Would you get an MBA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are talking about something 5 years from now. Your daughter should focus on establishing herself in a career out of college and see where that takes her. People change jobs a lot in the first few years out of college and an MBA may or may not be the best step when she has a few years of experience and a better idea of the roles she prefers.

When she is considering a grad degree, it’s possible her company would pay or that a masters in another area would be better. It’s all too hypothetical at this point when just finishing up bachelors. But if an MBA is logical at that time in her career, yes it is better to go to the very best mba possible because it does make a difference in hiring and recruiting if you are at a top program.

I just think it’s too early to worry about it now when you have no clue what her work journey will be.

Neither we nor OP know when--if ever--OP's daughter will pursue an MBA degree, therefore, it may be wise to learn about MBA programs & MBA careers now.

Many see value in obtaining an MBA degree too late due to life circumstances and/or due to loss of 2 years of earnings high enough so that the cost of an MBA degree cannot be justified from a financial standpoint.

Earning an MBA degree early--for example, with just 2 years of post undergraduate work experience--may be prudent before life gets in the way. Family responsibilities, whether children or elderly parents or personal illness, etc., might make entry into an MBA program unworkable.

+1, time is precious

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you had to go back in time or ancedotes from people you know

For context, my DD is graduating this year with a corporate communications Bachelor of Arts degree. If she wants to pivot into leadership roles in corporate or be in investor relations, would this be a good idea to do after around 5 years of post-grad work experience.

She is interested in investor relations as well but is lacking the financial and analytical background required for these roles (many want bachelors in finance or accounting and 2-3 years of work experience in IB/consulting/private equity etc

An advanced degree never hurts.

It does if you pay $150k for it and don’t see a commensurate career benefit. These degrees are just money grabs from greedy universities.

Lot of companies won’t pay for an MBA any more, or only pay a small amount.

Bang for the buck is rarely there.

DCUM is filled with people that have a knee jerk that grad school is always good…yet financially it’s actually a bad move for most.

Even a large %age of T14 law grads don’t make it into BigLaw and financially it was a mistake (for the many kids that take out big loans).

Nearly everyone that actually pays for a PhD will never make that investment pay off. It’s nearly always a bad financial move.

There is a reason certain programs are free and many are not.

Let me guess: you went to grad school, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you had to go back in time or ancedotes from people you know

For context, my DD is graduating this year with a corporate communications Bachelor of Arts degree. If she wants to pivot into leadership roles in corporate or be in investor relations, would this be a good idea to do after around 5 years of post-grad work experience.

She is interested in investor relations as well but is lacking the financial and analytical background required for these roles (many want bachelors in finance or accounting and 2-3 years of work experience in IB/consulting/private equity etc

An advanced degree never hurts.

It does if you pay $150k for it and don’t see a commensurate career benefit. These degrees are just money grabs from greedy universities.

Lot of companies won’t pay for an MBA any more, or only pay a small amount.

Bang for the buck is rarely there.

DCUM is filled with people that have a knee jerk that grad school is always good…yet financially it’s actually a bad move for most.

Even a large %age of T14 law grads don’t make it into BigLaw and financially it was a mistake (for the many kids that take out big loans).

Nearly everyone that actually pays for a PhD will never make that investment pay off. It’s nearly always a bad financial move.

There is a reason certain programs are free and many are not.

Let me guess: you went to grad school, right?

No. No reason. Started in banking and stayed in banking as promoted through the ranks.

[Anonymous]

That’s why an undergrad business degree from a top program like Wharton is so valuable. You will not need to go back and get an MBA and lose salary and time and pay tuition.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you had to go back in time or ancedotes from people you know

For context, my DD is graduating this year with a corporate communications Bachelor of Arts degree. If she wants to pivot into leadership roles in corporate or be in investor relations, would this be a good idea to do after around 5 years of post-grad work experience.

She is interested in investor relations as well but is lacking the financial and analytical background required for these roles (many want bachelors in finance or accounting and 2-3 years of work experience in IB/consulting/private equity etc

An advanced degree never hurts.

It does if you pay $150k for it and don’t see a commensurate career benefit. These degrees are just money grabs from greedy universities.

Lot of companies won’t pay for an MBA any more, or only pay a small amount.

Bang for the buck is rarely there.

[Anonymous]

Even a large %age of T14 law grads don’t make it into BigLaw and financially it was a mistake (for the many kids that take out big loans).

