tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68319416091277497322024-03-19T04:48:37.742-04:00from bench to boardleadership musings from a recent duke (fuqua) mba gradSteven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-22096438547695085382017-01-21T18:44:00.002-05:002017-03-08T06:44:19.567-05:00Book Review: The Unwritten Rules, The Six Skills You Need to Get Promoted to the Executive Level<div class="MsoNormal">
Post-MBA I became very intrigued by how senior leaders
navigated their career progression. It was also at this time that I realized I
learned nothing about this during my MBA and needed to fundamentally teach
myself this from the ground up. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I started looking around for a good read on this topic, and
stumbled upon John Beeson’s book – <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Unwritten-Rules-Skills-Promoted-Executive/dp/0470585781" target="_blank">The Unwritten Rules: The 6 Skills You Needto Get Promoted to the Executive Level</a>. I was specifically searching for a book
on executive presence, but this book fit the bill.</div>
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<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2017/01/book-review-unwritten-rules-six-skills-promoted-executive-level.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-16275416901695462272016-11-20T23:53:00.002-05:002016-11-20T23:57:34.658-05:00Marketing Roles - What Companies Look For in MBA Candidates <div class="MsoNormal">
Marketing is one of those functions, that if done
successfully, requires a little bit of everything. In other words, it is highly
cross-functional and requires a lot of different skills. In <a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2016/11/kathryn-ullrich-getting-to-the-top-strategies-for-career-success.html">Kathryn Ullrich’s Book, Getting to the Top, Strategies for Career Success</a>, she states that close
to a third of CEOs have a sales/marketing background, which also turns out to
be the biggest bucket for CEO background functions. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Being somewhat new to business, this was something I did not
know before or during <a href="http://www.stevensma.com/p/duke-mba-related.html">my MBA at Duke</a>. I think my biggest misconception back
then, which many other non-MBAs also had, was that marketing equated to advertising – the kind that went on cereal boxes at the supermarket. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Advertising, while a tactic that results from the
development of marketing strategy, is only a very small portion of a marketer’s
role, and probably the one that is the least impactful from a value-add
perspective.</div>
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Where marketers add more value is in developing the strategy
of a brand and deciding how to position it in the marketplace. This is the
strategic side – after this marketers rely on leadership and operational skills
to align teams and ultimately execute the plan. As you may imagine, the newer
the brand, and the more brands that compete in a market segment, the bigger the
challenge to marketers. Here's <a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2014/07/spring-2-duke-mba-deep-dive-into.html">my experience taking the Marketing Strategy course at Duke Fuqua</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here’s what hiring managers and commercial leaders look for
in MBA candidates recruiting for marketing roles. Before you read on, here's a <a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2014/08/pharma-mba-commercial-roles.html">backgrounder</a> on commercial/marketing roles in the pharma industry. </div>
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<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2016/11/marketing-mba-quality-companies-hire-for.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com67tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-21486511994839003622016-11-08T19:47:00.000-05:002016-11-13T20:13:01.128-05:00Book Review: Getting to the Top, Strategies for Career SuccessOn this blog, I talk a lot about how my <a href="http://www.stevensma.com/p/duke-mba-related.html">MBA from Duke</a> has helped me successfully transition <a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2016/10/MBA-worth-it.html">from science into business</a>. However, since the time I graduated, I found that that I needed to <a href="http://www.stevensma.com/p/career-development-101.html">continuously learn how to navigate the next steps in my career</a> – something the MBA did not prepare me for. I think the MBA – albeit rightfully – is focused on career <i><b>transition</b></i>, whereas after school one must shift focus onto career <i><b>progression</b></i>.<br>
<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2016/11/kathryn-ullrich-getting-to-the-top-strategies-for-career-success.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com70tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-14136780764635953092016-10-23T15:48:00.000-04:002016-10-23T20:42:28.121-04:00Is an MBA Worth It? 1-Year Post-MBA Reflection<div class="MsoNormal">
In early 2012, when I was working as a <a href="http://www.stevensma.com/p/about-me_10.html">biomedical researcher at the National Institutes of Health</a>, I decided that I wanted to get an MBA and
<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/p/healthcare-duke-mba.html">make the transition into the business side of health care</a>. That was almost 5
years ago. Now as I pass my 1-year mark after getting my <a href="http://www.stevensma.com/p/duke-mba-related.html">MBA from Duke</a>, I
decided that it is a good time to do some reflecting and see what the MBA has
