Hello forum

I did an MBA in my 20s at a strong school in the region. It served me very well, the results were positive.

Now, years later life has changed.

I am a Latin entrepreneur and I am 40 years old.
I have also worked in entrepreneurship, strategy and digital marketing consulting.

I have started my own business and help friends to start their businesses.
My work life is not working for someone else, I am not interested in consulting companies or banking companies.

I am interested in entrepreneurship and being a strategist in my business.

I have thought about an Executive MBA, face-to-face, blended or online at a second tier school.

As an entrepreneur I would say I don't need such a fancy brand, or career service, I don't need to impress the job market.

But I do want to improve my management skills, learn about international business and upgrade my IT skills.

I want a good quality, branded school with some international influence.

The top ones I usually don't, because I think I would be paying for things I won't use, plus what I save I invest in business.

So I am considering EADA, because of the influence of Spanish schools in Latin America. Of course, schools like ESADE and IE attract me but ..... the price is high for the economic context in the region and I repeat I will not use career services.

However, you are the experts and experienced, I ask you:

Do you consider that a school like EADA is in line with my thinking?
What other similar schools would you recommend?
At 40 years of age is it worthwhile to go back to school? especially considering that I am already an MBA? or is it better to learn from the business?

I'm not sure your goals are specific enough for anyone to say that EADA is the right option for you. From your goals, you say you want skills rather than impressive brands, but then your focus on EADA is that Spanish education has brand equity in Latin America. Many schools have some brand equity and, as you can see from América Economía, EADA isn't in the top tier. I'm not sure why EADA would be a better option than the Boston, Illinois or Warwick distance MBA or the Harvard ALM. Those schools are bigger brands in most of Latin America and will be better quality for a similar price (if you use the MicroMasters path into Harvard)

Stuart, thanks for the reply.

My goal is to grow my business and be able to do international business, eventually become an angel investor, similar to a shark tank.
I don't want a job, they are very low paying in my region and I was employed for over 15 years. It's just not worth it.
I would like an Executive MBA program that emphasizes management skills and updating those topics that have evolved in the last few years.
And looking at the EADA program, I liked it.


The Boston University (Questrom) option seems very good to me, thanks for reminding me about it, but it is the classic format (marketing, finance, operations, etc) and I don't want more of the same...... if I were 20 years old again would be a great option.
but that's the idea, to get other options from you.


on the other hand, the America Economía ranking is good in its Latin American version, but I don't trust it in its global version.... it doesn't represent the reality of an average person....... for example, Stanford, Harvard or MIT are great, but paying more than 200k and going back to the region is financial suicide.... the exceptions are that you are rich, have a great scholarship (80% or more), or the company pays for the MBA .

People then go for the European options, and Spain is their first choice because of the language.


What gets me thinking is the perception of the brand.... for example EADA I don't know how they see it in Europe, but let's keep in mind that it has several tough competitors around it.
If EADA were in Latin America, it would reach the podium in the medium term. Of course, it would be the same case with Boston University (Questrom).


On the other hand, there is a lot of ignorance in the market about business school brands in Latin America...... people in the business world know the big global brands like MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Cambridge and Oxford.... maybe NYU and Columbia.... but that's all.

People, including the people in the business process, know the big global brands like MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Cambridge and Oxford but that's all.People, including people in recruitment processes, headhunters in even large companies don't know about business schools, and if they do, they don't care much about it.
Except for fans of business schools and mba, who are interested in the subject.
So in Latin America, schools like Chicago Booth, Yale SOM, Columbia, Haas, INSEAD, IESE, LBS or any other top school are in the same boat as non-top schools.
So it is easy and common to find Latinos deciding whether to study at EUDE or IEP or Nebrija or ENAE, or ESADE or IE or IESE..... sounds crazy, doesn't it?
What I see in EADA is that it is a good option (not top), but valid for the market where I live.
But I insist on the question, what other similarly positioned options could be valid for an Executive MBA program?

Actually My first choice was the Executive MBA blended version at IE Business School.
I like ESADE's Executive MBA program better, but I can't be away from home and business for that long.
But EADA in Latin America can compete.

Your reply makes me think that you have a bit of confirmation bias. I appreciate that the EADA MBA has more exciting names for classes, but every internationally-accredited MBA teaches marketing, finance and operations, even if at EADA they call them creating market value, strategic finance and tech and supply chain innovation.

You don't seem to consider that you might be better educated from a better school, have more network power and that the added improvement in your actions would create enough value to justify that. Looking at LinkedIn to compare the profiles of Latin American alumni Chicago Booth, Yale SOM, Columbia, Haas, INSEAD, IESE, LBS I see that you are mistaken to think that they are in the same position of as non-top schools. I compared 45,000 MBA graduates in Perú (picked at random) with the alumni of those schools in the same country. 46% of people with those international MBAs are director level or above, compared to 27% of all MBAs in the country and 26% of EADA MBAs there. under 5% of the whole are owners or partners, compared to 11% of the peer schools you mentioned, and under 5% of EADA alumni in Perú. 

