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[Dan Caugherty <caffeine1 AT nc.rr.com>]

Hey all --

> I find one consistent theme between b-school and law school, however.  
> The students who go
> for the degree with the primary purpose of getting a "ticket" to some 
> sort of high-paying
> career path do not usually have an optimal experience.  They get their 
> ticket without an
> understanding of what they're doing and what they really want.  If you 
> go with an
> intellectual curiousity, an open mind, a sense of the value in the 
> journey and a
> willingness to follow where things lead, any good academic program 
> will change
> your life for the better.

Well, I'm contemplating this pursuit seriously (my wife is already in
Kenan-Flagler's EMBA program) and I'd strongly support everything in
this post.  The self-defeating attitude (degree = money) described above
can be seen not only in MBA students, but many undergrads as well.
It's best illustrated by a tired old joke:

An obnoxious guy walks into a diner and yells at the waitress, "Yo, 
lady,
make me a cheeseburger."  The waitress looks him in the eye and says,
"Okay: Poof, you're a cheeseburger", and walks away.

Many folks in degree programs look at their educational pursuits the
same way:  Make me a doctor, make me a lawyer.  They often don't attempt
learning for its own sake, and usually end up feeling frustrated after
X number of years.  Not surprisingly, a lot of people at K-F start out
obsessing about grades, only to abandon that train of thought by the
beginning of their 2nd year.  They realize that UNC won't make them a
project manager, or a marketing guru, or any other "cheeseburger".

I for one am finding that being technically astute is great, and that 
tech
is still a lot of fun.  But without a knowledge of business, I not only 
have
no chance of career advancement, but also no broad view of how my work
contributes to the larger organization as a whole.  And (no shocker 
here)
the best technical managers have a firm understanding of both realms,
and are far and away the most fun to work with.


l8r,

+--Dan Caugherty ------------caffeine1 AT nc.rr.com------+
|  "It's a shame that a family can be ripped apart    |
|       by something as simple as wild dogs."         |
+-----------------------------------------------------+