10.25.06

Executive MBA

Posted in Random thoughts at 1:25 am by Ray Wu

I had lunch with a friend yesterday on how to pick executive MBA. Here are the thoughts I shared with him on why I picked Berkeley Columbia EMBA (BCEMBA) in the end:

• Bi-Costal coverage. I love to have campuses on both side of the coast. If I stay on the west coast, I have a school base and alumni network in the silicon valley. If I move back to the east coast in the future, I know I will again have a school and alumni base there. In addition, the size of the alumni network for both schools are amazing. Given the partnership programs among Berkeley, Columbia and London Business School, the alumni networks reach beyond US and have an internal footprint.
• International reputation. Both Berkeley and Columbia are great schools around the world. Berkeley is one of the top schools for engineering and entrepreneurship, and Columbia is one of the top schools for finance. It is really a bargain to be associated with engineering, entrepreneurship and finance brands all at once by studying in a single program.

• Executive learning. MBA students typically average 27 years old with 4 years of working experience, while executive MBA students are around 34 years old with 11+ years of experience. Current Berkeley Columbia EMBA class average is now around 36 years old. So if a person is in his 30s, he is probably better off with an executive MBA program because he will be studying with people who have similar level of maturity and work experience. I learnt as much from my classmates as from the professors. Wisdom and maturity tend to come with experience and that shows in EMBA program.
• Time commitment. If you are traveling a lot in your job, it makes sense to consider a program that gets together less frequently and provide an all-in-one package to make it easier to get all the work done. For Berkeley Columbia EMBA, the program is 3 days every 3 weeks. So less time wasted traveling to school and more time applied to study. One thing I really enjoy with my Berkeley Columbia EMBA experience was that I did not have to go to a bookstore to buy textbooks. Everything was delivered to me and neatly packaged together.
• Income and career momentum. I was working on M&A and incubator for Cisco at the time when I took on the study. It was a tough balance and I often thought about whether I should just quit my job and do it full time. But the issue is that if I take on a regular MBA, I would suffer opportunity cost for not only lost income, but also career momentum. I would be positioned against 27 years old new grad when I get out of the school. Overall, it just does not make sense from a financial and career management perspective.

Any top MBA or executive MBA programs are well worth the time and investment. In the end, this is the door opener, not the end point. The key is ponder carefully on what you want to get out of the study and experience, and pick the right program accordingly.

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