Furthermore, the PMBA purpose is not to self-educate quicker than an MBA; it is a more cost-effective way of education. I argue that the time you WOULD spend in a graduate program should simply be re-purposed for this reading regimen. The primary item that sets MBAs apart from other job candidates is the fact that a hiring manager knows that an MBA had the wherewithal to dedicate an intense period of time to self-development. Imagine explaining to a hiring manager that “Iweighed my options and decided against the MBA because the opportunity costs were too great and instead read 69 books over a period of two years to continue developing yourself. Oh, and by the way, here’s the list of the books with a short summary. ” Impressive. That would definitely set you apart.

Well done Josh.

Gannon

Thanks for the comment. To clarify: I’m not recommending that every person read every single book on the list. The list is now modular by topic, so it will be very easy to pick out your own 25-30 essential texts that best fit your job, interests, and goals.

One of the things I learned when the original list was published in 2005 is that there is no “one-size-fits-all” list of books every single person should read. I simply can not create a list that is absolutely perfect for every single person in every single situation. This modular approach will make it easy for everyone to find books that fit their needs while keeping the list relatively comprehensive.

Note also that 15 of the books are either in business history and business reference, which you may or may not need to read. If you skipped these categories completely, the list drops to 54.

Hope this eases your concerns a bit,

Josh