As IT professionals, we all will consider and take actions, at some point of time, to “invest” in our careers. So after I read the following interesting article a while ago, “8 Ideal Jobs for M.B.A Grads”, I think it is a good topic for a blog.

In the article, DBA is ranked as the #1 ideal job for an MBA graduate. I have no idea whether this is true or not as I was and am still a DBA before and after my MBA study, i.e. I never worked in two different types of jobs to allow me to fairly assess whether my current DBA job (with an MBA degree) is better than another one.

However, I do know what kind of benefits I have gained from my MBA experience. I can quickly summarize my “difference” in my DBA work after my MBA study. Having read/worked on hundreds of case studies in the MBA program, I am

1. more likely to “case-fy” daily issues to ensure I can apply the same solution to similar cases in future.

2. more likely to consider ROI when designing a solution

3. more likely to “market” my own and the whole DBA team’s work to stakeholders

4. more likely to analyze problems against “established models” to look for solutions.

My personal thinking is that everything in the world has similarities from the “problem /solution” perspective. MBA study can give one a systematic training in approaching complex problems with those “tried and proved” solution framework to the extent that one will “unconsciously” design the solution with many evaluation criteria in mind, such as ROI, efficiency, sustainability and responsibility for stakeholders etc so that one can easily defend the proposed solution when necessary and if needed.

To me, MBA study is not the best investment from ROI perspective, but it is the best in terms of efficiency as it quickly trains and force me to have the habit of critical thinking  which benefits all areas of my DBA work.