What they teach you at Harvard Business School(HBS). The author writes a somewhat eye opening treatise while he writes that he is bearing no grudges, and also states his experience there was Exemplary & Positive.
Amongst the interesting tidbits:
1) He states this 2 year Degree costs $175,000(which includes his health ins and living expenses as well). That equates to the equivalent of a loan repayment(@ 3.789%) of
$1,467.30/month for the next 15 years(180 months). (data: from SallieMae)
2) There was a minimum of 51.2 hrs of academic work per week.
3) The author's Class(of 2006): a) was made up of 895 students with an average age of 27; b) in their first year post graduation, earned a
Median income of $138,125; b) was made up of: 49.4% Dems, 34.8% Reps, 15.8% indifferent/other; c)42% and 21% of the class went into Finance(investment banking, venture capital..) and Consulting, respectively; ONLY 3% went to work for a Not-for-profit entity.
4) Per the author, his class was made up of a high proportion of people whose primary focus was to make as much money as humanly possible in the shortest period of time.
I found the book unsettling, but incredibly thought provoking. But still, as evidenced by the Major Worldwide Economic Crisis (Double dipped recession; Depression?) of the last two years, these graduates, although highly revered, screw up as often, if not more than
mortals without those three initials.
The most Striking and Disturbing quote was found on page 286 where the HBS President, commented on the 2008 Crash, and said:
"...we will leave fixing the blame to others, that is not very interesting, but we (HBS) must be involved in fact in fixing the problem." His words: Not very Interesting? !! Perhaps soul searching. It certainly was NOT the un-initialed that initiated THE crisis. With that level of Arrogance, it is no wonder the financial systems collapsed.
Lao-Tse, an ancient Chinese philosopher, wrote in the Tao Te Ching:
"The Wise are not learned; the learned are not Wise".
Perhaps that is the Problem with some of today's Education; The highly Degree'd who feel they can do No wrong.
But there is hope, that perhaps the Learning has now started.
