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MBA Overview (What you supposedly
learn by doing an MBA)
The Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a graduate business
program offered by universities and typically covers business
related topics such as economics, organizational behavior, marketing,
accounting, finance, strategy, operations management, international
business, information technology management, supply chain management,
project management, government policy, and ethics.
What you really learn in an MBA
If you thought that in an MBA program you would only learn about
the subjects listed in MBA Overview, think again!
Here is what you will really learn if you do an MBA:
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Public speaking skills: It is a well known
fact that many people fear public speaking half to death (more
than snakes and spiders!). MBA programs require public presentations
on a weekly basis, thus allowing students to develop their self-confidence
in public and leadership skills through forced practice. Given
the importance of confidence in achieving success in everyday
life, this skill improvement alone could be worth the price
of the MBA. Alternatively, if your sole purpose is to improve
your public speaking skills then you could save yourself $50K+
by joining the local Toastmaster’s
club.
- Improved English writing skills: The average
newspaper is written on a 6th grade level to catch the average
person’s reading ability. The MBA candidate will read
and write far above this level after learning standardized formats
and receiving specific instructions on how to write a particular
essay. But regardless, after writing several papers a week for
about a year in the MBA program, your written English is bound
to improve eventually.
- Time management: The topics that are presented
during the MBA program are not difficult to grasp. However,
the amount of work required is insane. Time management is critical.
During the beginning of the MBA program, students who are perfectionists
(e.g. those to love to mull over the wording of a sentence for
half an hour) will quickly learn to let go of their obsession
in the interest of the big picture. Although it is quite difficult
to actually fail a course, you will to learn to apply Pareto’s
80/20 rule (where 80% of the results come from 20% of the effort),
to keep from being driven mad with the amount of deliverables
required.
- Very high level understanding of common business topics:
If your goal is solely to learn a few of the subjects mentioned,
in the MBA Overview, you might as well go to
the library and pick up books on these topics, and read them
for free. You may actually get a deeper understanding of these
topics than by doing an MBA degree. What you really learn on
these topics is a high enough level of understanding to manage
someone doing the actual work in that field. For example, unless
you majored in finance, there’s no way you’ll become
a ForEx Trader just by doing an MBA. However, you will be able
to tell if your financial analyst is feeding you the B.S. on
the trades of the day.
Agree? Disagree? Or simply want to add your 2 cents? Share your
opinion on the Why
do an MBA? Discussion Board.
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