MBA for Me? Nah
Do you have an MBA from a business school? If you do, then congratulations! I don’t have an MBA from a business school; heck, I don’t have one at all. Actually, I have a degree in English and Literature from a Tier II university in New York City.
What’s my point? Well, some of you may be wondering if having an MBA is a prerequisite to becoming an entrepreneur. If that’s what you’re wondering, then throw that thought into the garbage, right now.
I’ll say it again, you don’t need an MBA to be an entrepreneur and create a successful business. Having one is definitely great and can probably help you get a job in the “corporate” world if that’s what you want, but it’s not a must – far from one.
If you’re in college and majoring in, say, English, math, accounting, philosophy, whatever, then don’t think that you’re limited in what you can do as an entrepreneur because of the degree you hold – that’s just nonsense.
If you’re out there making moves, making things happen, and working at something everyday, then you’re getting an “MBA” right now – everyday! The best business school is not the one inside of a classroom, it’s the one that you live everyday of your life as an entrepreneur creating and running a business. It’s that simple.
MBA stands for Master of Business Administration. Well if you’re currently building a business, then you’re becoming a master of your own business. You don’t need a degree to become a “Master” of anything, just look in the mirror, silly.
Don’t get me wrong, having an MBA is cool (I guess), but “not” having one may be even cooler. One risk of getting an MBA may be the homogenization factor of shaping everyone into this perfect identical mold of what your business professors think you should do, say, eat, and create. Or maybe not, what do I know?
So relax, study what you want to study in school; get a degree in whatever you like. And remember, entrepreneurship isn’t – and never has been – about the degree you hold or the college you attend, it’s about what’s in your heart, mind, and body.
I major in the Entrepreneurship at Babson College (the world’s leader in entrepreneur education) and….I completely agree with you!
Babson is great and I am thankful for having the opportunity to major in entrepreneurship at such a great place. But the bulk of the value even here has to do with the people you meet and the environment, not necessarily what you learn in the classroom.
Entrepreneurs come from all walks of life and they definitely do not need an entrepreneurship degree to be successful, never mind an MBA.