Advice: Should I pursue an MBA from Harvard/Stanford?
Following yesterday's discussion: I am an L3 at Google with zero work experience. In 15 years, my goal is to either reach VP level at Google OR CxO in another company OR startup of my own. MBA may be helpful but does it make sense to quit my job, invest 2 years and accrue debt to get an MBA from Harvard/Stanford? I know there are online MBA courses from Wharton, Haas, Booth but I prefer Harvard/Stanford.
Find MBA L8s at Google, and literally ask them over lunch. There are a ton of ex MBB folks at Google. Don't make life plans based on anonymous polls where half the participants don't have context.
This ^
What is MBB. I believe MBA only makes more sense after you have good amount of experience, if you are looking to land a high level job after your mba, you’d need solid 10+ yoe. All the best and lmk how it goes. I have a similar plan with 11+ yoe under my belt
Hi, MBB is McKinsey Bain BCG (top management consulting companies). After exploring LinkedIn profiles of several CxO for several months, one common pattern I identified is working in MBB. Second, from what I read regarding 'when to do an MBA' my understanding is that it's better to do an MBA with 2-3 years of work experience (this is also what intake statistics from Harvard reflects). I am not sure if I can wait for 10 years to do an MBA considering the opportunity cost. But better late than never
Well your CEO went that route and it worked out well for him. He went to Wharton. Why specifically Harvard and Stanford though? Stanford I sorta get because you wouldn’t be far from Mountain View or Richmond City Campus...you may want to also consider other schools since the acceptance rate is so low and you might get more financial aid. A bunch of Googlers come from top 20ish Bschools and either go direct to Google or go the MBB route and then to Google as Managers/Directors. When I was interviewing for a product manager job at Google during my MBA my interviewer was a Stanford MBA/BCG guy. He’s now a director at Intuit. The following year when I interviewed for Channel, one was HBS alumni and the other was Stanford. The Stanford guy did BCG and was a PM. Going the MBB route gives you the flexibility/network to go lead companies in any vertical. I’d find a mentor at Google and they can point you out. You can always do the MBA part time too and if you get involved in the right projects and network with the right folks that might not make the MBA as necessary.
Hi, if I am getting an MBA, I would like to do it at top 3 which is H, S and Wharton. Harvard is prestigious and is also a dream school to me. The alumni network is incredible and is an excellent general MBA school. Stanford on the other hand is very strong on entrepreneurial education. Wharton is great too and stronger on the Finance frontier. I am not motivated to pursue an MBA from any other school. H, S, and W has incredible brand value among B-schools
Fair enough, just don’t buy into the hype that an MBA is only worth it from those 3 schools especially if you want to go the MBB route - that’s more about GMAT, Case Interview performance, and IRR. As I mentioned the acceptance rate is extremely low so even if you’re qualified to get in, you might not. Other schools may even give you a full ride so the NPV may actually be better elsewhere if you just want to work at an MBB before going back to Google. If you’re trying to do a startup and you want the network then I get it. Like a year ago Chicago Booth was either number 1 or 2 ranked so don’t put too much into it. I’d hate for you to spend all those months doing the GMAT, writing essays, traveling, etc to get dinged at those 3 and get discouraged. Good luck!
MBA isn't worth anything in itself. It's about whom you meet and develop connections while doing it. If you do it from Stanford or Havard, you might develop connections with people who can open up positions at VP level. Have you ever seen job postings for VP at a big company? They don't hire like they do for other lower level jobs. At that level, you get in only through connections. The things you'll learn in MBA can be learned online in your free time. The course material itself is useless. You're paying for the opportunity to build connections. Having said this, now you look at colleges where you think you can find people who would be useful in future. Then join that MBA program. That's how it works. You're welcome.
If you are trying to go the startup route, creativity, ambition, and hustle is what is required to make it. Not an MBA. Look at the biggest most iconic names in the world(not just tech btw), see how many of the founders were MBAs. The thing is, unless you are extremely privileged, an MBA will reduce your risk appetite due to the amount of enormous debt you will have to pay off by working at MBB etc. Great route if your main goal is to get into corporate America leadership though.
Agree with most of it except using bill gates and Steve Jobs as examples of NOT getting mba. Most of successful entrepreneurs are grateful for their mbas and it helped them a lot
I didnt use them as examples though? I actually think getting a college degree is important, as a backup, even if you pursue entrepreneurship (because like you said Gates and Jobs are rare examples of it working out). But MBA specifically isn't needed for entrepreneurship. Sure entrepreneurs who got their MBA are happy for it, but I am sure they would have figured it out along the way too working on their venture.
Doesn’t Google have a tuition reimbursement program? You could work and go to school at the same time and have Google pay for your education.
For MBA, not sure. These schools don't have part time MBA. As an international student, Full time MBA won't allow me to work. So it's a tricky situation.