Should you do an MBA?

It’s now just over two years since I kicked off my MBA at INSEAD and a question I’m often asked is about the value of the program. Particularly in 2026 with employment uncertainty, AI disruption, and everything else in the world - is an MBA still “worth it”?

My answer is always that it really depends on what you want to get out of it in the first place.

For a lot of people, they think an MBA is a guaranteed route to a specific career transition or advancement. And if that’s your goal, I would categorically say you should not do an MBA. Going through a program like this will not guarantee you any specific job. Your school and their careers team will do their best in terms of offering support, but it’s certainly not a silver bullet.

So why did I choose to do an MBA? Well, I was in a career transition at the time, from an entrepreneur and software engineer to an early stage investor. I felt like I needed an environment that would enable me to explore the different paths I could take to ultimately decide on the best role.

The MBA did do this for me. I got both theoretical and hands-on experience of the full investment process from sourcing to due diligence to making investment decisions. I worked with funds across North America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. I explored various themes such as impact investing and entrepreneurship through acquisition. Ultimately, I felt well-equipped after going through the program to make a well-informed decision on my next path.

In addition to this, I also got the part of the MBA I wasn’t necessarily looking for (as the introvert I am) but has arguably been the most valuable - the network.

Coming from a background in software engineering, I felt like the “network” aspect of MBAs was always overstated and in some ways not genuine. But now, on the other side of it, I see how that was wrong.

To be entirely honest, I think the INSEAD network in particular has been such a genuine and warm community of people who do always try to help. The best example I always give is how Geoff Ralston, former president of YC and INSEAD alum, responded to my completely cold email and invited a few of us students to visit his home in California.

That experience genuinely did change how I think about networks, and has made me want to pay it forward myself wherever I can.

In that vein, I’m planning to share more about my MBA application process, so if you have specific questions I can answer please drop them below. I’ll also share parts of my actual application essays, so subscribe to my newsletter to get notified when that drops.