MBA as SWE: Worth It?

Amazon
PIPBannana

Go to company page Amazon

PIPBannana
Jun 18, 2020 11 Comments

Hey Blind,

Trying to figure out optimal path right now and not sure the best direction to go. Currently 2 years of exp with 1.5 at Amazon and about to submit SDE2 packet. Had offers from multiple teams at msft (didn't get for Google / fb / Twitter) and really like the benefits but didn't accept due to pay being barely over what I make here post promo.

That being said Microsoft would essentially pay 10k / year for me to do a weekend / evening MBA program or another type of grad degree. I find SWE to be kind of boring and think this would add some stimulation and also give me a graduate degree which can't hurt. However is this worth it? It would take 2-3 years where I would be locked in to Microsoft's benefits and since I couldn't start until 2021 it would be longer. I'm just trying to evaluate how much an MBA would be impactful career wise at large companies and startups in the future. Thanks!

And if any current Microsoft employees are also in school while working let me know how the experience is. Thanks!

TC: 145

comments

Want to comment? LOG IN or SIGN UP
TOP 11 Comments
  • Amazon / Biz Dev
    Fl!p

    Go to company page Amazon Biz Dev

    Fl!p
    Responding here from the perspective of someone who got an MBA but didn’t *really* need to. I will try to answer the question “Is it worth it?”

    Quick background: Prior to Amazon, I was leading a product and marketing team for a company outside the US, without an MBA. I didn’t really see any blockers to my career, and could probably have continued that path for who knows how long. But I wanted bigger things, so I decided to invest in myself.

    Pre-MBA salary: $20K (non-US)
    Amazon TC 2020: $290K
    TCT 2021/2022: $250K
    L5, individual contributor, non-PM, non-tech

    When you apply to business schools, one of the things you’ll have to answer either through an essay or an interview is “Why an MBA? Why now? Why at this institution?” Reputable schools are very much aware that a graduate degree is a significant investment of time and money, so they want to make sure you have a realistic expectation of what to get out of it. Furthermore, alumni surveys on the value of their MBA post-graduation usually factor in business school rankings, so schools try to weed out candidates who may not get the most out of a degree from their institution (among other factors for rejection).

    My school’s career development office often told my class that an MBA usually helps you achieve a change in at least one of these three - FUNCTION/ROLE, INDUSTRY, or GEOGRAPHY. Examples:
    - you are a teacher and you want to become a consultant for educators (function/role);
    - you are a PM for consumer goods and you want to become a PM for financial products (industry);
    - you are a marketer for a local company in Malaysia and you want to do marketing for a multinational company in the US (geography)

    The more changes you try to make out of those three levers, the more difficult it becomes. Example: you are a theater manager in Australia, and you want to get an MBA in the US to work in finance for a technology company. It’s not impossible, but it’s going to be an uphill climb.

    Regardless of your current feelings towards getting an MBA, you should ask yourself the question: “What’s my ideal career trajectory? What do I want to do in the next 5-10 years?” Then layer on the decision of getting an MBA and analyze if it’s a logical step to get you there based on the three levers that I listed above.

    Then layer on the decision of being locked to one company via their employee benefits (in your case MS), and think about the opportunity cost for the next 2-3 years while doing your MBA. What other things could you be doing that would give you more utility or happiness during those years?

    If you’re only considering getting an MBA because it can give you some stimulation, and “it couldn’t hurt”, then I would generally advise against it. Getting an MBA isn’t bad, but you could be investing your time and money on other things that give you greater returns.
    Jun 18, 2020 1
    • Amazon
      PIPBannana

      Go to company page Amazon

      PIPBannana
      OP
      My perspective is I want to get into management, truly make decisions around a product and influence the direction of it. To get to that decision level it seems you would need an MBA or at least it's a huge help.

      As far as being tied to MS I feel like I could move and pay for some out of pocket as well so it wouldn't be that bad if I really didn't like the env. Thanks so much for the info I really appreciate it!
      Jun 18, 2020
  • Amazon
    main(int)

    Go to company page Amazon

    main(int)
    Can you become an L8 manager at Amazon (or equivalent at any other company) without an MBA with just a software background?
    Jul 19, 2020 0
  • Amazon
    confusedIC

    Go to company page Amazon

    confusedIC
    Interesting. I am in the same boat ish. Currently L4 SDE who had the promo accepted for this quarter. But I am leaving to msft for PM role at the same level, which means taking a paycut. To chat more, feel free to DM me . Good luck
    Jun 18, 2020 6
    • Workday / Eng
      SpagtiCode

      Go to company page Workday Eng

      SpagtiCode
      @confusedIC how hard was it to clear MSFT PM interview coming from a SDE background? Did they allow that switch from SDE -> PM?
      Jun 19, 2020
    • Amazon
      confusedIC

      Go to company page Amazon

      confusedIC
      The hard part for me was to get the interview in the first place. Clearing the interview was somewhat textbook pm interview process that can be found on “the cracking pm interview” book.
      Jun 19, 2020
  • Eng management? It's useless and peers of yours may actually question you for it. For other roles? Might be worth it
    Jun 19, 2020 0