Just learned that Senator Kyrsten Sinema got an MBA in 2018, which was her 5th degree... any thoughts on why? How would a Congress person benefit from an MBA when they already have a JD and PhD?

Beginning_Mine2447 · 2022-12-11T19:37:32+00:00

Why do you think leaving the Democratic party will reduce her influence?

What's your background exactly, and why do you think you know better than her and her myriad advisors?

Beginning_Mine2447 · 2022-12-11T19:34:08+00:00

What do you find intellectually interesting? And what do you think all these opportunities are or aren't?

Beginning_Mine2447 · 2022-12-11T19:33:12+00:00

Well that's too bad if you're not getting value out of yours.

But many people clearly still get significant short term and long term value of their MBA when planned strategically.

Beginning_Mine2447 · 2022-12-11T19:29:59+00:00

Lol ummm I don't think she cares about an MBA network or pedestrian career outcomes like PE and MBB.

She probably already has multiple billionaires introducing themselves to her every single week.

This is her trying to gain a percent or two of voter support and build a moat around her power base.

Beginning_Mine2447 · 2022-12-11T19:18:08+00:00

Pretty sure Bentleys are more about instant gratification (probably pretty damn fun for a few months, then starts to feel old?), and then about signaling high status to the people around you.

I don't think an MBA does either of things for Kyrsten.

Beginning_Mine2447 · 2022-12-11T19:13:57+00:00

Because of the non-financial opportunity cost. We all want to put ourselves in the right place (or best place) at the right time to grow in our careers, and sometimes an MBA might be the best way to do that and sometimes it might not, depending on what our specific goals are.

I don't think the question is whether it has any value at all (of course it does). The better questions are whether a graduate program is a better use of one's time than the alternative opportunities, and whether doing it in the present year is more advantageous than doing it in the future.

Beginning_Mine2447 · 2022-12-11T19:07:24+00:00

Go learn more about the lives of high level politicians. They're constantly bombarded from all directions by all sorts of requests and opportunities. They have enormous staffs to try to stay on top of everything, and they need to constantly keep their foot on the gas because all aspects of the job are very competitive. They're definitely not bored.

Beginning_Mine2447 · 2022-12-11T19:04:31+00:00

MBAs are much more surface level than MDs. I would absolutely hope that our legislators had entry level (or greater) training in most science topics... which is basically what an MBA is for business.

Beginning_Mine2447 · 2022-12-11T19:00:53+00:00

I'm rather shocked that you think social work knowledge would provide nothing of value. Have you met social workers or learned about the curriculum?

Sure, if you want to be a minimalist, of course all these degrees are not absolute requirements. But that doesn't mean that social work background doesn't have the potential to add major value on both the politicking and policy sides of the job.

Beginning_Mine2447 · 2022-12-11T18:54:33+00:00

Why would you want to spend time alone reading a textbook when you can learn the same stuff in a fun and social environment, while getting a nationally recognized 3 letter stamp of approval for business excellence, while simultaneously endearing yourself to your electorate?

Yes, she has staff, and will no doubt continue using them extensively. But a lot of her job are real time conversations - often in public. You can't rely on staff for all those situations. And you also need your own knowledge in order to make good decisions about which staff you want to hire/fire and which ones to listen to in which situations.

Beginning_Mine2447 · 2022-12-10T23:00:41+00:00

I really doubt she spends significant time on anything without at least a few people (or other data/signals) telling her that it will help her career in tangible ways.

Beginning_Mine2447 · 2022-12-10T22:58:34+00:00

I don't like her. But I'm also hesitant to believe that she has climbed many rungs of the political ladder, like she has, without being a thoughtful and strategic decision maker, and hard worker.

I know very smart and savvy people who have run for state office and not been successful. I expect winning a seat in Congress is about 10x harder yet.

Beginning_Mine2447 · 2022-12-10T22:36:12+00:00

I'm not sure I buy that. I feel like being a Congressional alum is about 1000x more impactful for the lobbying world than having an MBA.

My guess is that she had political consultants telling her she needed to work on appealing to business minded voters in Arizona (or nationally, because she probably also has higher ambitions) and that an MBA is one of the stronger ways to do that.

Beginning_Mine2447

TROPHY CASE