I used to feel embarrassed telling people I quit my MBA journey, especially when everyone around me seemed to be doing it. But now, people keep asking me about it because they’re trying to figure out whether it’s right for them, too. So here it is! I was bred to think that the MBA was a rite of passage for a successful business career. My dad did it. My dad’s siblings did it. All the businesspeople in the Philippines did it. Of course I should do it as well! So, in 2019, I gave it a shot. Studied for the standardized test, started reflecting on questions like “Why [insert school here]?” or “Trace the dotted lines to where you are today.” or “What impact do you want to make in the world and why?” And, got to the interview stage. But something felt off. I’m the type who goes 100% when I want something. Yet here I was… giving maybe 50%. I learned why when I started talking to people who actually did their MBAs. I kept hearing the same 3 motivations: - A location switch - Filipinos who wanted to study or work abroad - A career switch - to different industries or functions - A promotion path - typically consultants, whose companies paid for their MBAs to then get access to the next promotion level. For certain industries, MBAs gave a massive salary bump. In every conversation, my desire to pay ~$200k + opportunity cost to give up 2 years of my life exponentially dwindled. None of these matched the life I wanted. I personally wanted to: - Stay in tech - Stay in the U.S. - Start my own company (the best way to be a founder is to found a company not go to an MBA!) When I dug deeper, my real motivations were embarrassingly simple: - Prestige - which doesn’t matter nearly as much in tech as I once believed - Friends - who I could find outside of a $200k program - Fun - the most expensive fun I’ll ever have! Ultimately, I realized I’d regret going to an MBA more than I’d regret not going to one. The MBA wasn’t a bad path. It just wasn’t mine. And that's, ok! (Instead I got investors to pay for the ultimate business education via starting a startup instead.. a story for another day! 😉) --- TAKEAWAY: Just because something is the default path (or the prestigious path or the path your community expects) doesn’t mean it’s the right path for you, like going to an MBA. View original post on LinkedIn.