Monica O'Brien is the author of the book Social Pollination: Escape the Hype of Social Media and Join the Companies Winning At It. The book is a step-by-step guide for small and mid-sized businesses that want to find more customers effectively. Get the book:

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Graduate School

Women MBAs Should Consider Hiring a Cook. Or a Maid. Maybe Even a Nanny.

By Monica O'Brien on April 1st in Careers 3 comments

So everyone I know is going to read the article about higher divorce rates for female MBA’s (Hat Tip: Brazen Careerist) sometime this week and I feel obligated to write about it, even though the numbers in the article will bother me until the study itself is published. Here’s an overview of the study’s claims:

  • Education Level for Females – Divorced or Separated
    • 12% MBAs (business)
    • 10% JDs (law)
    • 9% medical degrees
    • 11% only bachelor’s degrees
  • Education Level for Males – Divorced or Separated
    • 5% MBAs
    • 7% JDs
    • 5.1% medical degrees
    • only bachelor’s degrees not given

The first question I have is the statistical significance between women MBA divorcees (12%) and women w/only undergrad divorcees (11%). The article doesn’t list the details of the study, but there is a range of error for both these percentages due to the sample population. If that value is 1% or more for either (say women MBA divorcees are actually in the range of 10-12%), then comparing the two is moot. What makes these statistics more suspect is that both law and med. female graduates have a lower divorce rate than women with only undergrad degrees.

My second issue is that the author doesn’t compare these stats to all women, and studies show that women with any higher ed. degree are less likely to get divorced than those without.

So if there isn’t much of a difference between undergrad vs. grad degrees, and there is still a huge difference between no degree and any higher ed. degree, then getting a graduate degree is still a fine idea for a woman. Between these two issues, it’s doubtful that getting an MBA as a woman is an automatic marriage death sentence. My gut tells me it has little statistical significance actually; but I guess we’ll see when the study is published.

And yes, I have a third issue. For MBAs, the author fails to mention that the actual number of women and men getting divorced is about the same. With roughly 30% of MBA candidates as women, the number of MBA divorcees is about 7% total, with half men and half women. What’s interesting is in law and med programs, women make up roughly 45-50% of the population, so the disparity is much clearer there; though the gap between women and men is much smaller than with MBA graduates.

Despite disliking the way the study is portrayed, I do think there is some truth to the conclusions the author presented; namely that highly successful women are attracted to similarly successful men but might be better matched with men who have less stressful careers and thus more time to support a high-earning spouse.

This is not representative of all professional “high-earning” women, but every female MBA I know falls into one of two categories: “single” or “serious relationship with highly successful man.” My friends date dentists, lawyers, their fellow MBA candidates, or PhD candidates from other fields. My own husband is going to be an eye doctor.

But this partnership is difficult when trying to run a household, even without kids. My husband and I know we’re being pulled in different directions trying to balance two careers and the possibility of a family in the distant future; so we recently decided we each need to compromise on one thing until we finally meet somewhere in the middle. The first thing I asked of him was that he support my career decisions and trust me to make good financial choices while still following my entrepreneur dreams.

He asked that I cook at least once a week. I’m not joking. Way to waste your three wishes Aladdin.

So that’s the (impossible?) challenge for a woman who wants her dream career: conquer the world, but be home in time to start dinner. Because most men still just want wives who will take care of them the same way their mothers did (Hat Tip: Art of Manliness). And really, I can’t completely blame them, because I sometimes get irritated that I’m the sole breadwinner. It goes both ways.

Will this compromise work for us, or other couples who both want high-powered careers? I have no idea. But when posed the question: do you need an extremely supportive spouse to have a high-powered career as a woman? My answer is a resounding hell yes. I guess the article got something right in the end.

Forget About Getting a Degree – Get an Experience

By Monica O'Brien on January 31st in Education 16 comments

I was talking to Ryan Paugh (of EE fame) the other day, and we got on the subject of grad school.  He asked, “Why are you getting an MBA?  You should do a start-up.  Start-ups are the new grad school for entrepreneurs.”

