meetingI frequently get asked why I went ahead and got myself a Masters in Business Administration (MBA).  It never occurred to me until this started to happen quite often that it would strike Information Technology (IT) Professionals as an unusual or questionable choice.  Honestly, I think that it was one of the smartest choices that I ever made concerning my career and for that reason, it is something that I highly recommend to others in our profession.

Here are my reasons why I think that it was  a brilliant idea:

First, it immersed me in the vocabulary of the business side of information technology.  I am never at a loss in any type of business meeting or conversation.

Second, it exposed me to methods of strategic analysis and thought that are very uncommon in the enterprise IT world.  So much so that I think this is one of the key hurdles for most CIOs to overcome.

Third, it gave me a true appreciation for the purely financial part of business operations.  When people say things like, “It’s not personal… it’s business…” I now completely “get it”.  Plus as a bonus, I am virtually immune from the pseudo-money talk that so many IT consultants like to use to explain why their new product or serve will “save my organization money”!

Fourth, as information technology services continue to get commoditized and managing them vice enabling them becomes the role of the IT pro, I really think that the highest paying IT jobs will become much more “MBA-like” in character and a lot less technical.

Finally, it truly opened my eyes to how differently the CFO/COO/CEO/CMO see the world from the way that most CIOs do.  Their bare bones, numbers-based approach to business decision making is really quite a bit different from the entitlement-based, good vs. evil methods that I so frequently encounter in the information technology world.

So those were my reasons for pursuing an MBA vice advanced IT certifications or degrees.  Each must make their own choices and only time will tell if mine was the best path to follow.

What do you think about this?  What certifications or degrees have been most helpful for your career?  What do you think that your next career milestone will be like?

That is my Information Technology Thought of the Day (ITTOD) for July 27,  2009 ©Scott Coughlin

Image Credit: Tatar Consulting

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