Kazim:
An MBA is not a walk in the park. You will learn hard technical skills in Economics, Finance, and Business that a graduate degree in Economics will not teach you. Learning abstract ideas in mathematical language is not going to make you smarter, just less prepared for what you want to achieve.
Also, if you think you should not work for someone else but start your own business, then you need business school. If you choose not to start your own business but work for someone else, you will have less trouble finding a job that you like.
You might enjoy the two years of graduate school in terms of curriculum and your aptitude, but after you leave the confines of the academic world, life in the real world will be less fulfilling.
Amin:
I didn't realise this was an ambush! I was thinking more along the lines of an Argument Clinic scenario.
However, since you bring up the point. I have no illusions as to the MBA being easy- I'm sure it's a spectacularly challenging experience. But the issue is about what I want to achieve. The more I think about it, the more attractive a life in academia seems. I think it would suit me. I like living a relaxed life, spending my time thinking and learning rather than running around dealing with real world problems. Plus I think I'd enjoy teaching.
Of course, if at any point I realise things arent working out, and that I dont have what it takes to make it in the world of academia - a strong possibility, I must confess - I can always shift gears, put on a suit and jump into the fast lane and apply for an MBA. 30 is the cutoff date for that plan. But I have to give plan A a serious shot first!
And make me an admin on this so I can edit your posts.
Kazim:
You always went for the "Shoot the Moon" option, didn't you?
Fact is... academia is exceptionally hard to get into. Are you planning to teach in the US, Canada, UK or Pakistan?
Amin:
Well, I always idealized it, didn't go for it, and regretted not going for it. That's the pattern so far, lets see if we can change that.
And you know I'm going to have to end up in Pakistan.
Kazim:
Having a dream is great. In fact, that's what you should have. But I think you're idealizing the wrong field. Combine your passion for academia and civic responsibility and go the way of BK and UCL. Open Pakistan's first truly prep school.
Get a master's and/or a Ph.D. in Education/Teaching/School Administration/Public Administration, and then start your own school. Running a school would be better than toiling away in academia in several ways - first, you'll find it satisfying to run a program that focuses on building ethical leaders for tomorrow. You can indoctrinate students with some patriotism, ethics, morals, civic responsibility, etc. Second, you get to run a business in Lahore and make some money. In Pakistan, its a foolproof business.
P.S. I'm liking this system of discussion less and less. I want something that notifies my that you've updated the post. Like Google Docs. But I want it as a blog that we can post online.
Amin:
You shut up. You try to confuse! (Remember kickdog?)
Well, that's MBA out anyway. At the moment I'm just going to get my diploma, get my academic record up and then think again about what I'm going to do. I thought Economics was a safer option considering my lack of entrepreneurial skills. These degrees youre mentioning seem much more risky in terms of jobs. But I'll start thinking about it once I'm done with my diploma.
I understand what you're saying about the format. One thing we can do it switch it around? Put the reply on top? And look into the options on the blog. Maybe there are notifications we can enable?
An MBA is not a walk in the park. You will learn hard technical skills in Economics, Finance, and Business that a graduate degree in Economics will not teach you. Learning abstract ideas in mathematical language is not going to make you smarter, just less prepared for what you want to achieve.
Also, if you think you should not work for someone else but start your own business, then you need business school. If you choose not to start your own business but work for someone else, you will have less trouble finding a job that you like.
You might enjoy the two years of graduate school in terms of curriculum and your aptitude, but after you leave the confines of the academic world, life in the real world will be less fulfilling.
Amin:
I didn't realise this was an ambush! I was thinking more along the lines of an Argument Clinic scenario.
However, since you bring up the point. I have no illusions as to the MBA being easy- I'm sure it's a spectacularly challenging experience. But the issue is about what I want to achieve. The more I think about it, the more attractive a life in academia seems. I think it would suit me. I like living a relaxed life, spending my time thinking and learning rather than running around dealing with real world problems. Plus I think I'd enjoy teaching.
Of course, if at any point I realise things arent working out, and that I dont have what it takes to make it in the world of academia - a strong possibility, I must confess - I can always shift gears, put on a suit and jump into the fast lane and apply for an MBA. 30 is the cutoff date for that plan. But I have to give plan A a serious shot first!
And make me an admin on this so I can edit your posts.
Kazim:
You always went for the "Shoot the Moon" option, didn't you?
Fact is... academia is exceptionally hard to get into. Are you planning to teach in the US, Canada, UK or Pakistan?
Amin:
Well, I always idealized it, didn't go for it, and regretted not going for it. That's the pattern so far, lets see if we can change that.
And you know I'm going to have to end up in Pakistan.
Kazim:
Having a dream is great. In fact, that's what you should have. But I think you're idealizing the wrong field. Combine your passion for academia and civic responsibility and go the way of BK and UCL. Open Pakistan's first truly prep school.
Get a master's and/or a Ph.D. in Education/Teaching/School Administration/Public Administration, and then start your own school. Running a school would be better than toiling away in academia in several ways - first, you'll find it satisfying to run a program that focuses on building ethical leaders for tomorrow. You can indoctrinate students with some patriotism, ethics, morals, civic responsibility, etc. Second, you get to run a business in Lahore and make some money. In Pakistan, its a foolproof business.
P.S. I'm liking this system of discussion less and less. I want something that notifies my that you've updated the post. Like Google Docs. But I want it as a blog that we can post online.
Amin:
You shut up. You try to confuse! (Remember kickdog?)
Well, that's MBA out anyway. At the moment I'm just going to get my diploma, get my academic record up and then think again about what I'm going to do. I thought Economics was a safer option considering my lack of entrepreneurial skills. These degrees youre mentioning seem much more risky in terms of jobs. But I'll start thinking about it once I'm done with my diploma.
I understand what you're saying about the format. One thing we can do it switch it around? Put the reply on top? And look into the options on the blog. Maybe there are notifications we can enable?
