Columbia Business School or stay at Amazon?

Amazon
WRkK83

Go to company page Amazon

WRkK83
Jan 11, 2021 25 Comments

I was accepted to Columbia MBA. I’m currently an SDE2 at Amazon with 3YOE.

I would ultimately like to get into management but I’ve noticed most managers at Amazon didn’t even go to business school, they just transitioned from SDE2/3 or they were senior SDEs at other companies.

Overall I just want to maximize TC long-term. Which path would be better?

Also should note my parents agreed to pay for half the MBA.

Thoughts? Could it be worth it?

comments

Want to comment? LOG IN or SIGN UP
TOP 25 Comments
  • Uber
    daddydarak

    Go to company page Uber

    daddydarak
    You can make a lot more money by staying on the Eng path. You'll spend $200k getting an MBA and be unemployed for 2 years, only to get a finance job with a mediocre pay (compared to Eng) that will require you to sell your soul and work 15 hours a day.

    Source: I have already gone down this path.
    Jan 11, 2021 6
  • Netflix
    bloN75

    Go to company page Netflix

    bloN75
    Go part-time. NYU Stern on the East coast. Berkeley EWMBA or Stanford MS&E in the Bay Area. You don't lose the 2 years of income and you can change to a job with higher TC before you even graduate. Signing bonuses will also help cover tuition.
    Jan 11, 2021 5
    • Netflix
      bloN75

      Go to company page Netflix

      bloN75
      If we're talking about getting into management and maximizing TC over the long-term, an MBA is one of many ways to get there.

      Amazon places a pretty high premium on it too. They recruit a ton of graduates every year, and over half of Bezos' exec team has one.
      Jan 11, 2021
    • Amazon
      xzsehn

      Go to company page Amazon

      xzsehn
      I think we need clarity in what op means. If he’s talking exec level, then I’d agree, it’s worth it. But he’s talking engineering mgmt, it’s useless and no one cares. If we’re comparing an SDM to MBA grads brought in as PM/Ops Mgr/etc, they’re aren’t even remotely close in comp. SDM is much higher by not just a little but significantly.
      Jan 11, 2021
  • Amazon
    AMZN 🚀

    Go to company page Amazon

    AMZN 🚀
    If becoming SDM and growing from there is your goal then business school is not worth it. Just transition to SDM and grow up from there. If you’d want to network or startup, or change towards VC/finance/consulting or so on then go for it.
    Jan 11, 2021 2
    • Amazon
      WRkK83

      Go to company page Amazon

      WRkK83
      OP
      But typically VC/finance/consulting MBAs worked in those industries before business school, correct? Is it common for SDEs to take a path like that?
      Jan 11, 2021
    • Amazon
      AMZN 🚀

      Go to company page Amazon

      AMZN 🚀
      Not really. They come from different backgrounds. SDEs do take paths like that sometimes. Again, if your goal is management, it’s not worth it.
      Jan 11, 2021
  • Amazon
    gfdsjj

    Go to company page Amazon

    gfdsjj
    SDM here. Bail on the MBA if you want to optimize TC. Focus on getting to Sr SDE and then switch to SDM. You’ll have such a solid tech background and then can build up your manager experience. From there the world is yours - you shouldn’t be making under 500k the rest your life if youre good
    Jan 11, 2021 0
  • How did you get into CBS? What were your stats? Just wondering
    Jan 11, 2021 3