

MBA or Learn to Code? - bradlind
http://www.lindventures.com/blog/2012/01/13/mba-or-learn-to-code/

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jmduke
This article bothered me. First off, it seems like a false dichotomy: the
ideal situation is to have the hard skills afforded by a computer science
education (something that irked me as the article seemed to equivocate
'learning to code' with 'knowing computer science') while having the soft
skills and networking afforded by an MBA. (This is to speak nothing of the
assumption that great developers suddenly have those 'lightbulb moments' -- I
know amazing programmers who have no desire to think outside the box.)

The second issue I had with the article demonstrated the kind of mindset that
comes from undervaluing 'soft skills' and the MBA education (as engineers tend
to do) -- "If you build an excellent product with product/market fit then
people will buy it." Obviously there are exceptions, but in the general realm
of business, this is laughably naive -- there's a reason that marketing
expenses (especially for startups who compete more for mindshare than monthly
fees) are so high. Amazing products fail all the time.

I certainly don't mean to undervalue the ability to code: I'm a CS/Business
double major, and without a doubt the CS degree is opening way more doors than
the BBA. But, just as you're not going to hire an MBA to 'build stuff for the
web', you're not going to -- or shouldn't -- hire a software developer to
spearhead business development or marketing.

~~~
bradlind
You are right - horses for courses. At the end of the day its about having a
balanced team that can execute across product and business. As an individual
you can't be all things to all people. As a founder my strength is in product
management and driving a vision, although I have a computer science degree, I
choose not to code because I prefer to drive product and business and hire
people who are way better than me to code.

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moocow01
Do both but don't expect that you're going to 'learn to code' and then one day
be done in the same sense that one day you will be done with getting your MBA.

Coding is very much like learning a real language. You most likely are not
going to be incredibly useful or valuable with it within the first few years
and you can improve yourself in it endlessly. Similar to how an aspiring
author is not going to be able to do good work when they are just starting to
learn English. In other words, people who take some courses on codeacademy and
think they have learned to code have essentially learned how to put sentences
together - not write an engaging book. (Not knocking code academy - its a good
thing)

So in that regard if your aspirations are to boost your income or move up in
your career then an MBA is going to most likely be a much better shot. If you
naturally gravitate towards software development then do that because you'll
get enjoyment out of it but if your looking for a golden ticket it is
certainly not that.

~~~
capkutay
I agree. It's not like you finish an Apress book and all of a sudden you're a
coder. MBA gives you have a degree that will most likely grant you access to
management-type jobs. It can take years of programming before you become
useful to anybody...

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steve8918
Sorry to burst a bunch of bubbles, but don't bother learning to code if you
haven't already taken computer science courses, and you want to create your
own startup right now or really soon. If you are considering an MBA, then go
for that instead.

Someone saying they want to learn how to code to form a startup is like
someone saying they want to open a restaurant by memorizing recipes.
Memorizing recipes is only 1% of what it takes to be a viable chef.

Besides knowing the ingredients:

You have to know how to mix the ingredients properly.

You have to know how to select the better quality ingredients.

You have to know how to actually cook the food properly without burning it,
etc.

As the recipes get more complex, you have to know how to time each aspect of
the recipe so that different aspects of the dishes don't cook before others,
and they're left cooling.

As you cook for more and more people, you have to know how scale your
techniques for larger batches of food.

You have to know how to scale your suppliers, etc.

The exact same thing applies to programming. Learning how to "code" is almost
meaningless. To be useful, and to actually build things that won't fail, you
need to get experience so much more experience. If the person in question is
actually _interested_ in coding, and loves technology and loves the thrill of
building stuff, then go ahead. If the point is to create a startup and be more
"useful", then don't bother, because it's too hard, especially if you're
starting from ground zero. It takes YEARS of coding experience, working 40 hrs
a week, to be able to build something viable.

If you want to create a startup in the very near future, then hire the people
you need, and concentrate on the vision, there's no shame in that. Be warned
that _managing_ programmers and programming projects is also a skill that
takes years to develop as well.

If your time horizon is in the next few years, then roll up your sleeves and
start now.

~~~
capkutay
You can also equate it to "I want to perform at Carnegie Hall...so I'll learn
piano today."

~~~
ges
That's sometimes how people now performing at Carnegie Hall started.

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spodek
My first start-up required some coding, which I did with my limited coding
skills. But I didn't know accounting, finance, strategy, and things like that.

