Lately, I've been thinking a lot about going for an MBA. A few years ago, I would never have considered such a thing, but now it seems like a solution to several "forces" in my life:
- I'd like to go back to school. I think I'd like being in an environment where I am learning things and interacting with other students. I think I wasted my time in undergraduate studies, being so shy that I never talked to other students or to my professors, and would like to try a different tack this time around.
- I have an entrepreneurial bent. Whenever I read books or articles that describe what makes a good entrepreneur, I see myself. I am tired of working for other people. I am independent. I want to choose what I work on. Of course, I also lack some of the good entrepreneurial skills, which is why I'd like to learn more about business.
- My career has reached a dead end. All anyone wants to pay me to do is to write C++ GUI applications. That was interesting the first few dozen times I did it, but now there is no joy in it. And when I look around the IT industry, I don't see anything that I want to get into. I need a change, and I don't know exactly what I want to do, so learning more about business seems like something that could help me find a new direction. Even if I don't figure out what I want, having an MBA and a technical background will probably keep me hireable.
- People are trying to make me into a manager anyway. I keep getting pushed into management jobs, and into situations where I am doing business planning, marketing, etc. My primary objection to this is that I have no idea what I'm doing when thrust into those roles. Some formal education in the subject would ease my concerns.
The University of Georgia has an evening MBA program at a location close to me. So I figure it can't hurt to sign up for a semester's worth of classes and see whether this is for me. If not, it's just a couple grand down the drain.