| Having been involved in a couple of startups (with exits) and having done an MBA at one of the top schools in North America, here's my two cents: STARTUP
Adv's
- learn quickly
- get exposure to many different problems that need solving
- get exposure to many areas of business
- experience scale and rapid growth, if startup has good growth trajectory
- can be provide good upside, if equity is granted and an exit / IPO takes place
- can get exposure to insanely smart people if team members are really solid, which helps to grow network for follow-on opportunities and startups DisAdv's
- many startups fail
- some startups have better founders / leaders to guide teams through tough times
- plan on working non-stop in early days
- even when startups raise initial rounds, many fail to raise follow-on rounds
- work environment can be volatile with high attrition, due to demands of working in a startup (startups aren't for everyone)
- startups are really, really hard to get traction with (early-on), which can be stressful for many people
- there are many unknown factors in the long-term success of a startup MBA
Adv's
- learn lots and get exposure to topics that you might not be interested in exploring on your own
- opportunity to meet many new people who are talented, driven, and want to succeed
- opportunity to grow professional network with businesses and professors
- social proof of credibility in having worked hard to learn knowledge from a top school
- opportunity to change career paths, which sometimes isn't as easy when moving from one job to another (without school being a catalyst for it) DisAdv's
- very expensive
- what you put in, is what you get out (as far as work goes)
- most MBA programs are 2 years in length, which is a long time to be out of the workforce (and learning on the front lines)
- much of the material is theoretical, as opposed to practically applicable
- focusing on grades is not always indicative of people's actual work performance
- less importance is being put on an MBA, given the current state of the startup world OUTLOOK
- My education has served me well, but it was really expensive to pursue
- I have gained an immense amount of knowledge through being involved in high-growth startups RECOMMENDATION
- Get involved in an early-stage startup and be a sponge
- Become a voracious consumer of business content (books, podcasts, videos, etc)
- Learn as much as you can about topics that you wouldn't normally, and hold yourself accountable to achieving certain goals with the content you're consuming |