Is an MBA worth it?

[MoneyTron]

Brother That’s great. Do you mind sharing what school you got your MBA from? Doesn’t have to be specific but giving a ranking or saying if it was regional or online would be helpful I think.

Georgia Tech

If you still in Atlanta, you've got plenty of good choices for full and part-time MBAs. Tech, Emory, UGA, GaSt, Kennesaw State all have good programs depending on what you're trying to accomplish and your budget. They've all got veteran clubs too.

 

[JetFueledThoughts]

‘Worth it’ really depends on your industry and what you want to do. For some people it opens up a number of new jobs opportunities for them, or maybe they won’t be able to get to that next level in their industry if they don’t have an MBA.

For me personally and my career I wouldn’t think it’s worth the cost and time investment. I’ve been able to progress pretty quickly just by staying in the same industry and gaining experience / knowledge at various job stops I’ve had. Maybe it would look good on a resume, but I don’t foresee losing future opportunities because I don’t have one, and many of my superiors don’t have one.

 

[adexkola]

In very limited scenarios.

If you want to get into Management Consulting or Investment Banking or Private Equity, AND you are accepted into a top 5 school like Wharton or Harvard, then sure, go for it. If your employer pays for it completely, sure go for it, couldn't hurt I guess.

Otherwise I struggle to see the benefit. You may get a salary bump, but is it worth the money you forfeited for those 2 years in B school, plus getting loans or spending savings? In most scenarios the answer is no

 

[MoneyTron]

In very limited scenarios.

If you want to get into Management Consulting or Investment Banking or Private Equity, AND you are accepted into a top 5 school like Wharton or Harvard, then sure, go for it. If your employer pays for it completely, sure go for it, couldn't hurt I guess.

Otherwise I struggle to see the benefit. You may get a salary bump, but is it worth the money you forfeited for those 2 years in B school, plus getting loans or spending savings? In most scenarios the answer is no

The median base salary for my school's(Georgia Tech) full time 2022 class a few months after graduation was $137K. That salary "bump" is a good 50-60K than most of them were seeing before. If you're not in IT/tech, I think the chances of being able to jump into those type of salary ranges at a relatively young age(mid 20's-early 30's) is what's limited.

Yeah, the M7/T15 will bring the big money but you don't absolutely need them to get to a good place. The T35-40 schools are all pretty good. Most have good evening and/or online programs as well if you're looking to mitigate your financial risk. If you're looking to pivot, earn a promotion, or just want to scale up for the long-term and you're not in an industry with high salary out of the gate or doesn't see a great benefit to advanced degrees(like tech), it can be a good investment.

In the end, its a management degree. If you're not going into business management or don't need the additional clout, then I wouldn't do it.

 

[adexkola]

The median base salary for my school's(Georgia Tech) full time 2022 class a few months after graduation was $137K. That salary "bump" is a good 50-60K than most of them were seeing before. If you're not in IT/tech, I think the chances of being able to jump into those type of salary ranges at a relatively young age(mid 20's-early 30's) is what's limited.

Yeah, the M7/T15 will bring the big money but you don't absolutely need them to get to a good place. The T35-40 schools are all pretty good. Most have good evening and/or online programs as well if you're looking to mitigate your financial risk. If you're looking to pivot, earn a promotion, or just want to scale up for the long-term and you're not in an industry with high salary out of the gate or doesn't see a great benefit to advanced degrees(like tech), it can be a good investment.

In the end, its a management degree. If you're not going into business management or don't need the additional clout, then I wouldn't do it.

After work programs definitely mitigate the financial risk.

Another thing I have against such programs is that... They are so "jack of all trades". I feel you'd learn more in a MS Finance or MS Marketing or MS Strategy... An MBA has to sacrifice depth for breadth, but that breadth at the end of the day isn't anything you can't learn online by yourself. But I get that ultimately you get the qualification for job advancement because it's valued by employers, and for the networking opportunities (this effect multiplies the better the school is).

Plus, I am in tech, so the idea of me doing an MBA at this point is laughable.

 

[MoneyTron]

After work programs definitely mitigate the financial risk.

Another thing I have against such programs is that... They are so "jack of all trades". I feel you'd learn more in a MS Finance or MS Marketing or MS Strategy... An MBA has to sacrifice depth for breadth, but that breadth at the end of the day isn't anything you can't learn online by yourself. But I get that ultimately you get the qualification for job advancement because it's valued by employers, and for the networking opportunities (this effect multiplies the better the school is).

Plus, I am in tech, so the idea of me doing an MBA at this point is laughable.

The jack of all trades part is the point. Companies value that you’ve seen some of all of those disciplines and likely have picked up soft skills that none of those other degrees offer. Many of these program offer concentration as well.

Most people in the business world aren’t in tech, so some type of advanced degree from a good school is only going to help. For me, the $80K jump in salary was well worth the investment. If you have the cpacity and resume to get into a top school like HBS, the 150K you spend will seem steep up front but 5-7 years after its likely you will have a shot at making 300-350K+ base salary in whatever industry you decide to enter plus an insane network and level of respect.