours per week on classes and homework. In other words, life would consist only of coaching and schoolwork for the next two years with little to no time to actually work on developing a business. I've put in three months of focused, dedicated work toward developing the foundation for an UNSCRIPTED business model which I can envision as helping a lot of people as long as I execute like a champ. In another 4-6 months I can have it launched...but if I take this MBA opportunity, I'd more or less be putting that aside for the time being and focusing on coaching and school.

 

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[jon.a]

Wow. Nope!

 

[Olimac21]

It sames to me you have two choices: safety vs risky. Safety will provide a comfortable 2 years without doing much apart from the conventional while the other road could take you somewhere you never imagined before or could also destroy your finances.

Also if the MBA is from a small university then is it really worth it? Think about the thousands of people doing an MBA in USA, how can this be a differentiator in terms of learning and reputation afterwards?

 

[PedroG]

If it were me, I wouldn't do it. You already have a bachelor's degree. The MBA won't really get you much unless your plan is to stay on the scripted path and keep moving up until you become a VP or something.

If what you want is to do your own thing, an MBA is useless. You will learn more by doing. I used to think I wanted an MBA but it was really only to say that I had one. But you know what, any idiot now has an MBA. It doesn't mean what it used to mean.

 

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[Mal0ni]

To my opinion, the real question is why do you want to do an MBA not should I do an MBA?
You're saying you already built a strong foundation for an unscripted life and could launch in 4 to 6 months so why would you even consider doing an MBA? Trust me I got an MBA, I did it for a very specific reason, it helped then getting into the industry I wanted and I have no regret but if I knew then what I know now...
An MBA will help you understand some concepts but honestly, all you need to know is available out there for free or almost. Like MJ says, how would get a degree that millions already have help you get anywhere? Unless perhaps if you do in a top fully accredited school, which does not seem to be the case.
Let me help you, here are some resources for case studies;
Shop HBR Case Studies - Harvard Business Review Store
Free cases from IMD.
Those are the exact same case you will study in class, trading 70 hours of your time for two years and for what? The privilege of not living with your parents.
Don't rush, focus on your business and get a job if you want to move out of your parents before you can profit from it.

 

[B_Mac]

I have the opportunity to get an MBA at a small university in exchange for coaching track at that university. I'm torn on the decision. The opportunity provides housing and meals along with the MBA, as well as a small stipend of $450.00 per month. The housing is appealing to me because I recently moved back with my parents, and I'd like to move out ASAP. However, the issue is that I'd be spending 50-60 hours per week coaching and recruiting, plus around 20 hours per week on classes and homework. In other words, life would consist only of coaching and schoolwork for the next two years with little to no time to actually work on developing a business. I've put in three months of focused, dedicated work toward developing the foundation for an UNSCRIPTED business model which I can envision as helping a lot of people as long as I execute like a champ. In another 4-6 months I can have it launched...but if I take this MBA opportunity, I'd more or less be putting that aside for the time being and focusing on coaching and school.

I can only repeat what everyone else has said. If you are thinking you will get an MBA as something to fall back on in case entrepreneurship doesn't work out, it is a bad strategy.

As someone who is currently in a management position for a large company, where I have done and continue to do a HUGE amount of interviewing for management roles, I can tell you that, unless you are coming from an Ivy League, absolutely no one cares about an MBA. Even if it is Ivy League, I barely care, because all it tells me is you have a strong work ethic, but that does't make you a good leader, someone who can interact with subordinates and achieve results.

So, what am I saying? It is a waste of time no matter the direction you take.

 

[458]

Email all the MBA professors and ask them for there net worth. If its less than you want to accomplish then don't go, how can they teach you something they have never done?

 

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[lowtek]

an MBA will prepare you for corporate dronehood - not success in business.

One of my former Intel coworkers got an MBA, and then didn't even know how to monetize a blog..... How in the world a "business" program in the 21st century is going to churn out a graduate that doesn't know how to monetize a blog, is beyond me.

