The Right Time to do an MBA

Australian Financial Review, BOSS June 2001 p. 51

Andrew Horsley, Director, Horsley & Company, Executive search consultancy.

Generally speaking, here is a 10-year window for the MBA, between the ages of 26 and 36, and this can be narrowed further to between 27 and 31. There needs to be reasonable commercial experience alongside the MBA and, b the age of 32, candidates should have a price on their heads. In their mid-30s the MBA is going to help to set that value; after 40, I'd have to query its value. After 50, you'd only do it if you were a dilettante or for general curiosity.

Those in their late 30s with freshly minted MBAs can reasonably expect a change in career dimension. Predictably the new qualification will help them into the next job, but beyond that what counts is performance. It is not a golden bullet solution for career doubt. There are marginal types who will always be marginal types, and there is no guarantee that an MBA will alter other's perceptions. The risk is acquiring a level of self-belief that is not warranted. A good MBA, however, can spark curiosity that leads to other levels of interest. It has a brief halo effect.

A bright, young person with freshly minted MBA from any one of 10 major Australian business schools has a gloss, but there is not predestination by degree. Local students should look to schools with good international links.

The questions that immediately come to mind with MBAs are why, when and where? Somewhere between a quarter and a third of the candidates I am dealing with have one.

At 35, the qualification is recommended but it is not a showstopper. Many will use them to broaden their career options beyond the original level of expertise, to acquire the tools for the next stage of their career.

To be an international management consultant in your mid-30s, it helps to have an internationally recognised MBA, but for many roles it is not essential. The right technical skills for the role along with a basic degree may count for more.