Neil Hopcroft

A digital misfit

Talking to Grandi again this evening has reminded me that I was going to investigate taking an MBA. This is deeply foolish given the current state of the British economy, but hey you gotta keep yourself busy somehow.

Anyone here done an MBA? Or other management course? Was it worthwhile? Would I benefit from it?


Categories: Memories.

/ 9 Comments

9 comments

  1. susanofstohelit

    I’m going to be applying for an MBA program (to start fall 2006).

    i know companies in the US value them, for management-type staff. in terms of my career goals, it makes a lot of sense, especially since I don’t have a finance background.

    but they’re not the most valuable for everyone.

    Reply
    • neilh

      My aim is to run a startup company (or series of companies, if it comes to it) – some I’m not intending to climb the usual management tree, but rather make myself a credible manager in the eyes of investors.

      Ideally I wouldn’t need investment, so it would be redundant for its primary purpose, but I’m sure I’d learn something while I was doing it, and I would aim to pick up some contacts while I was there.

      Reply
      • sciamachy

        It would at the very least provide you with a useful safety net of being able to walk into a management position in pretty much any blue-chip firm should your startup be a non-starter.

        Reply
  2. pjc50

    I haven’t, but I know someone who went off to do a Cranfield MBA/Phd program and spoke very highly of it.

    Re: your startup idea, it seems to me that successful startups usually have one business guy and one techie guy who communicate really well at the core. I’m not sure why, maybe it’s to do with perspective.

    Reply
    • neilh

      I’d like to think of myself as the techie in such a pair, but one of my problems is making contacts – I’m fine communicating with other techies but have difficulty finding business people I can build that kind of rapport with. Not even sure where to start looking to be honest…

      Reply
      • kantti

        Maybe if you spend lots and lots of time in a room full of people taking an MBA you’d just naturally meet some? After all, if everybody else finds their spouses at uni, you should be able to find someone to get into bed with.

        Reply
        • neilh

          There are questions of priorities and, perhaps more importantly, windows of opportunity. I’ve got a few ideas floating around in my head which haven’t got big windows so I gotta kick something off soon otherwise they don’t go anywhere. But I need more backing than I have right now to be able to do that – more contacts needed.

          Of course the more single cute dynamic females there are the better from my point of view, but thats not my main objective.

          Reply
  3. neilh

    Yeah, I figured it was something relevant to where I’m going with my career, though I’m not a typical management-want-more-money type, I’m approaching more from the strategy game point of view where the markets are a system which need to be overcome rather than necessarily a source of great wealth. I’d rather have fun than earn lots of money – but if I can do both, then why not?

    Not recruiting just yet…

    Reply

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