I wouldn't do it. Colossal waste of time and resources.

 

[jpanarra]

Hey,

I already have an MBA, I see it as a back up plan but still... I graduated in April and I haven't reaped any major benifits from it. You'll be better off taking this course on Udemy to build your skills and knowldege in the real world as opposed to a safe space classroom talking about concepts that you wont touch in maybe 20 years down the road.



Build Your Own MBA - An award winning mini-MBA course

The only thing missing from this course is the indepth accounting and leadership/ethics bullshit.

 

[Locomote]

I have the opportunity to get an MBA at a small university in exchange for coaching track at that university. I'm torn on the decision. The opportunity provides housing and meals along with the MBA, as well as a small stipend of $450.00 per month. The housing is appealing to me because I recently moved back with my parents, and I'd like to move out ASAP. However, the issue is that I'd be spending 50-60 hours per week coaching and recruiting, plus around 20 hours per week on classes and homework. In other words, life would consist only of coaching and schoolwork for the next two years with little to no time to actually work on developing a business. I've put in three months of focused, dedicated work toward developing the foundation for an UNSCRIPTED business model which I can envision as helping a lot of people as long as I execute like a champ. In another 4-6 months I can have it launched...but if I take this MBA opportunity, I'd more or less be putting that aside for the time being and focusing on coaching and school.

Can you give us some more background on the:

1. Cost of the course? (If you were to pay for it)
2. Cost of accommodation? (If you were to pay for it)
3. Where would the course rank among other MBA courses? (Is it a legit MBA or some middle of no where Uni that none of us has ever heard of?)
4. How old you are? (are you in your early 20's, 30's or 40's?)
5. What value would you place on the networking opportunities associated with the coaching and the people on the course? (Could the people you meet potentially open the right doors to where you want to be in life?)
6. Have you shown your business model/concept to others for feedback and what was the reaction?

Honestly it comes down to what you want at the end of the day. Don't dismiss the networking opportunities that will be made available to you doing the course and also working as a track and field coach in the university. Ultimately only you can decided if they are worth putting the startup hold.

Hey,

I already have an MBA, I see it as a back up plan but still... I graduated in April and I haven't reaped any major benifits from it. You'll be better off taking this course on Udemy to build your skills and knowldege in the real world as opposed to a safe space classroom talking about concepts that you wont touch in maybe 20 years down the road.



Build Your Own MBA - An award winning mini-MBA course

The only thing missing from this course is the indepth accounting and leadership/ethics bullshit.

Have you completed this course? Was it on point with what you covered in your MBA?

 

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[bringitnow28329]

The only purpose of an MBA is to build relationships. Now if you go to job bob university to do an MBA you are unlikely to build the kind of relationships that are required to get ahead in a slow lane world. What you learn while doing an MBA program can easily be learned either reading books, or even just buying the actual text books you would be learning. There are just too many people that pushed the same bs about the usefulness of an MBA, and now everybody has one and the value is less. The exception would be going to a top business program like Wharton if you want to work on Wall Street, but even then it's not easy and requires a specific type of extroverted personality or genius level quant skills.

 

[ExcelGuy]

The only thing missing from this course is the indepth accounting and leadership/ethics bullshit.

3.5 hours for a mini-MBA huh? I'd call that micro. (Econ joke?).

And yeah, because business people don't need that useless accounting stuff right?

* This post contains sarcasm.

Sent from my SM-A500W using Tapatalk

 

[jpanarra]

Can you give us some more background on the:

1. Cost of the course? (If you were to pay for it)
2. Cost of accommodation? (If you were to pay for it)
3. Where would the course rank among other MBA courses? (Is it a legit MBA or some middle of no where Uni that none of us has ever heard of?)
4. How old you are? (are you in your early 20's, 30's or 40's?)
5. What value would you place on the networking opportunities associated with the coaching and the people on the course? (Could the people you meet potentially open the right doors to where you want to be in life?)
6. Have you shown your business model/concept to others for feedback and what was the reaction?

