To MBA or Not to MBA

Derived from the blog To MBA or Not to MBA.  Thoughts?  I have some differences in opinion, but this is a decent list of pros and cons of enrolling in an MBA Program.  One significant item that is missing from this list is the ALUMNI NETWORK that you will gain from graduating from a top-tier MBA Program.  For me this would be Duke (Fuqua) and UNC (Kenan-Flagler).

Reasons Not to MBA

So I thought I’d start off with a little discussion of why I am not entirely convinced that I should get an MBA.  (Mike’s comments are in red)

1. I’m a cheapskate (agree) 
2. I hate debt (agree)
3. I hate being graded and evaluated (disagree)
4. I hate paying to be graded and evaluated (disagree)
5. I want to have kids in the very near-future (already have a beautiful baby girl)
6. In my circles, ‘MBA’ is a bit of a dirty word (dubious respect factor) (disagree)
7. I like working (agree)
8. I like making money (agree)
9. I’m unconvinced that I need to attend an academic program to learn what I need for my work (agree)
10. I prefer to stay in the Pacific NW but there are no exceptional programs here (disagree, Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill)
11. I have doubts about whether the return on investment is sufficiently high (hmmmm)

Ok, I think a list will do. Forget discussion. That pretty much sums up my primary concerns. In prior years I couldn’t seem to get past these and that’s where the conversation ended – in a resounding ‘No!’. But this year I’m seeing past all the negatives and am enticed by some of the positives.

Reasons to MBA

1. I need to be around some ambitious peers or I will die of boredom
2. I’m not sure that my career will advance satisfactorily without this investment (maybe)
3. I’d rather get it over sooner than later so I have more time to reap the rewards (agree)
4. I know what I want to do and can structure the MBA more effectively now than before (agree)
5. It might be a nice change to get out of the Pacific Northwest (I would enroll in a part-time program in my current city)
6. If I’m going to have kids and be the primary ‘breadwinner’ I want some solid job prospects (not really applicable)
7. I want more choice of employers (most of my career has been with CPA firms, so this might be relevent; however I currently work at an Investment Bank)
8. Some of these classes sound really interesting (agree – sad, I know)
9. I need more high-quality, hands on experience in analysis (disagree, but would be nice to lead a team project)
10. I’m sort of sick of working for the moment (I would enroll in a part-time program in my current city)
11. I need a change!! (Si, signore)

Prominent Alumni – Kenan-Flagler Business School (UNC)

• Gary W. Parr (BSBA ’79), Deputy Chairman, Lazard Frères & Co.
• Michele Buck (MBA ’87), Global Chief Marketing Officer, The Hershey Company
• Claire Babrowski (EMBA ’95), Executive Vice President and COO of Toys “R” Us
• Brent Callinicos (BSBA ’87, MBA ’89), Vice President and Treasurer, Google
• Donna Dean (MBA ’78), Chief Investment Officer, The Rockefeller Foundation
• Paul Fulton (BSBA ‘57), President, Bassett Furniture Industries; former President of Sara Lee Corporation; Former Dean, UNC Kenan-Flagler
• Charles Loudermilk (BSBA ’50), President and CEO, Aaron Rents, Inc.
• Hugh L. McColl Jr. (BSBA ’57), Former Chairman and CEO, Bank of America Corporation
• John G. Medlin Jr. (BSBA ’56), Chairman Emeritus, Wachovia Corporation
• Paul Rizzo (BSBA ’50), Chairman, Franklin Street Partners; Former Vice Chairman of the Board of IBM Corporation; Former Dean, UNC Kenan-Flagler
• Julian Robertson (BSBA ’55), Chairman, Tiger Management Corporation
• C. Dixon Spangler, Jr. (BSBA ’54), President Emeritus, University of North Carolina System; President and CEO, C. D. Spangler Construction
• Erskine Bowles (BSBA ’67), President, University of North Carolina System; former White House Chief of Staff; former head of Small Business Administration; former U.N. deputy envoy for tsunami relief
• Tucker York, Partner Goldman Sachs (BSBA at UNC Kenan-Flagler)
• Charles Sullivan, COO Prologis (MBA at UNC Kenan-Flagler)
• John A. Allison IV, Chairman and Former CEO of BB&T (BSBA at UNC Kenan-Flagler)
• Mercer Reynolds: Businessman, Finance chair of George W. Bush’s Presidential campaign.
• Jorge Goldsmit, MBA 2000, president, Eat, Inc.
• Dwight Smith, MBA 1984, vice president, North American MDL, Procter & Gamble
• Stephen Harris, MBA 1998, chief financial officer, United American Healthcare
• Melvin Speight, MBA 2006, assistant vice chancellor, North Carolina A&T State University
• Luis DeAnda Dabrowski, MBA 1997, chief executive officer, Grupo Agregados Y Parvimentos
• Thomas Roberts, MBA 2001, chief executive officer and founder, Great Student Network
• Toshiyasu Iiyama, MBA 1993, chief executive officer and president, Nomura International, LTD
• Phil Wynn, MBA 1989, former president, Durham Technical Community College; current vice president for Durham and regional affairs, Duke

