Diana Berlin wrote this comprehensive post on the MBA decision for PMs. Resonated hard . Listing down key takeaways for my conversations later.

• The MBA is completely optional and ROI is fuzzy
• It’s best understood as a bundle - a vacation, a career workshop, fancy credential, SEO boost, skill upgrade, inspiration, access, etc. To get clarity peel the bundle apart and think about which parts of the bundle you most desire.
• A good hack to arrive at the answer is actually just go through the MBA application process. Those essay questions really make you think what you want from life.
• The MBA increases your chances of a stretch assignment and low probability events. In my opinion, this impact is not clear in the short run and is completely dismissed by most people, but has solid impact in the long run . You can also achieve this with access to a good/active network from a company too. I personally have examples on both sides but there’s way more luck (or effort) needed to get this organically.

The sole point where I differed was on MBA making someone more analytical. Diana is a history major and felt she wasn’t as analytical as she wanted. So she was able to go Harvard, take relevant course , improve her analytical skills and put that annoyance behind her . I had the exact opposite experience. As engineer and geek, I used the MBA to soften my hard edges. I was forced to improve my communication skills - be it making speaking in class or making presentations . I took classes on branding, marketing, communication, and public policy; all 180 degress from my engineering background. The broader takeaway is that the MBA is like a buffet and you can use it to improve your skills and tune your profile.

The post stemmed from Diana’s experiences in the US, need a Bharat version of this.