You don't need to earn an MBA to get the expertise you need. Real-world business experience is not only an education, it's a path to learning how to be a leader.
1. You don't have the time.
The amount of time required to receive enough credits to get the degree is a big hurdle for me in my current position. Most MBA programs are two-year commitments. If I were to enroll in a part-time MBA program to accommodate my work schedule, the degree would take me considerably longer to complete.
2. You don't have the money.
The average cost of a traditional MBA program is estimated at $40,000 for one year, according to MBAprograms.org. Online MBA programs from prestigious institutions aren't any cheaper. Though I have found some inexpensive online MBA programs, I can't help but wonder about the quality of their curricula. For more information on the cost of MBA programs, check out this link.
3. The subject matter puts you to sleep faster than a Xanax.
Since I was a young kid, I've been interested in technology and consumer electronics. That's what I tinker with. My interests don’t lie in reading The World is Flat, though I have read that book, and understanding outsourcing as a whole is important to me because I outsource to the Ukraine. But I have enough firsthand experience with outsourcing and globalization that I don’t see the need to sit through a class on it, which leads me to my next point.
4. You prefer real-world, hands-on experience to academic study.
I'd rather learn what I need to know about business by working than taking classes. In most classes, you deal with the theoretical. That's not my world: I have to deal with actual business and customer requirements. I get more out of doing than studying.
I've seen a lot of people come straight out of school with theories of how things should work but who lack real ideas on how to implement or upgrade a business process using IT. Those skills certainly aren't part of a business curriculum, yet that's precisely what you need to know as an IT professional. Personally, I get more benefit out of articles from CIO, for instance, that showcase the projects actual business and IT executives are working on than I'd get out of going to a class and hearing a lecture on change management. I'd prefer to learn about CRM or BPM from existing IT leaders than get the theory in an MBA program. It's quicker and easier for me. I believe that I've been able to get where I am today—in the CTO post of a growing software company at age 33—because I've been able to grasp certain business concepts, like sales and marketing, and integrate them with my technical knowledge.
5. An MBA won't teach you everything you need to know to be an effective IT leader.
Sure, an MBA will teach you about strategy, operations, finance, marketing and sales. But it won't teach you the soft skills that are critical for effectively managing staff and influencing colleagues. Nor will the MBA teach you how to navigate corporate politics—another extremely practical and important competence for successful IT leaders.
6. To be an IT executive, you really need to know technology first and foremost.
All of this talk about the importance of the MBA degree for IT executives puts too much emphasis on business knowledge. The reality of what I have to do every day is this: I have to make a variety of different systems work and talk to each other. I have to enable to the business. I certainly have to be able to talk to the business, but if I don't understand how my systems work, there are going to be cost overruns and project failures. Two-thirds of all software projects fail because they're mismanaged by business people who don't emphasize what actually has to happen to make technology work. The fact that the technical skills associated with integrating IT systems is de-emphasized over having business skills, especially in large enterprises, is one of the leading causes of IT project failure. That's a big sticking point for me. It proves that business knowledge does not translate into IT knowledge. IT knowledge, on the other hand, is applicable to any business, regardless of industry. You have to understand IT to run IT.
1. You don't have the time.
The amount of time required to receive enough credits to get the degree is a big hurdle for me in my current position. Most MBA programs are two-year commitments. If I were to enroll in a part-time MBA program to accommodate my work schedule, the degree would take me considerably longer to complete.
2. You don't have the money.
The average cost of a traditional MBA program is estimated at $40,000 for one year, according to MBAprograms.org. Online MBA programs from prestigious institutions aren't any cheaper. Though I have found some inexpensive online MBA programs, I can't help but wonder about the quality of their curricula. For more information on the cost of MBA programs, check out this link.
3. The subject matter puts you to sleep faster than a Xanax.
Since I was a young kid, I've been interested in technology and consumer electronics. That's what I tinker with. My interests don’t lie in reading The World is Flat, though I have read that book, and understanding outsourcing as a whole is important to me because I outsource to the Ukraine. But I have enough firsthand experience with outsourcing and globalization that I don’t see the need to sit through a class on it, which leads me to my next point.
4. You prefer real-world, hands-on experience to academic study.
I'd rather learn what I need to know about business by working than taking classes. In most classes, you deal with the theoretical. That's not my world: I have to deal with actual business and customer requirements. I get more out of doing than studying.
I've seen a lot of people come straight out of school with theories of how things should work but who lack real ideas on how to implement or upgrade a business process using IT. Those skills certainly aren't part of a business curriculum, yet that's precisely what you need to know as an IT professional. Personally, I get more benefit out of articles from CIO, for instance, that showcase the projects actual business and IT executives are working on than I'd get out of going to a class and hearing a lecture on change management. I'd prefer to learn about CRM or BPM from existing IT leaders than get the theory in an MBA program. It's quicker and easier for me. I believe that I've been able to get where I am today—in the CTO post of a growing software company at age 33—because I've been able to grasp certain business concepts, like sales and marketing, and integrate them with my technical knowledge.
5. An MBA won't teach you everything you need to know to be an effective IT leader.
Sure, an MBA will teach you about strategy, operations, finance, marketing and sales. But it won't teach you the soft skills that are critical for effectively managing staff and influencing colleagues. Nor will the MBA teach you how to navigate corporate politics—another extremely practical and important competence for successful IT leaders.
6. To be an IT executive, you really need to know technology first and foremost.
All of this talk about the importance of the MBA degree for IT executives puts too much emphasis on business knowledge. The reality of what I have to do every day is this: I have to make a variety of different systems work and talk to each other. I have to enable to the business. I certainly have to be able to talk to the business, but if I don't understand how my systems work, there are going to be cost overruns and project failures. Two-thirds of all software projects fail because they're mismanaged by business people who don't emphasize what actually has to happen to make technology work. The fact that the technical skills associated with integrating IT systems is de-emphasized over having business skills, especially in large enterprises, is one of the leading causes of IT project failure. That's a big sticking point for me. It proves that business knowledge does not translate into IT knowledge. IT knowledge, on the other hand, is applicable to any business, regardless of industry. You have to understand IT to run IT.
Posts
