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I think blaming schools is the wrong thing to do. I have an MBA and I did not consider entrepreneurship when I graduated as I was up to my eyeballs in debt. So

I think blaming schools is the wrong thing to do. I have an MBA and I did not consider entrepreneurship when I graduated as I was up to my eyeballs in debt. So were most of my classmates. Finding a STABLE job was the uppermost concern in my mind because I wanted to be able to pay off that debt as soon as possible. I would say that MBA gets in the way of launching a business for an aspiring entrepreneur as you are saddled . with debt. However, should that launch be successful, the skill set that you acquire at B-school will help you in the long run in managing the company.

tomkarlo 15y ago
I have to agree with this. A typical top-tier business school graduate in the US leaves with $100K in debt that costs at least $800-$1000 a month to pay off. That's going to eliminate a lot of great potential entrepreneurs right off the top, and it's going to make things painful for those who do try. I did an MBA in 2002-2004 and went into banking after. I would have loved to go do a startup, but when you have that kind of debt, and someone offers you a job, it's a lot harder to turn down. I did have a number of friends who launched businesses successfully during school - they essentially used the two years and the debt incurred to bootstrap a new enterprise. But in most cases they had those ideas before even arriving at school and I suspect they would have been successful without going. That said, getting an MBA provides an invaluable toolset for leading a corporate enterprise (if you pay attention.) I just don't think that learning to be an entrepreneur should be one of the expectations. Similarly, getting a CS degree will teach you how to code, but it doesn't necessarily give you the capacity to build products people love.