University of Phoenix.

Don't waste your money! I know clowns with bachelor degrees running research sites with PhD' s and MD's reporting to them. It's all about who you know, right place right time.

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Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 30/10/2012 - 18:32.

"An MBA provides no real competitive advantage other than getting your foot in the door and competing with other MBAs. Frankly, it comes down to where you got you MBA. A diploma mill MBA is pretty worthless.........."

That bolsters the old cliche "It's not what you know, but who you know". Education (and educational institutions) should be viewed as far more than just a "networking opportunity", but it sounds like the attitude/approach of some people. Strikes me as very shallow - and sad.

An MBA provides no real competitive advantage other than getting your foot in the door and competing with other MBAs. Frankly, it comes down to where you got you MBA. A diploma mill MBA is pretty worthless..........

As some of the comments stated it might give you an advantage in a big corporate situation but not much.

Try to grow where you are planted>

FWIW, I have worked for six employers in 25 years - from family owned and operated through to multinationals. My experience has taught me that in the marger organisations (as someone has already described), there is a strong tendency for shrewd office politics to win over technical capability. Communication in between those in leadership positions and those in both backoffice and customer facing positions frequently appears to be stymied somewhere about the middle management level of large organisations. I'm reminded of...

"The Creation of the Big Picture"

In the beginning was the Plan
And then came the Assumptions
And the Assumptions were without form
And the Plan was completely without substance
And the darkness fell upon the face of the Workers

And they spake unto their Supervisors saying:
"It is a crock of sh*t and it stinketh."

And the Supervisors went unto their Managers and sayeth unto them:
"It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong,
such that none here may abide it."

And the Group Heads went unto their Deputy Commissioner
And sayeth unto him:
"It is a vessel of Fertiliser, and none can abide it's strength."

And the Deputy Commissioner went unto the Assistant Commissioner
And sayeth:
"It contains that which aids plant growth, and it is very strong."

And the Assistant Commissioner went to the Commissioner,
And sayeth unto him:
"It promoteth growth, and it is very powerful"

And the Commissioner went unto the Management Board,
And sayeth unto them:
"This powerful new Plan will actively promote growth and
efficiency of the Department - and this office in particular."

And the Management Board looked upon the Plan,
And saw that it was good,
And, in time, the Plan became Policy.

(Over the years, I've heard some label it
"Super High Intensity Training" - S.H.I.T. for short !!).

Well, well, well. After reading many of the posts in this thread, there does seem to be at least one common theme. You, the original poster, and the positions you've held at various companies are not a good fit. Reasons listed include:

A free spirit working in a highly regimented organization
A communications issue that might be best be solved with a course or two at a charm school
Believing organizational goals are not good enough (for your standards)

Whatever the case, it sounds like you have been a misfit in several jobs and I think the first thing you need to do is to figure out why that is. There is no way to know whether an MBA will help your career or not or whether you will be more successful as a business person than you have been as a scientist. There seem to be several opinions on the value of an MBA and none appear to be conclusive.

So I was wondering if you had considered going for some career counselling and possibly even talk to a personal coach to help you sort some of this out in your mind and give you some professional help rather than the ad hoc ideas you are getting here. It would certainly be worth the cost if you are thinking of investing in an MBA. You might try to call the placement offices at the college(s) you attended who may offer direct help or be able to guide you to a few reputable counselors and other help. It's got to be a more productive avenue than asking a bunch of anonymous people on line.

"Good technical leaders are effective communicators and can sway managment based on their knowlege of science and the business environment they work in."
---
That's one theory. The other is that what his managements have wanted is sycophantic upward communication, and he was unable to give it. Getting an MBA in this case won't help, because he'd never be allowed to break into these ranks, and if he did, he'd either join them or spend all his time trying to change this "herd" mentality.

The chances of him having "sycophantic management" at 4 different companies is quite high in this day and age - and the bigger the company the more likelihood.

Instead of an MBA, consider instead moving to a smaller company where if you aren't closer to "reality", you'll go under fast. Keeps you management more honest (if they survive for any length of time at least).

Getting an MBA would be a waste of your time based on what you have written. If your managers consistently stop listening to you midway through your first year (at four differnt companies) that should be telling you something. Simply getting an MBA won't make people listen to you. Good technical leaders are effective communicators and can sway managment based on their knowlege of science and the business environment they work in.

