thedudeabides wrote:
This is certainly an interesting (and timely) thread. Working in the healthcare field, there's a constant acknowledgment of the paucity of doctors (and their pain in providing care). MBAs are not generally frowned upon, but are seen as the people who "manage" and don't necessarily contribute to the creative motor of research and implementation. In addition to that, there is some consensus that MBAs manufactured much of this financial miasma and those with bar- and board-certified positions, viz. JDs and MDs, are unsoiled (at least that's what I get a gentle earful about). Or how about my friend who told me that I should major in "Corporate Financial Handshaking?"
Anyone else here read Atlas Shrugged? (probably my favorite book) That paragraph immediately made me think of that book's premise. Spoiler Alert, but its basically a story of how the creative and original people of the world, the innovators, completely withdraw from society due to how they feel they are underappreciated and being leeched on by managers and beaureaucrats, and society starts to collapse as a result.
That said, there's a reason MBA programs are only 30% or w/e people who majored in business undergrad. I think there's plenty of creative people who are applying to MBA programs as well - I've seen a lot of 'creative' people in my line of work who are perfect to have on a research team, but to lead it? My response to those 'unsoiled's' would be that an MBA can also complement rather than replace.