done for me so far.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2016/10/MBA-worth-it.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-20364191849296132832016-10-07T20:58:00.000-04:002016-10-07T21:09:07.061-04:00Career Development 101: Love the Industry you're in and Be an ExpertThere is without a doubt a stereotype for recent MBA grads – folks who are ambitious, smart, hard-working, but oftentimes lack experience or domain knowledge. Looking around and at myself, I think this is somewhat true, but there are steps to take to quickly be treated as a peer among veterans in the industry of your post-MBA career.<br>
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Here’s what you gotta do.<br>
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This is the 5th and final post in my series, <b><a href="http://www.stevensma.com/p/career-development-101.html">Career Development 101</a></b>, tailored specifically for professionals with MBAs, doing their MBA, or thinking of doing an MBA.<br>
<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2016/10/post-mba-industry-passion.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-83128950626137023262016-09-22T21:49:00.001-04:002016-09-25T22:32:37.902-04:00Is the Master's in Business Administration Right for Me? (Guest Post)Whether you’re an entrepreneur, aspiring business leader, or you just think that you may want to learn more about business, the thought of getting your Masters in Business Administration may cross your mind. But while an MBA can be extremely beneficial for achieving career and life goals for many people, for others, it is a waste of time and money. So, how do you know whether or not getting your MBA would be worth the time and expense?<br>
<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2016/09/mba-right-decision.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com532tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-79937447640876117112016-05-07T22:04:00.002-04:002016-09-25T22:27:52.858-04:00Career Development 101: Communicate EffectivelyWhen I was a kid I was actually pretty extroverted. However, after multiple instances of culture shock growing up I became increasingly introverted. It allowed me to be somewhat successful in science, and made me observant, reflective, and analytical. These are great traits to have in a business setting. However, they would also mean absolutely nothing I if I could not communicate and influence others externally.<br>
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</div><a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2016/05/MBA-career-development-communication-skills.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-82756993754723967632016-04-17T12:02:00.000-04:002016-10-07T21:04:18.955-04:00Career Development 101: Manage your Leadership DevelopmentAh yes, the perpetual question: how much of a person's career progression depends on the institution, and how much depends on the individual? It may come as no surprise to my readers, but I am strongly in the latter camp. Leadership development is very personal and I would say begins with the individual.<br>
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<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2016/04/MBA-career-development-leadership-development.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-67553336435753859632016-04-09T13:13:00.001-04:002016-10-07T21:04:02.537-04:00Career Development 101: Taking Networking to the Next Level, MBA Style<div class="MsoNormal">
Relationships, relationships, relationships. As someone who
came from a science background – after doing the MBA and working in a Fortune
100 company – I’ve come to realize that networking is key to success in business.<br>
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I also know that there are <i>a lot</i> of books, videos, podcasts, etc on networking, but <i>none</i> of them are tailored toward MBAs. I will not repeat the basics of networking, but will assume that folks reading this have graduated from an MBA program or have read some books or articles and know them already. <u>This is more of an add-on, as opposed to an intro into networking.</u></div>
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<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2016/04/MBA-career-development-networking.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-78571804775084275172016-04-02T21:55:00.003-04:002016-10-07T21:02:38.452-04:00Career Development 101: Choosing a Post-MBA Company<div class="MsoNormal">
My MBA journey at Duke Fuqua came to a close in 2015. During
those 2 years I’ve written <a href="http://www.stevensma.com/search/label/MBA" target="_blank">a lot of content</a> on my thoughts on the MBA and the
admissions process with a lens from <a href="http://www.stevensma.com/search/label/Duke%20MBA" target="_blank">my experience at Duke</a>, and I feel this blog
has pretty robust content on that. Prospective students and current students
alike should find the content useful and the feedback I’ve gotten from readers
reflects this. </div>
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Now that I’m done, I want to shift the content of my blog to more
general post-MBA career development and leadership, since this is what I’m
currently going through right now.</div>
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<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2016/04/MBA-career-development-choose-company.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-43203088431426370962016-03-25T23:45:00.001-04:002016-03-26T01:48:59.000-04:00The Difference Between Science and Business<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve had the fortune of meeting with a lot of talented first
year MBA students over the past few months. As a recent graduate myself, I
enjoyed learning about peoples’ backgrounds and their career ambitions. Sitting
here on the plane returning from a recruiting event in North Carolina (I wrote
this post in fall 2015), I’ve been reflecting on the exceptional talent that
