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I have been lucky in my career to become an engineering leader/manager without having to go and get an MBA. But I still have the same concerns for continuing th

I have been lucky in my career to become an engineering leader/manager without having to go and get an MBA. But I still have the same concerns for continuing the climb up that proverbial ladder: what if I want to become the head of a large department? what if I want to become a CTO? The raw truth of the matter is that it seems that having an MBA is likely the same litmus test as having a B.S. in computer science. Perhaps one can skirt around that requirement if they have a PhD in a particular subject matter that is the new sexy thing. But I still question if I should simply get an MBA, or focus on getting a PhD in research I am actually interested in.

arcanus 10y ago
Get the doctorate. Don't feed the trend if you don't want it to grow.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- sage76 10y ago
  The MBA would probably be cheaper and definitely less of a commitment, especially an executive MBA. Te reverse this trend, engineers really need to look at management as an important function. I don't see lawyers and doctors doing MBAs to move into management positions, but somehow, many engineers have this tendency of looking askance at management. That leaves the field open for outsiders to swoop in.
  - rplst8 10y ago
    I think the aversion that most engineers have to management, is that software development is already a very nebulous beast. Actually delivering a solution that is called a "success" is often a slippery moving target. Being the one who is responsible for the project's success is even scarier.
    - sage76 10y ago
      You could say the same about a big legal case or a surgery. In both cases, lives can be on the line. Here it's just code. It became scary for me when I saw extremely poor leadership that disregarded everything from Andy Grove's high output management. Forget that, I went through a series of YC lectures where speakers covered how startups should mature into companies, and even those simple management techniques were not being used.

arcanus 10y ago

Get the doctorate. Don't feed the trend if you don't want it to grow.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
sage76 10y ago
The MBA would probably be cheaper and definitely less of a commitment, especially an executive MBA. Te reverse this trend, engineers really need to look at management as an important function. I don't see lawyers and doctors doing MBAs to move into management positions, but somehow, many engineers have this tendency of looking askance at management. That leaves the field open for outsiders to swoop in.
- rplst8 10y ago
  I think the aversion that most engineers have to management, is that software development is already a very nebulous beast. Actually delivering a solution that is called a "success" is often a slippery moving target. Being the one who is responsible for the project's success is even scarier.
  - sage76 10y ago
    You could say the same about a big legal case or a surgery. In both cases, lives can be on the line. Here it's just code. It became scary for me when I saw extremely poor leadership that disregarded everything from Andy Grove's high output management. Forget that, I went through a series of YC lectures where speakers covered how startups should mature into companies, and even those simple management techniques were not being used.