You may want to get rid of the chip on your shoulder or start preparing for your fifth company......

Have you looked at yourself and thought maybe just maybe it is "I" that has something wrong.
It does seem that you have been very unlucky in all your employment in different Company,s that nobody wants your opinions.
Have you thought of a job with Beckman

I would recommend taking a huge dump!

"From your description it sounds like you are a douche - you'll be a natural with an MBA."

Actually, you have it wrong my friend. Since the author has a PhD, he/she is incompetent and a douche. No cahnce for them to raise to the level of a business type.

People with MBA in the Biotech industry get paid better than many Ph.D.s, of course, you need to have an MBA from one of the top schools. MBA also raises your prospects of getting into management positions and moving up the ladder to VP, president, and CEO positions. Many biotech executives are MBAs with no technical background and are running the technology companies.

MBA is needed these day in Biotech/Pharma/Diagnostics companies for getting a sales/marketing/business development positions. With MBA degree the job prospects are better than having a Ph.D. degree only. MBA will certainly add value to your Ph.D. as well if you want to work in industry.

"If you want to play the "Big Corporate" management game,then the MBA is required. It is the ticket to entry. "

Entry to what? Very few people in upper management have MBAs just like very few have Ph.D.s. There is also a big difference between having a business education (meaning coursework at the undergraduate level) and an MBA which is a very specialized degree. I would venture to guess that there are more positions available that REQUIRE a Ph.D. than there are that REQUIRE an MBA. The MBA might help in some cases, but it is also likely to open up an whole new batch of questions such as, why, after getting a Ph.D. did you feel the need to get an MBA. Did you not like the work you were doing as a scientist? Were you unsuccessful as a scientist (why would you be more successful as an MBA?)?, are you simply hopping from one profession to another, etc.

So I would suggest that unless there is a specific job that you want that requires an MBA, just forget it. The job you would want would have to be a passion and not just a passing fad in your head. Otherwise, you will do alot of work for nothing other than adding to your 'impressive' academic achievements and perhaps create an image of a job-hopper, profession-hopper, professional student, etc., none of which are positive attributes.

From your description it sounds like you are a douche - you'll be a natural with an MBA.

It depends on what career path you are interested in. If you want to work in a start up that is technology focused or a founder driven company, then the MBA is a waste of time. Spend the effort enhancing your technology knowledge. If you want to play the "Big Corporate" management game,then the MBA is required. It is the ticket to entry. Once you cross that line, you will quickly become useless in the technology world. But the big bucks will be waiting for you.

I think it depends on the direction you would like your career to go. If the studies involved in an MBA are not of interest to you, it could be a boring waste of time. This would be a shame considering you have a PhD.

If your current education is not getting you continued respect, I'm not sure an MBA will.

Have you taken an honest look at how you interact with other and how they see you and your contributions in comparison to what you are looking to portray? Perception is reality. I would reach out to a co-worker (past or present) and ask questions. Find someone who will tell you the truth and really listen and digest what they tell you.

Another options to review is are you working for the right companies for what will make you happy (size, innovation, etc..)?

If in the end you decide an MBA will round out your offerings, strengthen business skills and allow you to move forward and be happy. Go for it!

Only if you want to have a lobotomy!

Master of Bugger All.

An MBA degree won't help you if you are a scientist, nor is it really necessary for many positions in the financial realm. Having experienced similar situations to yours, it may be that your scientific mind tends to make you want the best and to get as close to perfection as possible. You may want to create products that not only exceed customer needs, but that customers won't pay extra for. If this is the case, I offer you this old saying that may help you:

Better is the enemy of good enough.

It doesn't sound like your issues relate to your qualifications. It appears from your post that you may not be appreciating the abilities and experience of those around you. If you think you join and organisation and suddenly become the influencing factor you are wrong. In my humble opinion, from your post, you would be better to hone your "people skills" and perhaps tone down on the ego. If you are as good as you think, respect will come, but it is earned, not demanded.
Qualification does not equal talent.....

You are trapped and an MBA is the only way out for you at this point.

An MBA might be helpful in understanding the business/management aspects of a company. This may also open up alternatives to your career path.

I have never met anyone whose MBA meant they added more value than they would have added if they had never gotten the MBA. If you know what adding value means or if you don't, an MBA will not change it.

It may get you some interviews you might not otherwise get, and other MBAs will welcome you into their secret clubhouse, but other than that - meh.