[epugmire]

If we create more value than the money we take home, we are on the right track. If we take more money home than value we create, then we are unintentional (or in some cases, intentional) thieves. It’s really that simple.

I believe a successful business major can also have a knack for finding value in something that others have not yet uncovered and delivering this value to the masses. The creator does not always have the vision to find value in what has been created.

I am a self-taught novice at programming who works in the front-office/business side of finance at the moment. My mother was a programmer and my father was on the team that designed the first IBM PC. I have nothing but the greatest respect for those who are able to build things from scratch. I am fascinated by it, so I try to teach myself in my spare time. Sometimes I get stuck and it feels even more satisfying to unstuck myself.

I agree though, as far as technical skills go, programmers can often be unsung heroes, but only to those who have never scratched their head endlessly at one of the bugs you guys have to solve.

[josephschmoe]

Opportunity cost. I could hire a different MBA and potentially make a lot more - and hiring additional MBAs doesn't give me linear returns (and sometimes gives you negative returns regardless of skill level via the Mythical Man Month problem).