The MBA

[Munchkin03]

Originally posted by Honeykiss1974


It will payoff for me (I work in Accounting/Finance). You basically need one now in order to qualify to sit for the CPA exam, which I will be doing this summer.

Is this from state to state? I have a friend--who just graduated from college in May 2003--who took the CPA exam; it was required for her job. She didn't have an MBA.

[Rudey]

Originally posted by Munchkin03
Is this from state to state? I have a friend--who just graduated from college in May 2003--who took the CPA exam; it was required for her job. She didn't have an MBA.

No you need 150 hours of classes and 2 years of accounting experience except many states let you work in other areas and not just accounting.

I never understood why anyone got an mba if they wanted to stay in accounting, but then again i never understood why people got MBAs in general unless they went to a core school to brag since it's not like you learn anything too valuable.

-Rudey

[teena]

working at the college where you intend to pursue your higher degree. I understand that most schools have some type of tuition assistance programs.

[Munchkin03]

Originally posted by Rudey

I never understood why anyone got an mba if they wanted to stay in accounting, but then again i never understood why people got MBAs in general unless they went to a core school to brag since it's not like you learn anything too valuable.

What are the core schools, Rudith?

--I'm starting to see a dude who's getting his MBA and I need to know if I need to drop him for going to a shitty school.

[Morag]

If you want an internationally recognized MBA, where you don't have to have an undergraduate degree (assuming you have been working for a number of years), look into Harriott-Watt (Spelling?) out of Edinburgh, Scotland.

You can do it through correspondance, too.

Trust me, it is not a "fly-by-night-pay-$15,000.00-and-get-a-piece-of-paper" kind of school.

[starang21]

i'm thinking about pursuing this after i get my PE license.

hmm, would it help me out?

[Honeykiss1974]

Originally posted by Rudey
No you need 150 hours of classes and 2 years of accounting experience except many states let you work in other areas and not just accounting.

I never understood why anyone got an mba if they wanted to stay in accounting, but then again i never understood why people got MBAs in general unless they went to a core school to brag since it's not like you learn anything too valuable.

-Rudey

Sorry I'm just now seeing this. Maybe its just my awesome financial mind but accounting and finance are two fields you can jiggle between if you play cards right. In today's market, I would hope that people would do their best to make themselves "marketable" or to at least not miss out on a good opportunity over something as simple as a piece of paper.

Anyway, I'm currently working in finance where an (*surprise*) MBA is a requirement for my position. I'm happy.

Imagine that.

And besides, do people really brag about that stuff? What losers..

[StatPhDSAE]

Originally posted by Honeykiss1974

Please be sure as to what your career aspirations are befoe starting ANY Masters program because grad school IS NOT cheap!

I would definitely echo this sentiment. Remember that an MBA, while valuable, is not the only way into the business world.
Especially with a highly analytic grad. degrees like math, statistics, engineering, etc. , alot of companies need people with that skill set.

Plus there's the whole hierarchy in MBA's. It almost seems like if it isn't from Wharton, Kellogg, Harvard, etc., its not worth it.

[texas*princess]

I plan on getting my MBA ... I'd like to start the process now (studying for GMAT...) so I can start in a year or so.

Like people have already said, getting the MBA is great, but it's worthless if you don't have any work experience.

I have several friends currently in the MBA program @ TCU & SMU, and EVERYONE in those classes has been in the work world for at least 2 years. It helps to use your "real world" experience and apply it to your classes, projects, etc.

One of the upsides of waiting until you get a real job is that a lot of companies will actually pay some or all of the costs to obtain your MBA

[Honeykiss1974]

Originally posted by StatPhDSAE
I would definitely echo this sentiment. Remember that an MBA, while valuable, is not the only way into the business world.
Especially with a highly analytic grad. degrees like math, statistics, engineering, etc. , alot of companies need people with that skill set.

Plus there's the whole hierarchy in MBA's. It almost seems like if it isn't from Wharton, Kellogg, Harvard, etc., its not worth it.

Good point. Although I think what's worthless is going to grad school simply to say "I have an MBA" and that's it. Spending all that money for bragging rights is silly to me. It ranks up there with those people that question why I went to grad school since I plan to be a stay at home mom once I have kids.

