An MBA is a basic business toolkit. It's an opportunity to understand the basics of accounting, finance, management, business law, statistics, communication an

An MBA is a basic business toolkit. It's an opportunity to understand the basics of accounting, finance, management, business law, statistics, communication and marketing, as well as to take a few advanced classes in fields that interest you. It's also an opportunity to meet people who are sufficiently interested in business, and their careers, to expose themselves to these fundamentals. As happens with all degrees, some people really seize the opportunity to sharpen their skills for the future, and others simply try to pass the classes. Further, some people are incredibly bright and able to apply the knowledge usefully, whereas others do so clumsily or not at all. I wouldn't kick somebody out of my office for not having an MBA, nor would I hire them simply because they had one. But that said, I think those disparaging it do so to the detriment of those who listen to them. It's a useful toolkit. I used to be one of those who disparaged MBAs. Now I have one, and have often been thankful for the breadth of knowledge I was forced to acquire, as well as for the innumerable case studies I read, that really changed the way I consume business news, and the way I think about business strategy.