Ryan Paugh is great; in fact, both Ryans are cool, at least in my experience.  But they make me laugh because they are doing a start-up without MBA degrees, so it’s hardly a shock they don’t see the value in having one as an entrepreneur.

They are right though – you don’t need an MBA to become an entrepreneur.  In fact, you don’t need an undergraduate degree to become an entrepreneur either, as proven by Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.  Heck, why even bother graduating from high school?  Ben Casnocha and Emerson Spartz started their businesses in their early teens with great success.  Both even have books out; though I noticed this didn’t stop either of them from doing a few laps of undergrad.

Despite the traces of sarcasm in my tone, here’s my admittedly biased opinion:

Maybe you do need grad school.  Maybe you don’t.  It depends on who you are, what you’ve experienced, and what your goals are.

My goal is to start a business… soon.  But not now, because I’m young and want to enjoy my early/mid twenties with a great social life in a large city.  To me, a business is a huge commitment; something you pour your life and soul into for years before it starts profiting (if it ever profits).  I can’t understand why someone would give up everything else to do that in their early twenties; but who am I to talk, when Ryan thinks it’s crazy I’m married already.  Maybe it’s not about needing guidance or needing help or not having enough passion so much as it is about personal preference.  Maybe we’re talking about the same thing – compromise.

And while an MBA provides great networking, you can also network without it.  Personally, I want to network with as many people as possible; that’s why I started this blog and started grad school.  My online network can’t compare to my grad school network or vice-versa, as they both offer different opportunities I plan to take advantage of in the future.  I choose both though, because I am able to find like-minded people both ways and discuss ideas with them – essentially, I’ve diversified my network portfolio.

Because unfortunately, people in the real world don’t care about how many subscribers your blog has unless you have the real-world skills to match it.  And just having a degree won’t get you hired – people who go for the classes and good grades have hardly any advantage over non-MBAs.  Both blogs and degrees are means, with the end result, the meat of it all, gaining knowledge and lasting connections.

People without degrees will tell you you don’t need a degree.  They have to, don’t they?  Because if they didn’t you would question their authority and credentials.  It’s defense, job security, an issue of personal branding.

People with degrees will give you mixed opinions.  “It helped me when I first graduated, but it doesn’t now.”  “It helped me with what I wanted to do, but it’s not for everyone.”  “It didn’t help me get a job, but I still use the skills every day.”  People with degrees want others to join the club; otherwise their degree loses value.

It’s a confusing mess, so stop listening to everyone else and believing their path is yours.  Know what degrees get you and what they don’t.  Forget about getting a degree; instead, get an experience that will help you reach your goals.  Maybe that’s a degree, maybe it’s a trip abroad, maybe it’s a start-up; only you will know.

9 Tips for the Top Ten MBA Wannabe

By Monica O'Brien on January 17th in Education 9 comments

After I completed undergrad, I was pretty confident I wouldn’t be back in class for awhile – but like many millennials, my day job left me yearning for more learning.

It took me awhile to decide what further education I was interested in. I tried photography, thought about organizational behavior, considered financial engineering, and soon realized I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. So I settled for business, which I’m still fairly convinced is one of the most useful and applicable subjects on the planet.

I never intended to go for a Top 10 MBA school, but when I started researching programs I fell in love with one that happened to be a Top 10. It didn’t take me long to realize there was a ton of competition and a huge online community of people talking about getting into Top 10 schools, plus a group of people who making millions of dollars on coaching and test prep services. This is likely the first of a few articles I will write about graduate school, so here are some do’s and don’ts I’ve observed that will help any Top 10 MBA wannabe navigate applicant season.

Save Your Money

Forgo test prep services and coaching. These services exist for two reasons:

  1. to make perfectly capable people feel like they need to fork over thousands of dollars to make their dreams happen
  2. to help people who don’t belong in a Top 10 MBA program fool the AdCom

If you really belong in a program, you don’t need them. Stop worrying you are not good enough and can’t get in by being yourself. You can. I know because I did, and so did my fellow students, at least the ones I informally surveyed. So please, don’t make yourself broke by hiring out these services. If there’s one thing you take away from this article, let it be that.

