Tek-Tips is the largest IT community on the Internet today!
Members share and learn making Tek-Tips Forums the best source of peer-reviewed technical information on the Internet!
-
Congratulations IamaSherpa on being selected by the Tek-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!
MBA or certification
- Thread starter duckyboyz
- Start date
sleipnir214
Programmer
It depends. What is it you want to do?
If your career goal includes management, I'd recommend either the MBA or a Master's degree in Management.
If you wish to widen your job prospects as a programmer, get the certification.
Want the best answers? Ask the best questions!
TANSTAAFL!!
If your career goal includes management, I'd recommend either the MBA or a Master's degree in Management.
If you wish to widen your job prospects as a programmer, get the certification.
Want the best answers? Ask the best questions!
TANSTAAFL!!
Stella740pl
Programmer
I guess, it depends on what you want to do. If you wish to break into a new to you technology, have a degree and 17 years of experience in some other technology, you would be better off with a certificate in the sought field. If you want to pursue management route/get a promotion, you should better get an advanced degree. It will still be valid long after .Net get replaced by something newer and will get you a broader range of knowlege.
screwloose
MIS
As the others have said, it depends on what you want to do. The two have very divergent goals.
There are some Universities that offer an MBA with MIS concentration that may be more in line with your goals.
I would also like to mention that an MBA will offer you many more opportunities in many other areas and has no expiration date. And the MBA will offer you challenges and allow for the growth of cognitive skills that a certificate will not give you.
There are some Universities that offer an MBA with MIS concentration that may be more in line with your goals.
I would also like to mention that an MBA will offer you many more opportunities in many other areas and has no expiration date. And the MBA will offer you challenges and allow for the growth of cognitive skills that a certificate will not give you.
sleipnir214
Programmer
As an addendum, there is no rule saying you can't get both.
Want the best answers? Ask the best questions!
TANSTAAFL!!
Want the best answers? Ask the best questions!
TANSTAAFL!!
screwloose
MIS
Mentioned previously was the option of the MBA and a Master’s in Management. The differences are fundamental.
In an MBA program you will be required to take classes in all of the functional areas of business: accounting; finance; marketing; management. You will also have an area of concentration, but the depth won’t be as great because of the functional classes.
A Master’s in a functional area gives an individual more depth in that particular area. If you know that area is exactly what you want to do, then the depth and this option may be better.
If you don’t have a background in business, say you are an electrical engineer with a BSEE, then an MBA would be a better choice. If you have a BSBA, then an MS might be the better choice.
Again, one is a focus on a functional area vs. a general business management/administration curriculum.
In an MBA program you will be required to take classes in all of the functional areas of business: accounting; finance; marketing; management. You will also have an area of concentration, but the depth won’t be as great because of the functional classes.
A Master’s in a functional area gives an individual more depth in that particular area. If you know that area is exactly what you want to do, then the depth and this option may be better.
If you don’t have a background in business, say you are an electrical engineer with a BSEE, then an MBA would be a better choice. If you have a BSBA, then an MS might be the better choice.
Again, one is a focus on a functional area vs. a general business management/administration curriculum.
- Thread starter
- #7
I'd like to do some private contracting, and stick with programming. I just need to make myself as marketable as possible. I recently worked as an independent contractor programming basically in Crystal Reports 8.5, and 9.0. I like working on 3-6 mos projects, etc. But I want to remain marketable, I've done everything from Cobol, VB, to ColdFusion.
screwloose
MIS
Also, an MS degree offers the option of a thesis and is/can be used for enrollment into a PhD program. The MBA is more practical and can probably also be thought of as a terminal degree, in the same way and EdS degree is a terminal degree.
An MBA is very general, covers lots of ground. If you're looking at general management, or interim management probably useful. Depends on what you want to do.
I'd like to do some private contracting, and stick with programming. Doesn't sound like an MBA is what you need. That said, I used mine to study Project Management, MIS and Information Management with a dissertation in Information Management in SME's - so depending on what you want to do it could be worthwhile. (And you also learn a lot about other organisational functions - always useful, if only to deflate the puffery).
An MBA is a generalist qualification. Do you want to be a generalist or a specialist?
Rosie
"Never express yourself more clearly than you think" (Niels Bohr)
I'd like to do some private contracting, and stick with programming. Doesn't sound like an MBA is what you need. That said, I used mine to study Project Management, MIS and Information Management with a dissertation in Information Management in SME's - so depending on what you want to do it could be worthwhile. (And you also learn a lot about other organisational functions - always useful, if only to deflate the puffery).
An MBA is a generalist qualification. Do you want to be a generalist or a specialist?
Rosie
"Never express yourself more clearly than you think" (Niels Bohr)
I read that the average salary for those with a .NET certification was 82k. This MCSD cert seems to carry some weight because a lot of companies are gravitating towards this architecture and there just aren't a lot of people out there with that sort of expertise. Oddly enough I am seeing a lot more positions for developers with a business background, so I wouldn't laugh at getting an MBA.
GlenJohnson
MIS
Just a thought. I know someone who was a programmer, (Not 17 yrs worth though) who had his job outsourced to India with 2 different company's. This is not to say it might have something to do with his skills, and if you're doing free-lance, it might be different. This isn't meant to lead you one direction or another, just something else to confuse you. Outsourcing will be going on for a while before the market turns around. Something to take into consideration. Good luck.
Glen A. Johnson
If you're from Northern Illinois/Southern Wisconsin feel free to join the Tek-Tips in Chicago, Illinois Forum.
TTinChicago
Johnson Computers
screwloose
MIS
I would like to retract my MBA as a terminal degree. I forgot about the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA).
Although very few get a DBA and I am not sure if it is really marketable (Universities prefer research - PhD - degrees), it is an academic option for continuing an MBA.
Although very few get a DBA and I am not sure if it is really marketable (Universities prefer research - PhD - degrees), it is an academic option for continuing an MBA.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
- Question
