Hi, I'm interested in hearing some feedback from the community on my unique situation. I am American but of German heritage (grew up speaking German at home).

I would now like to spend some time in Germany, and at the same time study for my MBA. Ideally, I would be interested in staying in the country for a bit of time to work.

I have a friend who did the MBA at ESMT and is now working in Berlin. He speaks very highly of the program and it's piqued my interest. However, I was hoping to get some feedback about the school from people who have an objective viewpoint. Are there any drawbacks to pursuing this MBA? Alternatives I should consider? All advice is welcome!

The high level of unemployment in Berlin, and the East broadly, is the main disadvantage. There are few traditional employers of MBAs in Berlin.

This could be an interesting discussion for you:

https://find-mba.com/board/europe/working-in-berlin-after-an-mba-55381

That said, ESMT's grads show decent career growth and salary outcomes.

What are your career goals (in terms of industry / function you'd like to be in)?

My friend is working in a well known internet / digital firm. This is the field I've been in as well and would probably stay in the space after an MBA. Not necessarily Google, Amazon, but in all honesty I would be aiming for a job in an earlier-stage firm in an interesting area like blockchain - somewhere were I could land quite highly (manager or director-level) on the ground floor.

I would ask:

- do you really need an MBA to land a job like that (and would an MBA add value to your CV, if you're looking at it from the perspective of one of these startups)
- would an MBA specifically from ESMT help you hear?

Because you're targeting early-stage firms, the typical MBA hiring routes probably would not help as much (unless maybe if they could get you ins at VC firms that invest in them...) These firms tend to value practical experience over degrees, generally speaking.