Reevaluate Your Goals

If your goal is to go to a Top 10 MBA school, you probably won’t get in to very many. Schools don’t want to hear that you’re interested in them because they are ranked arbitrarily on a list published by Business Week, so come up with a genuine better reason. Each school will want to know why you want to go to their school in particular, so you need to know what you want to do, why you want an MBA, and how their school is going to get you there.

It’s All About Choices

Only crazy, desperate people apply to more than three Top 10 MBA schools. With applications that take up to two months to complete, there is no way you can complete 7-8 applications in one season without doing a shitty job at all of them. You don’t need lots of applications to increase your chances. Instead, you need a few great applications to schools in which you would be a good fit for. So research your top choices and focus your efforts on 2 or 3 schools that best fit you.

Your GMAT/GPA Matters. Sort Of.

You need to hit the GMAT out of the park, which means at least a 680 or above. Other than that, a home run is a home run, whether it’s a 680 or a 780. Same goes for the GPA – 3.3 or above in undergrad is all you really need. I like to think of these two as a seesaw – if one is lacking (ie: your UGPA is a 3.0) bring the other one up a bit.

If these numbers seem unattainable for you, you should consider if a Top 10 MBA would realistically be a good fit for you. Sure, there are people who get in with lower scores, but they are few and far between and have some other huge advantage that you probably don’t have.

Once you get these two numbers situated, please stop thinking about them. Don’t waste your time trying to move from a 690 to a 720. It’s pointless. Instead, focus on your essays, which are arguably the single most important factor to getting in.

Here are two great books I used to study for the GMAT – Kaplan GMAT 800, 2007-2008 Edition (Kaplan Gmat 800), Kaplan GMAT 2008 Comprehensive Program (Kaplan Gmat)

Stop Talking About How Smart You Are, Where You Work, Who You Know, or Where you went To Undergrad

Nobody.  Cares.   Schools already have lots of students who are smart and good at math. They already have people from your Big 4 financial firm and people with parents, CEOs, bosses, and friends that also went to the school. They already have people from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Michigan, Northwestern, Pennsylvania, Brown, or wherever else you went. So stop talking about your credentials and start talking about what makes you interesting.

Forget About Talking Points and Make a Real Connection

People aren’t stupid, so unless you are a superb actor, forget about talking points in your interview. You just look like you are trying too hard, and when schools recognize this tactic they immediately think you have been coached by a professional to get into their school. This counts against you big time. The place to have talking points is the essays, so relax during the interview and focus instead on making your interviewer like you by establishing connection with them.

Get Comfy With the New York Times and Wall Street Journal

You will likely be asked a question about current events at your interview, so start reading these if you don’t already. If these two publications aren’t your cup of tea, reconsider your grad school options. You will be reading articles from them in almost every MBA class you take, so if it’s not for you, figure it out now rather than later. You can also subscribe by feed to either of these publications, which is a great way to keep up with headlines.

Know Who Your Audience Is

The AdCom committee is made up of people who love people.  Stop thinking your audience is a group of executives and start writing and talking for people who would work in your company’s human resources department. Appeal to people who like people. Write and talk about your career progress, but don’t leave out your hobbies, passions, and other things that that differentiate you.

Stop Focusing on the Numbers

Don’t leave me (or anyone else) comments about your GMAT score + Undergraduate GPA and ask me if you’re going to get in based on a 50% interview rate and a 30% acceptance rate. I don’t know. If it were that simple schools wouldn’t bother with essays, interviews, and recommendation letters. So stop focusing on the numbers, stop annoying the AdComs, stop annoying me, and spend that time instead on improving your… essays (notice the theme?).

Feel free to ask questions, and good luck on your applications!

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are my own and do not represent those of my school.  Furthermore, I don’t know you or your situation and I can’t get you into grad school. Take these tips with a spoonful of salt and apply them as you see fit.