Should I Learn To Code During My MBA?

For MBAs who want to work in tech when they graduate, is it worth putting in the extra effort and learning how to code? We took to the forums to find out

Tech jobs are becoming increasingly sought after, with 39% of respondents in the Graduate Management Admission Council’s Prospective Students Survey reporting their interest in the sector.

And tech companies are actively seeking MBAs. According to the Graduate Management Admission Council’s Corporate Recruiters survey, demand for MBA graduates by the industry increased 10% between 2020 and 2021.

But is an MBA enough to get you one of these top jobs in tech? If you want to stand out in a competitive jobs market, you might be wondering what other skills you could add to your arsenal—and coding is a popular choice.

Coding is a vital part of programming, development, and model creation, so, should you learn to code while doing your MBA if you want to be a top tech tycoon? BusinessBecause asked anonymous MBA grads on Reddit to weigh in.

Benefits of Learning To Code

Several members of the r/MBA Reddit community believe strongly that code is an important skill to take with you into a tech role.

But which code do they think you should learn? There are over 700 languages for computer programming and all of them can be used to perform tasks in analysis, programing, product development and more.

One user suggests learning the basics of a couple of these languages.

If you want to be able to manage a team of expert coders, then knowing the basics of the tools they are using is a valuable skill to have. If something goes wrong, you can quickly grasp the problem, and might even be able to help troubleshoot.

Another forum poster adds that Python is a useful tool to get to grips with.

A basic understanding of how to code could help you better understand the opportunities and challenges your team might encounter if you’re managing a highly technical project.

In other words, learning to code could make you a more empathetic manager in a tech career.

Why coding isn’t everything

But code isn’t everything, so long as you understand the products you’re working with.

Understanding a few coding languages can definitely be a bonus even in non-technical roles with a tech company, helping you better understand your development team. But for MBAs, it’s more important to be a good manager, and be open to learning from your team. But Whether you learn to code or not, top MBA jobs are still on offer in the tech world.

In From the Forums, we take to popular forum sites like Reddit and Quora to gather inside knowledge on what it’s really like to go through the business school journey—from application to careers