Ranking The Top Online MBA Programs

Is An MBA Worthwhile To Tech Pros?

Selling or coding. If you can do either, you’ll always earn a good living. That’s how the cliché goes, at least. If you can create your own job, you’ll be in even better shape. So why even bother with an MBA?

You’d expect this sentiment among the learn-by-doing entrepreneurial set. Among tech workers, the question is more intricate. Face it, they don’t want to write code or spoon feed technically-illiterate superiors forever. They hope to make the decisions and leave their mark too. Question is, does an MBA position them to do just that.

That answer, of course, is “that depends.”  According to Rona Borre, who runs the recruiting firm Instant Technology, an MBA prepares IT professionals for leadership in the turbulent tech sector. Here, the market is “strapped” for talent. As a result, techies can be pushed into leadership roles before they’ve gathered the right experience. With an MBA, these professionals can see the broader strategic picture so they prioritize what’s important.

Borre adds that an MBA can show employers that an employee is goal-driven and can develop new skills. However, she cautions that an MBA may only be good as when an employee earns it. “But in senior leadership, if you got your MBA while working, and you are able to take the information you learned and are applying that to real life situations and learn from those experiences, that’s a huge advantage.”

However, real world experience carries greater weight in tech sector. Chris Duchesne, Vice President of Global Workplace Solutions at Care.com, notes that an MBA is no longer a “de factor stamp of approval.” “…Because of how rapidly how things change in the technology and business world today, those in positions to hire tend to look at candidates’ knowledge and achievements when filling a role, and use their ability to adapt and change to suit a challenging market as a predictor of future capabilities.” Adds Borre, “When we look at candidate profiles, we look at education, sure, but we mostly look at what they have accomplished.”

Institutional reputation is another factor for IT professionals to weigh when evaluating an MBA. “MBAs aren’t worth too much anymore unless there’s a major Ivy League name attached,” says Rick Gillis, a career consultant. “There are so many institutions…that are offering [MBAs] that the elite nature of the degree has been watered down. It’s become just an add-on degree, and it should absolutely be seen as a supplement to your existing job-specific skills, experience and knowledge.”

So are there alternatives to the MBA in the tech sector? Duchesne offers the same advice as ambitious professionals have heard for the past 50 years: “…you have to keep up with the pace of technological change…[and] remember to keep networking. At the same, he urges professions to take on “different roles, responsibilities and tasks,” placing special emphasis on “sales position and customer-facing initiatives.”

Source: CFO World