currently exists at the top MBA programs. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2016/03/MBA-for-science-backgrounds.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com172tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-18825134798460363932016-02-03T23:39:00.000-05:002016-03-16T19:33:29.141-04:00Quick 2016 UpdateHey everyone! Hope that you had a great start to 2016. To kick things off for the year, I thought I'd share this quick update. The end of 2015 was a big transitional time for me as I started full time at Bristol-Myers Squibb and switching gears from being a student. Adjusting my lifestyle and mindset took up a lot more time than I had liked though I'm happy to announce that I'm now ready to get back into blogging.<br>
<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2016/02/quick-2016-update.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-81120060921738552552015-11-15T11:00:00.000-05:002015-11-15T11:00:41.055-05:00Tips for MBA Admission (Guest Post)<div class="MsoNormal">
There's a lot of debate about the value and nature of an MBA
program. Skepticism about initial investments and ROI is certainly warranted on
a broad scale, but I'm still in the camp that firmly agrees with the assertion
that <a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2015/07/duke-mba-changed-me.html" target="_blank">the benefits of an MBA</a> often outweigh the risks or negatives.<br>
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Unfortunately,
for potential students who are asking themselves questions about this topic,
making the decision of whether an MBA is worth the investment is only the first
hurdle. </div>
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<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2015/11/mba-admission-tips.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-1855879864773523562015-11-08T20:11:00.003-05:002015-11-09T20:40:49.428-05:00How the Duke MBA Makes Leaders - Strategic Mindset<div class="MsoNormal">
There was a post in Forbes that asserted the MBA is a waste
of time (OK, I can't find it anymore since this post was written a few weeks ago). Sure, I can agree with some of its points. However, there was one that
I strongly disagreed with. It said that MBAs were trained to think big picture
and this hampered their executional skills. This is bogus.<br>
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A company will never
pay big bucks to hire MBA talent because they can execute at the entry or
middle management level. A company pays for MBA talent to <a href="http://www.stevensma.com/p/mba-internship-leadership-learnings.html" target="_blank">fill future leadership roles</a> – and for that, big picture, strategic thinking is a must. In
fact, it’s important to always have this big picture in mind even early on, as
without it, you wouldn’t understand how your work is impactful.</div>
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<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2015/11/mba-duke-fuqua-leadership-strategy.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-18896921409500496542015-10-25T14:09:00.000-04:002015-10-25T14:09:07.568-04:00How the Duke MBA Makes Leaders - Entrepreneurship<div class="MsoNormal">
Every leading MBA is talking about its entrepreneurship init<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>iatives right now. It’s a new area of post-MBA opportunity
as you start seeing more and more MBAs start companies themselves or join
companies that are starting to scale after graduation. I’ve been involved in
startups in both years during my MBA at Duke Fuqua, but that’s not what I’m
talking about when I mean leaders are entrepreneurial. </div>
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<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2015/10/mba-duke-fuqua-leadership-entrepreneurship.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-55812695102161092822015-10-05T21:47:00.000-04:002015-10-05T21:47:18.003-04:00How the Duke MBA Makes Leaders - Communication<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ll start off with a quote from <a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2014/10/advice-1st-year-mba-communication.html" target="_blank">another blog post I’ve written</a>: “not all great communicators are great leaders, but all great leaders
are great communicators.” Being able to clearly articulate what’s on your mind
is necessary for – in the most simple of words – getting people to agree to do
things. But how does the Duke MBA prepare its future leaders for communication
in the business world, and what is it looking for in its applicants? </div>
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</div><a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2015/10/mba-duke-fuqua-leadership-communication.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-13345003500516877272015-09-11T21:52:00.002-04:002015-11-08T19:49:00.277-05:00How the Duke MBA Makes Leaders - Collaboration<div class="MsoNormal">
A Duke MBA alum – this is a new title that is going to take
some time getting used to. I’m happy to be finally back in the workforce and
it’s been interesting seeing how the Duke MBA has changed my approach to
things. With the MBA application season starting up soon – Fuqua’s early
admission round interviews should be starting – I wanted to get back to
blogging and supporting the MBA applicant community.</div>