1. Look it up yourself
2. I dont know, look it up
3. I enjoyed it, it was a nice good refresher and It's much more like a solid summary that has all critical takeaways of the degree
4. 28
5.Networking opportunities everywhere are valuable... One of my biggest sales was standing in line at the supermarket
6. Don't have a fancy business model.. I'm just following the money and trying to improve the system to make me more money.. Did you think that Mark Zuckberg had a business model written up when he started facebook?

The only purpose of an MBA is to build relationships. Now if you go to job bob university to do an MBA you are unlikely to build the kind of relationships that are required to get ahead in a slow lane world. What you learn while doing an MBA program can easily be learned either reading books, or even just buying the actual text books you would be learning. There are just too many people that pushed the same bs about the usefulness of an MBA, and now everybody has one and the value is less. The exception would be going to a top business program like Wharton if you want to work on Wall Street, but even then it's not easy and requires a specific type of extroverted personality or genius level quant skills.

You might be right and I missed out on this because I went the online MBA route. However, I am still young and have a long road to travel so the MBA may be a long term return. Regardless, I'm going to work on my business and continue to improve myself.

3.5 hours for a mini-MBA huh? I'd call that micro. (Econ joke?).

And yeah, because business people don't need that useless accounting stuff right?

* This post contains sarcasm.

Sent from my SM-A500W using Tapatalk

I never intended to imply that the accounting side of things was insignificant, but in the terms of being an entrepreneur alot of the things I've learned doesn't apply until the company has expanded into something thats large enough to hire people, and at that point you should have hired an accountant or financial person to take care of that side of things. Don't get me wrong It'll help with the language of executives.

 

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[Locomote]

1. Look it up yourself
2. I dont know, look it up
3. I enjoyed it, it was a nice good refresher and It's much more like a solid summary that has all critical takeaways of the degree
4. 28
5.Networking opportunities everywhere are valuable... One of my biggest sales was standing in line at the supermarket
6. Don't have a fancy business model.. I'm just following the money and trying to improve the system to make me more money.. Did you think that Mark Zuckberg had a business model written up when he started facebook?

Lol sorry @jpanarra , those questions were intended for the original poster (OP), the very bottom question about the mini MBA course you suggested was for you...

The reason I asked these questions was not for me but to help the OP make a decision. Numbers don't lie and OP need to understand the true value and cost of the offer being made to him before emotions can be brought into the equation.

2 Year class room MBA's are usually $40K/year = $80K Total
Accommodation= $1K/month = $12K/year = $24K Total (Varies based on accomodation)
Stipend = $450/month = $5,400/year = $10,800 Total

So coaching track is worth $114,800 for 2 years =$57,400/year (Disclaimer all numbers are based on estimates) But where he has an advantage on others is that he comes out after 2 years with an MBA and debt fee if he can survive on $450 month, plus the value of contacts and networking opportunities he has made along the way.

This highlights the true cost of the decision which is time, money can be replaced time cannot. Is the opportunity worth the cost of time to the OP? Only he can answer based on the opportunity cost of the business model he's already been working on.

 

[InspireHD]

If you were on a different forum, you'd probably get advice leaning toward the MBA. There are different mindsets everywhere. This is an entrepreneurship/business focused site and so your responses are going to be toward the side of business, creating your system, and gaining control of your time.

You already have the mindset of starting a business; therefore, you should do whatever it takes to create the system you have in place. I can't remember who said it, it was probably @MJ DeMarco, if you had the cure for cancer, nobody would ask you for your education credentials to see if you got an MBA first.

 

[Blaise84]

Thank you to everybody for your thoughtful responses. I've posted on here before and received responses that had nothing to do with the actual topic of the post...just some people tooting their own horns. But, I supposed you'll find that on any forum, even a well regulated forum like this. I ended up turning the position down. I decided that it would have been different, but not necessarily better. I think "different" is often idolized, but when a person is deeply into the situation for a period of times, the realization hits that although it's different, it isn't better than the previous situation. Thank you!

 

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