I received my MBA from a very prestigious business school around 6 years back. Prior to that, I was employed in consulting with a big firm. The MBA allowed me to transition into product management at a well-known tech company.
However, I’m starting to question if it was worth it. When I look at my team, the majority of them do not hold impressive degrees. My boss only has an undergraduate degree from a regular state university, and several teammates graduated from less recognized institutions.
Interestingly, some of the top product managers here were once software engineers without any graduate education. Others transitioned into product from sales or support roles. Their educational backgrounds appear less distinguished compared to mine.
It’s a bit disheartening because I put in a lot of effort to achieve good grades, excel on standardized tests, and gain admission to a top MBA program. I invested two years and a significant amount of money into this degree, but it doesn’t offer me a noticeable advantage over coworkers who followed different career paths.
People often make light-hearted remarks about how we share the same position despite our varying educational histories. Though they mean it humorously, it makes me feel a bit uncomfortable.
I believe in other fields like investment banking or consulting, having a high-profile MBA still carries more weight. Yet in tech, it appears that what truly matters are performance and outcomes. Has anyone else had a similar experience?
your MBA matters more than you think. day-to-day work? nobody cares. but when promotions come up or you’re job hunting, that degree opens doors others can’t crack. i’ve watched smart people get passed over for director roles because they lack the paper credibility you have.
I totally relate to your feelings about the MBA. After wrapping up my Wharton MBA in 2018, I thought it would be a game changer, but it turns out, it was more of a stepping stone for me. That degree helped me leap from finance into product management—something I probably wouldn’t have accomplished without it. Sure, my team doesn’t focus on our alma maters, but that MBA opened the door for me to even be here. Plus, the connections I’ve made during those two years are invaluable, even if they don’t directly reflect in my day-to-day work. Don’t think of it as wasted time; it was your ticket into this competitive field!
The MBA paradox in tech is totally real - you’re seeing something that happens across the industry. Tech companies don’t care about credentials like traditional corporate environments do. They want to see what you’ve actually accomplished. But here’s the thing: would you have landed that first PM role without your MBA? That degree probably got you in the door when you were switching from consulting.
What’s happening now is just how merit-driven environments work. Your MBA gave you credibility to break in, but staying successful comes down to execution and strategic thinking. The skills you picked up - analytical frameworks, strategic planning, managing stakeholders - they’re still valuable even if your coworkers don’t call them out.
Don’t see this as your degree losing value. You’ve made it into a culture that cares about performance over credentials. Your education paid off by letting you pivot careers, and now you’re competing with everyone else based purely on what you deliver.
Your MBA got you into tech PM - now you’re holding your own with everyone else. That’s huge progress and shows you’ve got real talent!