It does not sound crazy to me that a high-quality MBA can increase your value by over 3% more a year, or that people with less money does feel brave enough to make big investments in themselves. Compounded, a 3% increase more than doubles your value over a 25 year career. A 10% improvement increases your value over 1000%. However, EADA does not seem to be better than a Peruvian school.

No-one is suggesting you drop $200k on two years in the USA, but there are many online options in the same price range as EADA, $25k to $35k, like Boston MBA, Illinois, MBA, INCAE masters, Harvard ALM with MIT Micromasters. Even Warwick and IE, ranked top online MBAs, are $50k to $60k. 

Hello Duncan
Thank you for your response.
I think it is a misunderstanding. I will try to explain again.

1. I did an MBA many years ago. I am an entrepreneur and businessman. I am now in my 40's. I am not looking for a job.

2. I recognize that I need to improve my management skills, international business and information technology.

3. I do not want a classical program. I prefer an Executive MBA program, online or blended would be fine for my activities.

4. I was attracted to the EADA program, but I am asking for more options, both in price range and quality.

5. Thank you for the alternatives proposed by you and Stuart. I will keep them in mind.

5. I tried to describe how the Latin American market thinks, feels and acts. It is not what I consider, but how this market works......Europe must be different.

6. For example, I have been to INCAE, and I really recommend it, but the problem is that people don't know it....... If we are in Buenos Aires, CDMX, Sao Paulo or Bogota and you say you went to INCAE..... people will say "What?...what is that?"........INCAE is in our continent, now imagine if it were something farther away.

7. I mean, it is a market with different rules. And the first thing is that people don't know most of the brands...... as people don't know the brands, so they don't see differences between them.

8. The market values education in the USA and Europe, but does not consider big differences between brands........ for example, a Latino will not say "I studied at LBS or Insead"..... A Latino will say "I studied in the UK or France"... Why?....because he knows that people will not understand him, so he says the country, not the school.

9. Sure, there are alumni from top schools, but they have a different life context.....their success does not depend on the school.

10. If I went to a top school in the USA or Europe and came back to look for a job, no one would care about the school, only about the language I learned and the international experience.

11. That's why when studying, Latinos usually go with the clear intention of emigrating.

12. Sorry for the long post, I really like the topic .... and I talk a lot about it ..... but it is worth to know how each market works.

13. In any case I appreciate your recommendations and I will investigate them in detail.

14. I am well aware that a top school would open up an international market for me, and I am aware that you and Stuart's advice is intended to do just that, thank you.

It seems that your view is that the better outcomes from better programmes are not the result of better education and stronger alumni networks, but because those people were already successful. On the other hand, it seems that you want a brand on your resume. Why do you want a brand on your resume if you think these degrees do not create different outcomes? 

I am the owner of my own company. I don't have a resume. I don't need it anymore. (thank God).
But I do need good quality education and internationalization, and it is usually associated with business schools with a strong brand name.
I would also like to live the experience....and some ego....and why not? you only live once.
In any case I proposed EADA and similar options, in a combination of a little bit of quality and a little bit of brand.
The only thing is at my 40's and in my professional context.... I don't know if an Executive MBA is right for me.... sometimes schools have other types of programs.

[Edited by Josegp on Mar 29, 2021]

I think you want a big brand executive development program that gives you full alumni status. like
https://www.exed.hbs.edu/leadership-development/
https://executive.mit.edu/course/executive-program-in-general-management/a056g00000URaZZAA1.html [Better value, as it's aimed at Latin America]


Or, some strong US MBA options delivered with corsortia of Latin schools :
https://executivo.fia.com.br/americas-mba/
postgradouchile.cl/programa/mba/mba-for-the-americas/

[Edited by StuartHE on Mar 30, 2021]

Thanks Stuart
they look really interesting and maybe they are more appropriate for me, I will check them out carefully, thanks!!!!

This might interest you too: https://www.elblogsalmon.com/desarrollo-personal/mba-pesimo-tu-curriculum-senal-que-eres-persona-que-toma-malas-decisiones-entrevista-a-duncan-chapple 

Thank you Duncan
I have read this article several times, I didn't realize it was you.
I did my first MBA in my 20's, at a university with AMBA certification.... but it was a long time ago..... I think that program is more valid as "master in management" (because of its course plan). But it worked a lot during this time.
For example, I didn't celebrate the degree....I was signing my new contract and they needed me to have graduated to sign....good story.
Sadly in Latin America it is easy to fall into a bad MBA, we are invaded by misleading advertising.
You won't believe it..... they sell mba programs in groupon and cuponatic!!!....obviously with horrible quality, and several students think they made a good deal.
that's why I like these international forums, where there are experts who express objective opinions far from advertising.

I like Stuart's options, especially the Vanderbilt-FIA degree, since the Brazil classes can be taken online.

You won't believe it..... they sell mba programs in groupon and cuponatic!!!....obviously with horrible quality, and several students think they made a good deal.

Exactly Laurie, exactly.

But Latin America is a market with very special particularities that need to be analyzed carefully.
Sometimes people make decisions lightly, but sometimes their decision is the product of an analysis.
I think it is a matter of deciding which school is best for me, my personality, my personal life, my professional goals .... and especially in which school I fit best.
And the result of that personal analysis often defies brands and rankings.