January 20, 2016
For some students in the Entrepreneurship class, the decision to either pursue their entrepreneurial ideas or an MBA, right after graduation can sometimes be a daunting one. A delegation from the IE Business School joined Ashesi’s Entrepreneurship class to lead a discussion on making an informed decision in this regard. The talk was led by Professor Simon Gifford, Strategy Professor at IE Business school.
According to Dr. Sena Agyepong, Entrepreneurship lecturer, the talk was necessary to help students who are on the verge of graduating to think broadly about their career paths. “Students may think that because they are excited about entrepreneurship the best decision is to immediately start a business right after school,” she said. “However the decision to either pursue an MBA or an entrepreneurial idea should be informed by their career paths. The talk was important because it helped to position students the right way.”
In a largely interactive session, students and lecturers alike shared their views on the decision between pursuing entrepreneurship or an MBA right out of college. Professor Gifford also shared some fundamental advantages for both the MBA perspective and that of the entrepreneur. “In analyzing a problem, entrepreneurs usually find a range of different possibilities they could explore while an MBA mindset is able to quickly hone in on one area to solve, using a range of skills they have,” he said.
For Alan Neequaye ’16 who already combines a music profession with his schoolwork, the talk helped reinforce some of his plans. “I was able to jot down some pertinent points that I can use in pursuing my entrepreneurship final project,” he said. “After listening to all that was said, I’ll most likely work for a while as an entrepreneur to gain some experience before doing my MBA.”
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