But seriously, unless you have aspirations to work on Wall Street, NY or Chicago Stock Exchange, etc. an MBA from anyplace besides a top tier school isn't completely worthless. Not everyone has aspirations to wear a Brooks Brother suit, spend 70 hours at the office in order to have a summer house in the Hamptons. As with an investment (and this one being in you ) you need to weigh the pros and cons as it relates to you.

[alum]

Originally posted by StatPhDSAE
I would definitely echo this sentiment. Remember that an MBA, while valuable, is not the only way into the business world.
Especially with a highly analytic grad. degrees like math, statistics, engineering, etc. , alot of companies need people with that skill set.

Plus there's the whole hierarchy in MBA's. It almost seems like if it isn't from Wharton, Kellogg, Harvard, etc., its not worth it.

That is definitely true. No seems about it.

[starang21]

Originally posted by teena
working at the college where you intend to pursue your higher degree. I understand that most schools have some type of tuition assistance programs.

i got my master's for free by TA'ing.

[Rudey]

Originally posted by Honeykiss1974
Sorry I'm just now seeing this. Maybe its just my awesome financial mind but accounting and finance are two fields you can jiggle between if you play cards right. In today's market, I would hope that people would do their best to make themselves "marketable" or to at least not miss out on a good opportunity over something as simple as a piece of paper.

Anyway, I'm currently working in finance where an (*surprise*) MBA is a requirement for my position. I'm happy.

Imagine that.

And besides, do people really brag about that stuff? What losers..

I'm sure my posts may be interpreted a bit negatively so bear with me

Most of the material taught in an MBA program is easily available in books. And ultimately, really you learn on the job. The value is in the networking that you do. When you set foot on campus you get a book of alums and a stack of business cards. I never liked the idea that someone should be required to get an MBA.

I'm sure for you the transition from accounting to finance was very easy. I suppose if someone was an English major, then there is more value in the MBA for them. Really though, I learned accounting and finance on the job and I'm not so sure I would have been able to handle that torture for months through a textbook.

-Rudey

[Honeykiss1974]

I see what your saying Rudey but in the big scheme of things that applies to your undergraduate degree as well.

Who really uses a large percentage of the knowledge learned undergrad (aside from the medical profession and a few select others). I'll be the first to say that I probably use about 10-15% of what I learned in an undegrad classroom - everything else was learned OTJ. So in essence, an undergrad degree is just as worthless (in the terms you've laid out) but there are tons of jobs that require it anyway.

Same deal with an MBA. Now having an MBA doesn't automatically mean that you will instantly began making fat loot. There is tons of factors that come into play such as where you live, your profession, how competitive the market is, etc.

Its all about going into grad school with realistic expectations and I don't think everyone does. But I wouldn't call it worthless though (depending upon what you plan to use it for).

[Rudey]

Originally posted by Honeykiss1974
I see what your saying Rudey but in the big scheme of things that applies to your undergraduate degree as well.

Who really uses a large percentage of the knowledge learned undergrad (aside from the medical profession and a few select others). I'll be the first to say that I probably use about 10-15% of what I learned in undegrad - everything else was learned OTJ. So in essence, an undergrad degree is just as worthless but there are tons of jobs that require it.

Same deal with an MBA. Now having an MBA doesn't automatically mean that you will instantly began making fat loot. There is tons of factors that come into play such as where you live, your profession, how competitive the market is, etc. Its all about going into grad school being realistic and I don't think everyone does.

Well, football players grow in college before joining the NFL. I tend to think that the undergrad experience just pushes you to think in new ways (or at least mine did).

I once read an article on how recruiters liked MBAs for one reason...that they were commited to the job. If they were willing to plunk down that much money for the MBA, clearly they wanted the position. Plus there is that whole keeping up with the Jonses mentality - IBM has lots of Harvard MBAs so now we need to also.

Heck I might go get an MBA. I have no idea. Maybe I'll go to med school. If I could skip all that and just collect a pension and live in a retirement community, I might just do that.

-Rudey