Comments on: The MBA Education And Other Oxymorons

By: John Greathouse

John Greathouse — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:39:00 +0000

Thanks. As I state in the post, the only people I have kept up with at Wharton are those I drank beer and played poker with. They were liked minded – they weren’t there to get top grades and work at investment banks.

Jump into an entrepreneurial community and start helping people. You will be shocked how many people are in your local community, who also share your startup passion. Most people who get an MBA are NOT entrepreneurs. If you want to hang around bankers and consultants, spend the $150k.

Good luck.

John

By: Ibanezowner

Ibanezowner — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 21:58:00 +0000

What awesome rawness in this post! I am applying to several Tier1 B-schools this year. I just got my first rejection after 2 interviews. A friend of mine asked, “why do you need to spemd $150k on an MBA?” My answer is “credentials and contacts.” Is there a better way to tap into the massive resources of human and financial capital that attendees of these schools offer? How else can I find more people like me (smart, passionate, and creative) who are bent on making a difference in the world?

By: Citação – Reinaldo Pamponet « Startup Biz Model

Citação – Reinaldo Pamponet « Startup Biz Model — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:35:09 +0000

[...] http://infochachkie.com/mba/ (em inglês) [...]

By: Quora

Quora — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 05:57:08 +0000

I co-founded a startup which is now funded by A++ Silicon Valley investors and left due to issues with the CEO. Should I go to grad school to flush my brain and get a new springboard if I an unable to find another new idea that immediately excites me…

In a word, “No.” “Immediately” is a bit extreme. Be patient and flexible and you will uncover another idea which you are passionate about. In most cases, I believe an MBA is the wrong path for an entrepreneur (I have an MBA from Wharton in Entr…

By: Startup Children – How To Parent An Entrepreneur (Part IV)

Startup Children – How To Parent An Entrepreneur (Part IV) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 15:03:16 +0000

[...] I note in MBA Education and Other Oxymorons entry, my roommates and I hosted a weekly poker game while attending Wharton. Many of the [...]

By: How Business School Killed the Entrepreneur (and some worthy alternatives) | Live Your Legend

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 00:17:20 +0000

[...] John Greathouse’s The MBA Education And Other Oxymorons [...]

By: How Business School Killed the Entrepreneur (and some worthy alternatives) | Reading For Your Success

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 20:29:19 +0000

[...] John Greathouse’s The MBA Education And Other Oxymorons [...]

By: Quora

Quora — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 05:59:45 +0000

The team is clearly a huge part what VCs are looking for in early stage companies. How, if it at all, does having a team member with an MBA impact the perceived strength of a team as a whole?…

Most MBA programs do everything they can to knock the entrepreneur out of you. I am speaking from experience, having earned an MBA at Wharton, in “Entrepreneurial Mgmt”, no less. Pedigrees are meaningless in the land of startups – only execution and …

By: Quora

Quora — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 17:25:49 +0000

Should I get an MBA or learn to code?…

As a Wharton MBA and an entrepreneur, I can safely say you are better off learning in the real world, as opposed to paying a fortune for an MBA, IF you intend to be an entrepreneur. With that said, if you have no business experience / training, gettin…

By: Uncle Saul

Uncle Saul — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:01:16 +0000

[quote comment="1247"]Hello,

I’m a French entrepreneur and I personally started a crazy project : read 52 of the best businesses books in 52 weeks in an attemp to pass the Personal MBA (a MBA for less than 1 500$) in one year ( see my blog http://www.books-that-can-change-your-life.net/2008/my-crazy-project-read-52-of-the-best-business-books-in-52-weeks-and-post-a-weekly-review-here-on-my-blog/ )

The Personal MBA is a comprehensive list of 77 books (93 with the supplements) in 12 categories that is intended to deliver the 20% of the knowledge given in an MBA that give 80% of the results.

I’m an entrepreneur, and i have an entrepreneurship mind : I don’t care very much of a small piece of paper, I prefer to think and imagine and test my ideas and experiment and see where it can lead me in the real world. The knowledge and the self-discipline I’m learning with this project will help me in my quest and I think it is a really cool and practical counterpart of a MBA for an entrepreneur. No less no more [/quote]
[quote comment="1247"]Hello,

Olivier,

Cool idea. I think this is a better approach then spending big bucks (like I did) for an MBA from Wharton. However, I am not a huge fan of business books (see my entry “Why Most Business Books Suck”).

I do agree with your mix of pragmatic experience and real-world books.

Best of luck to you.

Uncle Saul