Question by Pudge_Monsta: MBA Vs Ceritifcations for IT Career improvement?
I am seeking advice for those you work in IT field or anyone who can share knowledge with me.
I’ve been working in IT doing Help desk hardware and software support for end users supporting 350 stores around the country for over a yr. I graduated with a BS in Business concentrating in Management Information systesm and would like to further my career in the IT field.
Hopefully being a system admin, database admin and am thinking of continuing my studies.
I have 2 options right now. I can go for my GMAT and get into an MBA program or take the MSCA cerification. Which route should I take? I cant decide.
Wesites with career advice would be great help too. I’m 25 and pretty new in the professional field and need guidance 
Thank you so much in advance
Best answer:
Answer by redwine
I’m not an IT person, but am an MBA that has worked with a lot of IT people over the years. I think the real question is where do you want your career to go. If you think that you can safely say that IT and related database admin type positions are what you will be happy doing in a few decades, then the IT improvement coures are probably a good idea. An MBA will be useful if you want to go beyond that, and I would encourage you to stretch your sights a far as you can. That will help you make the right decision.
What do you think? Answer below!
More MBA Reads
Question by bada_bing2k4: Could I get accepted into a good MBA program with these grades?
I am completing my BS in Electrical Engineering, a very difficult major, and my GPA is ...
READ MORE
Question by stepp0nmeh: do people go straight form attaining a BS in engineering to a MBA?
do people who study engineering for the undergrad usually get a job directly? or do ...
READ MORE
Question by rocker: i'm planning to do an mba program preferably in the UK or australia.?
I need some guidance on which country would be suitable to do the course. Also ...
READ MORE
Question by Basu: Chicago Booth Weekend MBA essay and career switch advice please?
Hello everyone.-----------------------Background----------------------I am a Manager in an Information Technology company that develops software for the insurance and financial ...
READ MORE
After a proud score of 760, lot of MBA aspirants seek my advice on various topics which revolved around these major questions:
- Am I MBA Material?
- Why MBA
- Where MBA
- ...
READ MORE
Q&A: Could I get accepted into a good
do people go straight form attaining a BS
i’m planning to do an mba program preferably
Chicago Booth Weekend MBA essay and career switch
Everything About Mba & Gmat (part I) –
Filed under MBA
Tagged as Bs, career advice, career improvement, database admin, decades, desk, End Users, Gmat, Guidance, Management Information, Mba Program, monsta, msca, People, professional field, pudge, Redwine, Right Decision, Software Support, system admin
Hi! I’m an IT techie who got an MBA a couple of years back, so I can tell you my view on the subject. I chose to get the MBA because I wanted to move into management – with a specific goal of becoming a director or VP of a tech company. I was a technical lead for a development team at the time but within a year after graduating, I had two teams reporting to me and had direct contact with customers in an account management capacity. I’m on track now to achieve my goal and the MBA gives me more “street cred”.
From the technical standpoint, I have several developers and support personnel (including DBAs) who report to me who have truly excelled in their career on the purely technical side of things. They are not a big fan of paperwork or bureaucracy and are fine with leaving that aspect to me (which I don’t mind doing). They keep their certs up to date and regularly train to keep up with the latest and greatest technology.
From a pay standpoint, some of my top specialists make up to 20% more than I do, while the junior people make a little over 50% so there is a large range of scale there. I also didn’t feel that competing with the new kids out of college was worth it to me so I felt that a supervisor role fit me better. I don’t mind paperwork and can put together contracts and create teams to work on engagements well.
I’m a bit older than you and didn’t get my MBA until I was in my 30′s. I had several tech certifications through my 20s and early 30′s before I got my MBA so I had a lot of IT experience when moving into management. The first step is deciding what you want to do 5 years from now. Then work toward that goal. Even if you achieve that goal and decide you want to do something else, you can do so. You aren’t locked in forever and ever.
And…you can always do both! It’s difficult, but the more certs and degrees you have, the more attractive you are to employers.
PS – I saw your plea for feedback on one of your other questions and felt your pain.
Feel free to contact me if you want to talk further. Good luck!
I’m currently in the second year of an MBA program, and I came from pretty much the same sort of background as you did. After completing my undergrad (BBA in CIS), I started out working as a programmer working on a lot of Solaris/Java/Oracle crap work. I gradually moved on to a position where I was the production control manager for a smallish financial services company, where I 1) kept everything running, and 2) acted as a liason between the customers and the operations & development people. My plan all along had been to either get an MS in CS or an MBA, and after a few years I decided that the MBA was the correct route for me.
FWIW, here’s my advice:
–Stay focused on your career now. Talk to people. Find a mentor. Learn the business inside and out and challenge yourself constantly.
–I think certificates are pretty worthless. In a job interview you can tell in 30 seconds if the person has a clue what their talking about, and a certification just shows that how well you can take a test. If you need one for a business reason (e.g. to make yourself more marketable as a consultant) go for it.
–Save money.
–Save some more money.
–Three or four years from now, get an MBA, but enter a full-time MBA program. You’ll have to essentially return to “broke-ass college student” status, but it’s totally worth it. Personally, I feel that a lot of the MBA experience is in your interactions with classmates and that that gets lost in part-time/evening programs. Besides, by that time you’ll be more than ready to take a break from the working world.
–Don’t settle for half-assed programs. You don’t need to go to one of the top 10′s, but you definitely want a top 50 (preferably top 25). These programs are more selective, and that shows in the quality of your classmates. Since you’re a hyper-competitive bastard (why else would you get an MBA?), this will force you to work that much harder to beat them. You’ll be surprised at what you can actually do:)
Best of luck.
The route you take is a personal preference. You have to decide what you want to do and how you want to go about it. You also have to understand your strengths and what you prefer doing. If you see yourself as a bit of a leader then the management route might be best for you if you on the other hand see yourself as more of a Techy then that could be a route to follow.
I went through the exact same route you are looking to go through and spent my early years in the help-desk and then moved around. I did a number of certifications and then did my MBA. I really enjoyed it and gained a lot of things from it.
10 years from doing support, I am now a Director in charge of projects for a medium sized firm. In 3 years time I hope to be doing the same thing in a Tier 1 bank.
It is possible, however one thing to bare in mind is that the MBA is a tool and not a guarantee to get you where you want to go. A lot of hard work, strategic planning and luck will do the rest.
Wish you the best.