Not everyone has an interest in Big Law. I am not sure comparing a law degree is helpful here. You cannot practice law without a law degree (except I believe in CA). I don't think there are any jobs that require an MBA in the same way. So, for an MBA to be worth it, it depends on the circumstances as others have said. Will work pay for the MBA? Or are you getting it from Harvard, Wharton, etc.? Does the ultimate job you want require it (not legally but because you won't be considered qualified compared to other candidates). A sibling got an MBA because his work brought the school in to teach a big cohort from his workplace. IMO, this was useful for him because it was free and made him qualified to move up in this entity. But, it's not from a school most have heard of and I doubt it would do much to make him competitive somewhere like DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Given my daughter has a bachelor of arts and wants to pursue a career in investor relations which typically requires a business degree and financial background, could this give her a leg up down the road(she would definitely work at least 4 years before applying for MBA)

Find multiple people on LinkedIn who have the job she wants. Look at their pedigree and education.

This and talk to headhunters, look at the job specs and talk to alums already there.

Placement agents hire right out of ugrad, but then to move to in-house IR of a private hedge fund or PEVC. This jobs don’t come y lot if th eyre high quality. Maybe a huge KKR has a big IR department and hires out of mba. Your job is to sell the firm and have a Rolodex of LPs

[Anonymous]

Where is the threshold between elite MBA and not worth it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did get an MBA.

If I had to go back in time, I would have only gotten it, if from an elite B-school.

Having an MBA from an average state school isn't really that helpful. I can't say that I regret it, my work at the time paid for it, but, hindsight is 20-20, and if I'd go back in time, I'd target the elite schools, if I were to still pursue an MBA.

On DCUM people often say the same about law schools—don’t bother unless it’s elite.

Even if this is true for MBAs & law degrees in the Boston-Washington corridor & coastal California, there are a lot of MBAs & JDs west of Pittsburgh & east of California who are doing fine with degrees from mundane universities.

I would include pittsburgh

[Anonymous]

Unless your employers pay for it, which less and less do

[Anonymous]

More students are enrolled in online MBA programs than in residential programs. Easy to find low cost online MBA programs which are typically part-time--so no loss of income is possible.

Residential MBA programs are pricing themselves out of the market.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, I wouldn't.

I work at a "Big 4" consulting firm (not an MBB, where I know a lot of the MBA's want to land, but still a decent and desirable place to work).

I work with someone who has an HYP MBA. Their start date was delayed over a year, and (from what I have gathered/heard) their performance is average and they don't really care for the work. I have no MBA and am a higher rank / I assume higher salary than this person. So to me, it doesn't seem worth it.

Princeton famously doesn't have professional schools including Graduate School of Business which is a common knowledge.

Your post lacks credibility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where is the threshold between elite MBA and not worth it?

Top 10. For the money you'd spend on a non-top 10, you're better off investing it or starting a business with it. Georgetown is going to cost you $100k+ a year on school plus living expenses. I got an MBA from GWU about 20 years ago when it was ranked in the 40s and no one cared (I was in tech and then consulting).

[Anonymous]

My employer paid for my MBA at night and I moved into another position. I had a LA undergraduate and moved into accounting/Finance.

If I had to do it again, I would I gotten a CPA masters in accounting instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Given my daughter has a bachelor of arts and wants to pursue a career in investor relations which typically requires a business degree and financial background, could this give her a leg up down the road(she would definitely work at least 4 years before applying for MBA)

Your thinking is way too linear. There are like 6 stops between being the internal communications gal and moving into investor relations. Most Investor Relations leaders have experience in IB, FP&A at a divisional level, FP&A at a corporate level, and then into a manager or director level of investor relations. The role is a FINANCE role. If she really wants to be in finance, have her get a job as a Finance Analyst at any F500 or mid market company. And then decide if she wants to continue. Why didn’t she major in finance or economics in the first place?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are talking about something 5 years from now. Your daughter should focus on establishing herself in a career out of college and see where that takes her. People change jobs a lot in the first few years out of college and an MBA may or may not be the best step when she has a few years of experience and a better idea of the roles she prefers.

When she is considering a grad degree, it’s possible her company would pay or that a masters in another area would be better. It’s all too hypothetical at this point when just finishing up bachelors. But if an MBA is logical at that time in her career, yes it is better to go to the very best mba possible because it does make a difference in hiring and recruiting if you are at a top program.

I just think it’s too early to worry about it now when you have no clue what her work journey will be.

Good advice. I was the Managing Director in charge of a prominent retained executive search firm OP.Your daughter should get the most experience she should get. Recently, the Career Director for Harvard's MBA Program did a post on LinkedIn about the fairly high percentage of recent grads who didn't have jobs and had one of the dumbest quotes I have seen. Several people wrote to say she did Harvard no favor with her comments.

Give your daughter time to figure things out. Instead of already worrying about an advanced degree, she should do some online LinkedIn sessions on some of their great offerings such as AI and the likes. PR people have to stay ahead of the tech curve to stay relevant now more than ever.