Do You Need to Get an MBA?

April 14, 2012

Young Female Entrepreneurs has featured a number of women who have some form of grad school experience; of which none regret going back to school. Have you or a friend every said something like, “I really want to start my own business, but first I’m going to go back to school and get my MBA?” I’ve heard this multiple times from my own friends.

What about you? Did you get an MBA to start your own business? Do you want to start your own company, but first plan on going back to school for business?

Check out the popular pro-MBA infographics below and let us know what your thoughts are on higher education and its role in entrepreneurship by commenting below.

Women at Work Infographic Via MBA@UNC
Via MBA@UNC MBA Online & Women 2.0

Worth of an MBA
Created by: MBAOnline.com

Flipped Classroom

Created by Knewton and Column Five Media

  • http://www.wellinla.com erin @WELL in L.A.

    Whoa info…graphics! I speak with a number of people in the startup community in L.A. (guys & gals) and there seems to be mixed thoughts on the MBA front. With the masters I’ve collected can conduct behavioral interviews and statistical regression analyses with relative ease! I’m learning business as I go; my plan is to find a business coach or mentor in place of a MBA.

  • http://www.jennydibble.com Jenny Dibble

    I’m also in the ‘no-MBA’ club and happy I’m here. I jumped into entrepreneurship full time in my early 20′s and haven’t looked back. Have I made some mistakes I could have avoided with the education? Sure. But I have also earned much more money spending my two years learning the ropes and building a business that was acquired instead of sitting in a classroom. Kudos to anyone who does get an MBA, but it’s not for me!

  • Pam Hartley-Law

    I’m happily in the ‘no-MBA’ club as well… but I’m not anti-education – I think the question to ask yourself is WHY you’re considering higher education?
    If you’re truly an entrepreneur then there’s a tendency to think outside the box…. so do you need to spend 2 years getting that education? or if you thought about it in a ‘possibility thinking’ way could you find it another way via online/self education, a mentor, teacher etc. to get that information and move on towards your goals faster?
    If the answer is YES you NEED that education, then by all means go and get it! But a lot of people I know seem to have undertaken higher education with an attitude that when they come out the other side they will be ‘safer’ from the pitfalls of business, but the reality is that entrepreneurship isn’t about safety.
    Most definitions of the word ‘entrepreneur’ include the words ‘risk’ and ‘initiative’ – neither of which can be taught in a classroom!

    The point I’m trying to make is to make sure people are doing it for the right reasons – not as an excuse or procrastination for not getting started TODAY.

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