So, knowing I would start new companies again, I went for an MBA. I got one at
Columbia. Before starting I wondered if I should learn to code instead.

I have zero regrets. On the contrary, it was one of my best growth and
learning experiences in life (and most fun).

In all fairness, I would have had zero regrets learning to code because I
always find ways to love what I do. I learned the hard skills of business, but
I learned a lot more, in particular through classes like leadership, general
management, negotiation, sales, and other so-called soft-skills.

I learned emotional intelligence, self-awarenss, the value of relationships.

I am a much better businessman for business school than I would have been
otherwise.

For the author to say an MBA "is an expensive break from reality that will
yield you a strong network and theoretical insight into the business world,
but until you actually get out there and experience the business world for
yourself, it is still just theory" implies he doesn't understand the value of
things outside his immediate experience.

As his experience broadens I would bet he writes something different.

~~~
dsrikanth
I can't agree more. I understand such thinking in the tech community (having
been a software developer myself for 3 years). The value offered in a good MBA
program is under-rated. This might be partly (or wholly) because of each of us
would having encountered a 'not so good' manager in our life. There might have
been instances where we feel that 'the guys with MBA who decided on this thing
is dumb and so this proves that MBA has no value'. I have been there as well.
However, when I did my MBA, I did see the value in the program. Of course
there were 'some' dumb classmates who would eventually end up managing smarter
employees but that doesn't mean that the MBA program has absolutely no value.
Not fair to stereotype I feel.

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michaporat
If you have this dilemma, you probably aren't meant to code... Get an MBA.

~~~
tryitnow
I am an MBA and I agree 100% with the comment above. I enjoy dabbling in code
just for fun and I enjoy the company of hacker types, and I enjoy technology
in general: all reasons why I enjoy hanging out on HN.

But I am not a coder and have no interest in ever doing it professionally.

If you want to do code based startups, then just learn to code.

If you enjoy playing around with business models and having access to a lot of
resources earlier on in your career AND you can at least tolerate corporate
politics, then get an MBA.

Furthermore, don't bother with an MBA outside of the top 10 or 20 programs,
They're mostly useless.

Another thing: don't expect to learn anything in an MBA program. The value of
an MBA is as a credibility enhancer, a networking assist, and way to learn
what areas of business you might like.

~~~
bradlind
I agree - if you are going to get an MBA, get a brand name MBA.

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jonnathanson
The kinds of doors that an MBA opens tend to be boring to folks who love to
code, and vice versa. I say this as someone with an MBA degree -- acquired
rather hastily, and for which I have occasional bouts of buyer's remorse --
who taught himself to code, but wishes that he'd just gone the pure-code path
from the beginning.

If you want to be an investment banker or a consultant, and you aspire to
nothing outside of those two streams, get the MBA and have at it. For almost
any other endeavor imaginable -- be it professional or personal -- you're
better off learning to code.

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bdhecks
Apples and oranges. I felt I needed to do both if only because they are now
essential and necessary business skills.

Disagree with the comments about "if you have this dilemma, you probably
aren't meant to code" and "don't bother with an MBA outside of the top 10 or
20 programs, they're mostly useless", but that's just my opinion/experience.

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porter
I did my undergrad in finance/economics and instead of the MBA I quit my
banking job and took 2 semesters of CS courses. I also taught myself
python/django and have now launched a beta for my first web app. It's hard
work, but totally doable in 12-18 months time.

~~~
bradlind
awesome.

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Kopion
when you compare the cost to benefit ratio of an MBA program to learning to
code, the choice is obvious: learn to code. The only exception is if you're
going to an M7 MBA program.

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bradlind
In fact... I would rather invest the $100-$160k+ from an MBA in bootstrapping
a good internet idea.

Get that to finding and you'll get a $2-3mm+ valuation, you've created more
value than a job will ever create, you are in control etc... But that's just
me.

~~~
moocow01
Sorry but those are a lot of assumptions your making there in the chain of
events.

~~~
bradlind
Of course, but don't all entrepreneurs make insanely illogical assumptions
when they start something?

~~~
tatsuke95
Of course. And 90% of entrepreneurs fail.

Quite a bit of underestimating what it takes to run a business flying around
here. Few people who actually run a business will describe the process as
easy, mostly because the challenges are endless, beyond "learning to code".
But don't confuse "getting an MBA" with running a business.

~~~
bradlind
Not really, I've done it before from bedroom to acquisition. I never said it
was easy.

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FelixP
I'm doing both.

~~~
bradlind
That is ideal if you have the time and money.

