The MBA world has intrigued me for a long time. Early in my career, I bought a book with MBA knowledge because I always felt that something was missing for me as someone with a more technical background. Not that I haven’t learned anything over the years, but I always wondered what I might be missing, something I might not even be aware of—”Unknown Knowns.” The book I bought back then was The 10-Day MBA, which I still recommend to everyone because not everything covered in it is taught in the PowerMBA. The Real-Life MBA, which is even available in German, is also worth recommending. And while we’re talking about books, The Visual MBA should not be missed.
In recent years, I’ve been bombarded with more and more ads for MBAs and alternative programs, especially for the altMBA and the PowerMBA. The altMBA seemed too expensive for what it offers, while the PowerMBA, with its introductory price of $750, was a fraction of the cost of other programs. But can something like this really be good? An unaccredited MBA? I had my doubts, as some of the topics covered were not new to me—in fact, they were quite familiar. And for any content related to “Growth Hacking” or similar topics, where long-known approaches are just rebranded under a cool new name, I find my time and money too valuable for that.
So, what about the PowerMBA? First of all: I’m not finished yet; this is an interim report. I’m writing this report because I searched for experiences from others when making my decision, but the few reviews I found online were in Spanish. So, signing up for the PowerMBA was a bit of a gamble 🙂 Perhaps my experiences will help others in making their decision.
Right after registration, you receive a certificate, even though you haven’t done anything yet. There is no application process or regulation about who can join the program. My program didn’t start immediately; a few months passed between my decision and the start. This might be different today, as I’m part of the 1st international cohort. After signing up, you’re bombarded with communities, webinars, etc., all across different apps, websites, and channels. The abundance of content is, of course, great, but having a community on one website, an app, a reading club on yet another portal—well, you get the idea. Additionally, there are Telegram chats and Zoom meetings for local groups, led by “Ambassadors,” which, of course, is a result of Corona, as in-person meetings aren’t possible right now. This means that part of the benefit of an MBA program, the offline networking, is lost.
The PowerMBA is divided into 8 modules, with the 1st module not included in the screenshot here:
The “Go to next class” button usually doesn’t work for me, even if I still have one module left. The application runs on TypeForm, so it’s not a proprietary development.
Every weekday, you get access to a video or a clickable sequence of mini-content lasting about 15 minutes, which constitutes one learning unit. This is the concept of microlearning. The unit is usually unlocked around 7 a.m., which is rather suboptimal for 5AM Club followers like me. I’ve solved this by trying to save 1-2 videos to have a bit of a buffer. In the picture below, you can see the units I’ve completed, units that have been unlocked but not completed, and units that have not yet been unlocked:
Sometimes, instead of the video, there are error messages, so it’s good to have more than one unit “on hold” if, like me, you want to do it in the morning. Honestly, I also find it a bit disappointing that more content isn’t unlocked yet, like an entire topic, because sometimes the topics are really interesting, and you just want to learn more, especially when you’re in the flow. However, this has been blocked, as the support replied to my question about unlocking more:
This I am afraid we cannot do, sorry! Our one class per day system allows all our students to progress at the same time, helping them get fully involved with the program and the other services available to them, such as the forum where they can discuss ideas or questions they may have regarding that class, with their other classmates.
This is, of course, nonsense, because I can already tell that some students are falling behind. And just because I am further along in the material doesn’t mean I can’t exchange ideas with others about previous topics. In my opinion, the quality of the exchange also depends heavily on the Ambassador and what they know about the topics to be discussed. What’s missing are case studies that you have to work on either alone or with a team.
The individual units vary in quality; some are really excellent, many are good, and a few are not so great. You can give feedback for each unit. Overall, I’m very satisfied with what I’m learning; much of it is inspiring, and I’ve already been able to successfully apply some of it at work. So, the PowerMBA has been worthwhile for me. I was already familiar with content like Lean Startup, but it’s of course cool to experience Eric Ries in the videos. Many of the first videos are hosted by PowerMBA co-founder Borja Adanero, and I can almost no longer hear “You must understand…” :), but you do have to admire the passion he brings to the topics, which is something I sometimes wish I had seen more of from professors during my studies.
In addition to the units, you get some written material, which is okay—a rough summary of the topics. Sometimes I wish for a deeper dive, but that’s not really part of the price.
The questions in the tests are sometimes just bad or at least not clear enough. This could be due to translation from Spanish, but questions like “Who wrote The Lean Startup?” are just silly. Some tests seem to have been hastily put together. So far, I’ve passed all the tests without much effort, though you do have to stay focused during the individual units, or it won’t work.
Overall, despite all the criticism, I don’t regret my decision. I’ve been able to take away some important insights. The PowerMBA is also suitable for entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs who want to start a startup inside or outside a company. Will the PowerMBA make me more attractive to employers? I don’t know. I did it because I wanted to learn more. And maybe I’ll even do a proper MBA afterward. But so far, I would definitely recommend the PowerMBA as a basic education. I will update this text when I’m finished with the program.