MBA or NOT?

[samaka]

Hi,

It's my first posting in this forum, I hope not to be the last one.

I am Moroccan engineer in Telecommunication/Network (BAC+5 : Similar to French education system and I don't know equivalent to in USA or CANADA),
I have worked four year in IT. At present, I am an IT expert in e-bussines project.

I have many skills in leadershiping, intuition, vision, etc

My goal is to switch from IT to strategic and Mangement (At the last, become CEO or make my own business).

For that, I am thinking about making an MBA in USA, CANADA or France in the top tier school.

My question: Is it a better solution?

Thanks in advance for any advice and idea.

Your truly

[samaka]

Any reply please?

Thanks in advance

[lkao]

Hi Samaka,

What is your question? Do you have other options other than business school or is your other option just to not do anything and stay where you are at currently?

>>
I am Moroccan engineer in Telecommunication/Network (BAC+5 : Similar to French education system and I don't know equivalent to in USA or CANADA),
I have worked four year in IT. At present, I am an IT expert in e-bussines project.
<<

So this is good work experience provided you have done some good projects, which I'm sure you have. Be prepared to be able to talk to them in-depth (from a business and technical side) during interviews and your essays. Remember, the person reading your essay may not be tech-savvy and won't care about your tech jargon.

>>
I have many skills in leadershiping, intuition, vision, etc
<<

I see this on a lot of resumes and everyone writes this. And my response to it everytime is... So What? Don't fall into the trap of "I can learn quickly and will adapt to challenge." Seriously, every solid MBA candidate has those skills. You need to prove to admissions (or potential employer) that you are as good if not better than those he has already admitted/hired.

>>
My goal is to switch from IT to strategic and Mangement (At the last, become CEO or make my own business).
<<

Many people use an MBA to career switch. This is also a perfectly okay essay topic granted you have solid reasons.

>>
For that, I am thinking about making an MBA in USA, CANADA or France in the top tier school.
<<

Good.

I hope my response helps in any way.

[samaka]

Hi lkao,

>>> Thank you for relevant reponse.

What is your question? Do you have other options other than business school or is your other option just to not do anything and stay where you are at currently?

>>> I think making MBA abroad (US, CANADA or FRANCE) is the most option for me.Because, I think without it I stay where I am currrently in IT.Worse,it is virtually impossible to switch to management career because all time I am asked about technical IT and how to.

Indeed, I think that most good management occupation will be allocated by networking (Indepently of person background and study).Thing that I haven't.
Otherwise by a good MBA, I could make a good network, relationship, be communicative, be in a good multinational compagny (IBM, Oracle, ...) for very good salary and switch definilty from IT to management.

My questions :

1 Is is a good vison?
2 How could I switch roughtly form Technical area to management area definitely after MBA especially I have a technical experience and my potential employer will appreciate it?
3 Could I increase my ROI after MBA (Where I will pay a very good amount in MBA) ?
4 Where I could find a grant or subsidy for my MBA's tuition fee?
5 Is it other options ?


Thanks in advance.

[lkao]

>> 1 Is is a good vison?

I think it's most important to figure out if you want to stay in IT or really switch to some type of General Management. Management does not always mean more money. Further, management issues typically deal with many soft skills. I remember switching from primarily a technical field to a project leader role. I never had to deal with people feeling insecure about their knowledge or not wanting to learn because they had yet to grasp the last concept. In the past, I would have just done all the work myself and blown them out of the water during reviews. But as a team leader, you want everyone to feel like they can learn and they can do it.

And remember, not everyone is meant to be a manager. Senior engineers are essential to every big company.

>> 2 How could I switch roughtly form Technical area to management area definitely after MBA especially I have a technical experience and my potential employer will appreciate it?

I've heard of many instances where B.S. IT majors and M.S. IT majors all transition very nicely into project manager roles after getting an MBA. In fact, companies like Google look for IT undergrad and MBAs to hire project managers. Essentially you are using both skills to manage software engineers and it can be a nice blend.

You listed IBM, Oracle, etc. and I think it works nicely. I do believe Oracle has a few EMBAs and that is the career path they have taken.

>> 3 Could I increase my ROI after MBA (Where I will pay a very good amount in MBA) ?

This is really up to you and your own research. Personally I believe it pays off. By the same token, I grew up in a culture where you need to go to a Top 20 school or you are wasting your time mentality. I know this is not true, but coming from a Chinese family, they like impressing other Chinese parents when comparing which kids got into which schools.

Business Week did a study from the Fuqua School (Duke) and after 10 years, the average student was earning $400,000 a year in salary (this is from the 2006-07 marketing materials they sent me). Yes, the ROI could be quite nice at some schools.

But remember, nobody owes you anything. Just because you have an MBA doesn't mean you deserve a nice salary. Too many people have a sense of entitlement. An MBA is merely a tool to help sharpen your business skills.

>> 4 Where I could find a grant or subsidy for my MBA's tuition fee?

Employer Sponsership is a great way. Boeing pays for all education no questions asked. Many other companies will do part or full paid as a benefit.

Also, you can get high scores on your GMATs, have a high GPA, great work experience and some schools will offer you a scholarship or work study.

It's just like an undergrad system. There are scholarships and grants available depending on who you are, your gender, where you're from, where you want to study, etc.

If all else fails, loan.

Or, if you're really smart about it, save and invest like crazy for 5 years. I always knew I would go to graduate school, so I saved like crazy for four years. I accumulated about $40,000 every way I could so I could go to an expensive school.

>> 5 Is it other options ?

You have many options my friend. You can get an MS in computer science. You can switch jobs. You can stay with your current employer and switch roles. The world is limitless. It just takes some time to invest. But think about it this way, if you wanted to go to business school, and get a fancy management job, the details of figuring what the next move your department will make, where you should allocate resources are exactly what you are asking of yourself now.

The good news is, the MBA will always be here when you're ready so don't get discouraged if you don't get in or don't figure it out next year. I promise you the MBA will still exist in 2009.