Question for those in the business field -- Is a MBA really important?

[DSTCHAOS]

MBAs are valuable in many segments of corporate America as long as they are from an accredited institution. It does not have to be from the top or most prestigous institutions, especially since prestige is often not based on academic rigor.

People who have a wealth of experience and education before they got the MBA will especially not be hindered if their MBA isn't from a "top tier" institution, as long as it is an accredited institution that people have heard of. Corporate America will look at what you have learned and give you a chance to advance on the corporate ladder based on knowledge, experience, and hard work.

There will always be jerkoffs who wave their MBA from (insert prestigous institution here) around and companies that laugh at certain MBAs based on name alone, however there are more than enough million-billion dollar corporations that won't so you'll definitely find your fit.

[EE-BO]

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

There will always be jerkoffs who wave their MBA from (insert prestigous institution here) around and companies that laugh at certain MBAs based on name alone, however there are more than enough million-billion dollar corporations that won't so you'll definitely find your fit.

Good point. I do startup companies, and even though I am a Texas grad, I have NEVER hired a Texas MBA. I have interviewed a few, but they were all very arrogant in the interview process and did not seem to want to do all the busy work everyone has to do in a startup.

Not all MBAs are jerkoffs (DSTCHAOS you chose the perfect word there), but plenty of them are. I could not stand a good number of my classmates.

But some big companies do want that. In many environments it is considered ideal for upper management to be very aloof and above everyone else- especially in large corporations.

texas*princess- promise us that if you get your MBA you won't become a jerkoff.

[DSTCHAOS]

Originally Posted by EE-BO

But some big companies do want that. In many environments it is considered ideal for upper management to be very aloof and above everyone else- especially in large corporations.

And this is annoying in a people sense but generally works in a business sense.

[texas*princess]

thanks for the feedback so far.

my company is pretty big... and i know that a few people in my office (we have several) have just recently received their MBAs that are 40+ yrs old.

I'm not sure if a MBA is absolutely neccessary to be part of my organization, because I know several people at our HQ that have only an undergrad degree that are doing very well for themselves. There are even a few (who have been with the company very long) that started college, but never finished that are also doing extremely well because they are just plain talented.

I signed up for my GMAT... which is the first step. I am sort of on board for the right reasons, but the bigger part of me just wants to be challenged so I thought pursing an MBA would be fun and challenging to do.

Those who are doing very well in my organization that have an undergrad are about a decade older than I am.... so part of me feels like the MBA crowd in my industry are "a dime a dozen" but the other part feels like this is something I need to do if I want to stay competitive at my company since I'm a younger generation....

[texas*princess]

Originally Posted by EE-BO

texas*princess- promise us that if you get your MBA you won't become a jerkoff.

i promise

[AGDee]

My ex-husband has his MBA in Finance with a Bachelors in Accounting. For him, it helped him move into finance from accounting. It has been his experience in the corporations in our area, that most people in business have an MBA and the ones who were really moving up were the people with law degrees. It has helped me in his teaching, as he is teaching at the University of Pheonix sometimes, which he couldn't do if he didn't have the MBA.

[bluefish81]

I think the need for an MBA really depends on the company. I work for a company where very few people have there MBAs. I think maybe 1 out of our 10 exec officers has it. Consequently, I'm not really concerned about it limiting me as I move up the management ladder. My company is more focused on employees becoming educated in our industry (assuming we already have a bachelor's). I'm also well aware of where my peers are at in terms of educational level.

[Buttonz]

I'm considering doing a joint MBA/Sports Master's program, just because I think it might make me more attractive then just a Masters in Sports Management. I'm looking at UCF for it personally.

[dukedg]

This is so weird, because I was just reading this article today: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23468789/

Here's an excerpt:

Lately it seems that everyone and his or her brother has been going back to school to get an MBA, but the importance of this higher degree is getting diluted, and it’s never really been a guarantee you’ll get that plum executive job.

Believe it or not, the majority of CEOs running major companies in the United States do not have MBA degrees. Research done by BusinessWeek magazine in 2006 found that fewer than one in three executives who hold high level positions in corporate America had an MBA.

[tld221]

Originally Posted by SECdomination

I don't know what your undergrad degree is, but I almost have to go to grad school now. I'll graduate with a B.S. in "Food & Resource Economics". When I go to career showcases and the like, none of the recruiters understand what my degree is. Most of them work in the HR department of their firm and insist on telling me that they are only looking for Finance and Economics majors.

I think a year of MBA classes would probably be easier than explaining what Food & Resource Economics is to every representative I meet. Two of my Dad's friends graduated with the same degree from Florida- one is a BOA branch manager, and the other sells insurance for State Farm- and both of them told me I should go to grad school FOR SURE because they wish they had. And since I'm an economics major, I'd guess that they'd say that for the other business majors too.

Also, $85,000 sounds pricey to me, too.

http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/mba/adm...nance/cost.cfm
Wharton is $71k yearly

http://w4.stern.nyu.edu/aboutstern/
interestingly enough, Stern is cheaper at $40K yearly (perhaps they didnt factor in housing costs?)

http://www.hbs.edu/mba/admissions/costsummary.html
HBS is $77k yearly

http://www.tuck.dartmouth.edu/admiss...d/tuition.html
Tuck (Dartmouth) is $70K yearly

http://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/mba/lea...ition/expenses
Columbia is $74K yearly

so umm yeah. not off the mark by that much.