NorthShoreBuck
True Madness Requires Significant Intelligence
Some good advice here, who knew NJ and I read the same books.
I think today your first MBA decision is to weigh the cost and reward of the MBA program you are considering. How much will it cost, not just dollars but time, stress and missed opportunities and what reward, salary, job and benefits you expect to secure afterward. The WSJ had a recent article that if you did not go top tier there was no payback and you end up in deep debt.
I lucked out. Worked for Harvard and Stanford MBA's in the sales world. The Harvard MBA was well educated but insisted on wearing three piece suites to the Oil & Gas world in Houston, dumba$$. The Stanford guy was more hands on. I picked both their brains and their advice was the same. Pick the industry, location and career you aspire to and that should help you decide whether to go and where to go.
My first decision was full time or Executive. I was in a hurry and married with bills. Executive won out. Next was 24 month top tier school at $50+K, the Harvard of the south, or a 18 month $25K school, yes this was awhile ago. The MBA has become a money machine for all schools so they all have jumped on board, to their betterment, not yours. The cost of the program is almost obscene.
I chose the short, cheaper route. Had a job offer not long after I graduated. My salary increased $25K so the ROI was quick. I beat out a guy from the other school so prestige did not mean much.
My MBA put all the scattered knowledge I had together. It gave me a level of confidence which I have leveraged while working for and with the IBMs and Exxons of the world. I did become a master of the spreadsheet although everyone has that skill now.
I work with a lot of engineers with an MBA. My brother is an EE with a masters in EE. He makes as much if not more than the MBA crowd. I am always hiring and there are a lot of unemployed or under-employed MBAs submitting resumes for my jobs. No sales skills or training, no mechanical exposure or aptitude means no job. The MBA means nothing to me.
Yes if you go to top tier school the networking is valuable. I work with a bunch of Kellogg grads, they are networked internationally. But your real world connections pay off more in the long run.
One other small thing to consider. If I was considering a MBA or a regular college graduate for the same job, I would ask how much more salary does the MBA want for those three letters, and which one will stick around longer, if I want them to, after I put them through all the training and costs to get them on board and up to speed? Maybe my MBA has paid dividends in cost benefit analysis!
I think today your first MBA decision is to weigh the cost and reward of the MBA program you are considering. How much will it cost, not just dollars but time, stress and missed opportunities and what reward, salary, job and benefits you expect to secure afterward. The WSJ had a recent article that if you did not go top tier there was no payback and you end up in deep debt.
I lucked out. Worked for Harvard and Stanford MBA's in the sales world. The Harvard MBA was well educated but insisted on wearing three piece suites to the Oil & Gas world in Houston, dumba$$. The Stanford guy was more hands on. I picked both their brains and their advice was the same. Pick the industry, location and career you aspire to and that should help you decide whether to go and where to go.
My first decision was full time or Executive. I was in a hurry and married with bills. Executive won out. Next was 24 month top tier school at $50+K, the Harvard of the south, or a 18 month $25K school, yes this was awhile ago. The MBA has become a money machine for all schools so they all have jumped on board, to their betterment, not yours. The cost of the program is almost obscene.
I chose the short, cheaper route. Had a job offer not long after I graduated. My salary increased $25K so the ROI was quick. I beat out a guy from the other school so prestige did not mean much.
My MBA put all the scattered knowledge I had together. It gave me a level of confidence which I have leveraged while working for and with the IBMs and Exxons of the world. I did become a master of the spreadsheet although everyone has that skill now.
I work with a lot of engineers with an MBA. My brother is an EE with a masters in EE. He makes as much if not more than the MBA crowd. I am always hiring and there are a lot of unemployed or under-employed MBAs submitting resumes for my jobs. No sales skills or training, no mechanical exposure or aptitude means no job. The MBA means nothing to me.
Yes if you go to top tier school the networking is valuable. I work with a bunch of Kellogg grads, they are networked internationally. But your real world connections pay off more in the long run.
One other small thing to consider. If I was considering a MBA or a regular college graduate for the same job, I would ask how much more salary does the MBA want for those three letters, and which one will stick around longer, if I want them to, after I put them through all the training and costs to get them on board and up to speed? Maybe my MBA has paid dividends in cost benefit analysis!
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