<p>since my dad can't give me a straight answer, I'll have to ask here. by the way my dad's an engineer and everytime I ask him this he says "they do nothing, they just sit around and talk". He also says that in the corporation, there's a glass ceiling for him because he's Asian. But anyways, what does an MBA do really, because I'm considering a engineering + MBA route.</p>
<p>There isn’t a specific job for MBA’s. Generally most people who pursue MBA’s are in mid to upper management in any division. But there are lots of MBA’s working under people who don’t have one, so it’s not like a MBA guarantees you a better job.</p>
<p>One more thing, I think a lot of times glass ceilings aren’t exactly related to race, but more or less to who you are allied with. A lot of people move up in companies in tight groups, and a lot of times they’ll move in groups to other companies.</p>
<p>Your dad is an engineer. MBA’s tend to be in management. You need more than technical skills to move up the ranks. Don’t take this as an insult to your dad, just MBA’s typically go into leadership roles. </p>
<p>MBA’s specialize so you really cannot say they do one job or another. It also depends on the school you go to. An MBA from Harvard might be in finance. An MBA from Georgia Tech might work in a mid level management role. A health care focused MBA might work in the pharmaceutical industry. All depends. </p>
<p>Right now I would focus on your undergraduate degree and work some. MBA’s typically require 4-5 years work experience. The degree itself is not terribly hard, but you learn a lot of soft skills and after being out of work for 4-5 years, it is a nice refresher.</p>
<p>“leadership” - what does that actually mean in the workplace? It’s clear that in college admisisons, leadership is just another bs word that doesn’t have much to do with anything besides being president of numerous clubs/captain of varsity sports.</p>
<p>Leadership means position of authority where you manage other people and help promote and craft the company culture. Management is just that, managing people. Leading people is about motivating, creating passion and drive, etc. </p>
<p>I think leadership skills are important at all levels. It shows drive and initiative. Life is easy when you sit back and let others run the show. Being able to get in front and take charge is pretty tough.</p>
<p>How is taking charge by telling others what to do (along with motivating them, creating passion and other bs), pretty tough? It’s easy to sit back and run the show without doing the actual work for the show, but its harder to be the person working under managment.</p>
<p>Managers typically work more hours than lower level employees. Further, they often have to make hard choices, deal with any problems that arise and typically answer to their boss.</p>
<p>ripemango: My young one, it is very hard to be in management. It is a very sensitive position, not to mention you ALWAYS have someone else above you that you need to report to. It’s quite a difficult job when you are pulled in many directions at once.</p>
<p>Yeah, being an effective manager is not easy. Many people try, few succeed.</p>
<p>Not to mention the amount of legal liability that top executives face.</p>