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Totally agree. Going through the motions of selling something will teach you so much more. A few years back, I wrote a similar blog post, except I was recommend

Totally agree. Going through the motions of selling something will teach you so much more. A few years back, I wrote a similar blog post, except I was recommending that MBA students drop out and launch an app on the App Store instead. The funny thing is that ever since, Google sends me traffic for everyone googling "cheap MBAs". I'm sure I get unhappy visitors :-) http://blog.foundrs.com/2009/08/12/the-cheapest-mba-program-for-cs-students-costs-99-and-its-called-the-app-store/ http://blog.foundrs.com/2009/08/12/the-cheapest-mba-program-...

ssharp 15y ago
Who do these type of anti-MBA sentiments apply to? Do a lot of people enroll in MBA programs to "learn business" so they can start a startup, or do they enter MBA programs to learn management so they can get a job in corporate America? I've always assumed its much more the latter. I could be wrong, but I don't think McKinsey is going to be terribly impressed with a sole story of "learning lots" from launching an App Store app. I think its good advice for people entering MBA programs for the wrong reasons, but I'm just not sure how large that segment is vs. traditional MBA students.
- alain94040 15y ago
  Some people enroll in MBAs to become middle-managers in Fortune 500 companies. Luckiky, those people tend to not hang out on Hacker News, so that advice will only reach people who are thinking of the MBA as a way to entrepreneurial success, which it isn't.
tatsuke95 15y ago
>"I was recommending that MBA students drop out and launch an app on the App Store instead." Wow, no offense, but that's terrible advice. Part of what's wrong with the tech culture is that everyone believes their "app" is a billion dollar enterprise waiting to happen. Go look around at the crap on the App Store. Do you really believe that launching an App teaches you anything remotely close to what's covered in a MBA program? I mean, you're supposed to learn the stuff (marketing, economics) then apply that knowledge to things like building an app.

ssharp 15y ago

Who do these type of anti-MBA sentiments apply to? Do a lot of people enroll in MBA programs to "learn business" so they can start a startup, or do they enter MBA programs to learn management so they can get a job in corporate America? I've always assumed its much more the latter. I could be wrong, but I don't think McKinsey is going to be terribly impressed with a sole story of "learning lots" from launching an App Store app. I think its good advice for people entering MBA programs for the wrong reasons, but I'm just not sure how large that segment is vs. traditional MBA students.

alain94040 15y ago
Some people enroll in MBAs to become middle-managers in Fortune 500 companies. Luckiky, those people tend to not hang out on Hacker News, so that advice will only reach people who are thinking of the MBA as a way to entrepreneurial success, which it isn't.

tatsuke95 15y ago

>"I was recommending that MBA students drop out and launch an app on the App Store instead." Wow, no offense, but that's terrible advice. Part of what's wrong with the tech culture is that everyone believes their "app" is a billion dollar enterprise waiting to happen. Go look around at the crap on the App Store. Do you really believe that launching an App teaches you anything remotely close to what's covered in a MBA program? I mean, you're supposed to learn the stuff (marketing, economics) then apply that knowledge to things like building an app.