Why get an MBA?

I've thought about getting an MBA for a while now. A couple of my friends have gone through Rotman and one through Wharton and they shared their experiences with me. I liked everything that I heard and was really interested in the topics, but, in my mind, two years of schooling with no income was a steep price to pay...never mind the tuition. It wasn't until I found out about one year programs that I seriously contemplated going back to school.

Here are a few of my reasons for doing it:

Ambition
I've had thoughts of starting my own business for the past few years and even attempted starting my own mechanical design company after my career break. I've also been keen on sometime managing an engineering department. To achieve either goal, I'd need to obtain some sort of management and business knowledge and apply it somewhere. An MBA is one way to get that knowledge...applying it in a new position after school would be a great experience.

Increased Opportunity
Between my co-op and full-time experience, I've spent almost 9 years in the same sort of mechanical design role designing machined/stamped metal parts. The context of the design, whether in high-tech, aerospace, or automotive, has changed, but the overall process and methodology has been the same. Over the years, I've developed other interests and contemplated a career switch to something in the field of computers/software. Starting over from scratch at an entry level would have been a long and arduous process. An MBA gives me access to other non-engineering industries without having to start all over again. Industries like banking, financial investments, information systems, and management consulting all recruit MBA students. Last year's Queen's MBA annual report shows a list of companies that recruit their students...it's a long list (page 8).

Personal Growth
I've been able to excel at almost every job that I've had. I want to see just how far my talent and ability can take me. The personal coaching and leadership training that an MBA offers can be extremely helpful and can help me attain higher goals.

Higher potential income
Pretty self explanatory here. I can draw a higher income with an MBA than with an engineering degree alone.

Timing
Manufacturing in Ontario is slipping and the local economy is not doing so well. It seemed like a good time to step out of it for a while and go back to school.


Here are a few of my reasons for choosing Queen's:

• 1 year program


• Technology based


• Team oriented approach


• Kingston: smaller town and sailing mecca


• Timing: the program starts in May and my lease in Toronto ended at the end of April...it just made a lot of sense.


• Intangibles: not sure why exactly, but when I tried their student-for-a-day trial I pretty much knew that an MBA was what I wanted to do and Queen's was where I wanted to do it.

Most people apply to a bunch of schools but I only applied to Queen's. It was a pretty safe bet that I would get in as long as I didn't screw up on the GMAT exam.

Anyways, student life officially started today. I just moved into a room in a house with 6 other grad students. Tomorrow I'll stop by the MBA office and pick up my student card. I'll pick up some groceries and a few items. I already have homework to do so I'll have to get cracking on some reading.

I've thought about making entries on this blog summarizing my readings as a study method to try and make the knowledge stick better. I'm not sure how practical that will be, but I'll try it and see how it goes.