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<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2015/09/mba-duke-fuqua-leadership-collaboration.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-14136149583327708042015-07-17T23:38:00.000-04:002016-04-09T21:31:02.682-04:00MBA Internship Final Presentation TipsLast year at this time I was an MBA intern preparing for my final internship presentation. The internship was the first time I ever worked in a real business setting and I had never given a real business presentation before (the Duke MBA did give me <a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2014/10/advice-1st-year-mba-communication.html" target="_blank">tons of practice</a>, though!). After my presentation I wrote this blog post to highlight some of my key learnings so future MBA interns can benefit. These tips are based on my experience during the final project presentations and hope they will help as you plan yours.<br>
<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2015/07/mba-intern-presentation-tips.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-61116786036839434542015-07-04T13:01:00.000-04:002015-07-05T19:21:44.803-04:00Benefits of Getting an MBAA lot of readers have asked me what benefits the Duke MBA has brought me. The MBA is a huge upfront investment and the opportunity cost is high. Most applicants have decent jobs and 2 years is a long time. Any savvy investor would want to know what return they will be getting from the time and money devoted to completing an MBA.<br>
<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2015/07/duke-mba-changed-me.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-55470265532956730962015-05-22T16:10:00.000-04:002015-05-22T19:43:43.947-04:00The Summer Before the MBAOne question I get a lot from prospective students is what to do in the summer before the MBA program. Like a lot of folks from non traditional backgrounds, I contemplated if I needed to take some classes to prepare for the MBA curriculum. I'll share my thoughts on this question and offer some advice as a recent graduate of the Duke MBA program.<br>
<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2015/05/summer-before-MBA-tips.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-62302220447868582732015-05-07T23:18:00.000-04:002015-05-08T15:08:24.857-04:00Recruiting at Duke MBA (Fuqua)With my MBA journey at Duke Fuqua coming to an end, I thought it'd be a great time to wrap up and reflect upon my experiences in the past 2 years. In an effort to write things that my readers care the most about, a while back I reached out to GMATClub and sought out questions. I plan to answer one of these questions per post over the next couple of months. So stay tuned for more content that have been decided by you, the reader.<br>
<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2015/05/recruiting-at-duke-mba-fuqua.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-27216841287778777712015-04-23T22:09:00.001-04:002015-04-23T22:09:39.046-04:00Duke MBA 2nd Year Electives Are AmazingThis is a post I wrote a while back. Sorry that I haven't been good at updating my blog lately. I'm writing again so stay tuned for some new posts in the upcoming weeks! Here goes.<br>
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I'm currently about half way through my second year of the Duke Fuqua MBA and have taken quite a few electives now. I've written about <a href="http://www.stevensma.com/p/classes.html" target="_blank">Fuqua electives toward the end of my first year at Duke</a> and think it's a good time to give an update on my experience with the second year electives. And as the title states, they have been quite amazing.<br>
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<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2015/04/duke-fuqua-mba-2nd-year-electives.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-47149287174065485442015-02-11T19:18:00.004-05:002015-05-08T15:08:09.726-04:00Duke MBA Insights: The Best Time to Get the MBA (Reader Request)I've been getting quite a few questions from readers on when the best time to do the MBA is. Usually the question is around how much work experience would be competitive as an applicant. Some prospective students are concerned that they do not have as much work experience as others. If you look around, the Duke MBA and similar MBA programs usually <a href="http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/daytime-mba/student-life/class-statistics/" target="_blank">have a median work experience of 5 years in their incoming class</a>. Here I'd like to offer my perspective as someone who only had 3 years of work experience prior to starting the MBA at Duke Fuqua.<br>
<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2015/02/fuqua-mba-work-experience-required.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-29654255777183609542015-01-25T17:24:00.000-05:002015-01-25T22:43:16.599-05:00Duke MBA Business Improv CourseA year ago when I was still a first year Fuqua MBA student, I saw "Business Improv" when registering for classes and had no idea how it may be useful, so I went back to preparing for my summer internship interviews. Fast forward to the end of the summer, and I was given feedback from my internship's final presentation <a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2014/10/advice-1st-year-mba-communication.html" target="_blank">that I needed to improve my speaking skills</a>.<br>
<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2015/01/fuqua-mba-business-improv-course.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6831941609127749732.post-37582201951086474972015-01-13T23:57:00.000-05:002015-07-05T10:27:35.608-04:00Is Getting An MBA Worth It?Yes, that age-old question: is the $120,000 MBA worth it? Successful business people have both advocated and renounced the degree for reasons you've probably already read or heard about. Now that I'm almost done with my MBA, I figured it would be a good time to start thinking about this question. After all, any investor would want to know what return their getting on their investments. Education should be no different.<br>
<a href="http://www.stevensma.com/2015/01/mba-worth-it.html#more">Continue reading »</a>Steven Mahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727206929746791384noreply@blogger.com9