10. You'll learn standard tools for organizing business activity and managing business processes.
Before working on my MBA, I looked at IT as a services organization that executed requests or commands rather than as a function that needs to position itself strategically inside an organization. The MBA gave me the tools, techniques and resources I needed to run IT like a business — things like risk management plans, performance plans, project management methodologies, steering committees, process maps and marketing plans. Since I obtained my MBA, I manage the IT function in a far more disciplined and strategic manner. I understand that my responsibility is to make IT a strategic asset to the business, and I've seen that once you start putting those tools and techniques into practice, the business starts to recognize IT as a strategic asset. It's like a job promotion: You don't get recognized for the work you're going to do — you get recognized for the work you've already done.

All of these benefits can be attained through other means, other training or other experiences. While the MBA is expensive, requires a big emotional investment and can distract you from your day-to-day work, only the MBA can provide all of the above benefits in a relatively short time frame, in a comprehensive framework and with a lasting credential. I strongly recommend it to all aspiring CIOs.

SIDEBAR: Top CIOs Who Earned MBAs:

Gary Reiner, SVP and CIO, GE (Harvard Business School). See more about Reiner's career here.

James Dallas, SVP and CIO, Medtronic (Emory University).

Joe Eckroth, SVP and CIO, Hertz (Pepperdine University). Read about Eckroth's tenure at Mattel here.

Stuart Scott, (Former) Corporate VP and CIO, Microsoft (Vanderbilt University).

Jean-Michel Arès, SVP and CIO, The Coca-Cola Company (McGill University). Read about a recent tour CIO took at Coca-Cola here.

Thaddeus Arroyo, CIO, AT&T (Southern Methodist University).

Robert DeRodes, EVP and CIO, The Home Depot (University of Texas).

Kevin Summers, CIO, Whirlpool (Duke University).

Robert Carter, EVP and CIO, FedEx (University of South Florida). Read more about Carter here.

Jody Davids, EVP and CIO, Cardinal Health (San Jose State University). Read more about Davids in this story about effective CIOs.