Prominent Alumni – Fuqua School of Business (Duke University)

Alumni at the Fuqua School of Business serve in a variety of dynamic positions throughout the world. Select distinguished alumni include:

• Harsha Agadi (M.B.A. 1987), Former President and CEO, Church’s Chicken;
• John A. Allison IV (M.B.A. 1974), Chairman (and Former CEO), BB&T;
• Kerrii Anderson (Weekend Executive M.B.A. 1987), Former CEO and President, Wendy’s International, Inc.;
• Jack Bovender Jr. (M.H.A. 1969), Former Chairman and CEO, HCA;
• Timothy D. Cook (M.B.A. 1988), COO and Former Acting CEO, Apple Inc.;
• Thomas Finke (M.B.A. 1991), Chairman and CEO, Babson Capital Management;
• Melinda Gates (A.B. 1986, M.B.A. 1987), Co-Founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, wife of Bill Gates;
• Hank Halter (M.B.A. 1993), CFO of Delta Air Lines;
• W. Bruce Johnson (B.A., J.D., M.B.A. 1977), Interim Chief Executive Officer and President, Sears Holdings Corporation;
• Timothy Kasbe (M.B.A. 2000), Chief Information Officer, Sears Holdings Corporation;
• Jeffrey Kip (M.B.A. 1999), CFO of Panera Bread;
• Mike Lamach (Global Executive M.B.A. 2001), President and COO, Ingersoll Rand;
• J. Richard Leaman III (B.A. 1984, M.B.A. 1986), Joint Global Head of Investment Banking, UBS;
• Ron Nicol (M.B.A. 1986), Senior Partner and Managing Director, Boston Consulting Group;
• Frank Riddick III (M.B.A. 1980), Former CEO, Formica Corporation;
• Mark Rosenbaum (M.B.A. 1987), Chief Financial Officer, MySpace;
• Dr. Philip Schubert (Cross Continent M.B.A. 2006), President, Abilene Christian University;
• Ahmad Sharaf (Global Executive M.B.A. 2001), Chairman, Dubai Mercantile Exchange (DME);
• Malvinder Mohan Singh (M.B.A. 1998), Chairman, Religare Enterprises Limited, currently shares the title as 17th richest man in India ^[24][25];
• Shivinder Mohan Singh (M.B.A. 2000), Managing Director, Fortis Healthcare, currently shares the title as 17th richest man in India^[26][27];
• Sam A. Solomon (M.B.A. 1992), President and CEO, Coleman Company;
• Terry Thompson (M.B.A. 1999), COO of Mercer;
• John C. Walters (Weekend Executive M.B.A. 1994), President & COO, Hartford Life, Inc.;
• Pamela J. White (M.B.A. 1988), CFO, Victoria’s Secret;
• Jessica Faye Carter (J.D. 2002, M.B.A. 2002), author, columnist, social media entrepreneur.