Do Techies Need an M.B.A?

While many IT professionals pursue an MBA in order to get promoted in a better position in the future that includes the post of Vice President, CFO , or a CEO . However, one must definitely understand that it’s not a compulsion to acquire an MBA degree in order to excel in career as many top CEOs say that MBA degree is not necessarily a ticket to success. One should also keep in mind that only one percent of the total IT jobs for engineers require MBA and interestingly the majority of the CEO’s of top IT companies do not have an MBA degree. According to Mansi Tiwari of “The Economic Times” the CEO is not only responsible to ensure profits for all shareholders, but should have the ability to fix problems, tap new markets, bring cutting edge ideas to the table, and lead cross-cultural teams. At the same time a CEO should be passionate, empathetic, sharp and inspirational. "MBA's are losing some relevance as they become more and more 'easy' to obtain. With the proliferation of opportunities to get this credential we are seeing it as more of a nice to have but not a stand out requirement” says Mickey Matthews, VP, North America, Stanton Chase International, the global headhunter. Adding on the argument, Avneesh Raghuvanshi, one of the Partner of DKR Daulet-Singh, the CEO search firm says ,   "An MBA degree is useful but not necessarily a decisive factor, the most stressed upon areas are prior experience and leadership abilities".