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Well, I definitely can't afford a top school even if I did get in and I'm not convinced I'd get a job easily without going to a top school at my age, so. In the meantime I did look into taking an intro business class at my local University just to see how I'd like it. They're not offering weekend classes this fall through so I'll have to check back next semester, I get home way too late for the weekday evening class. Thanks again to all.
Well, I definitely can't afford a top school even if I did get in and I'm not convinced I'd get a job easily without going to a top school at my age, so. In the meantime I did look into taking an intro business class at my local University just to see how I'd like it. They're not offering weekend classes this fall through so I'll have to check back next semester, I get home way too late for the weekday evening class. Thanks again to all.
You mean you've never taken a business class? Start with Accounting 101, Operations 101, Finance, Statistics to get a better feel for what you are signing up for.
You mean you've never taken a business class? Start with Accounting 101, Operations 101, Finance, Statistics to get a better feel for what you are signing up for.
No. I'm a librarian, I never felt the need to take one for my major. This is something I've always wanted to do but haven't ever had the chance to.
I'm contemplating taking a class at a local community college instead of the off-shoot university campus because it'll be much cheaper. The trouble is I doubt said college has those courses, accounting and statistics maybe (though I thought accounting would be for accounting majors, not general business students?). I doubt they have Operations, for that matter, I doubt my off-shoot university campus would have it either, they're not the full-fledged mothership campus which is too far to attend. But the community college has an internet class in the fall, it's called Business Principles, and while I prefer in-person classes, I did my entire master's through an online school so I'm not totally opposed to it. The university has no business internet classes that I found so they'd have to have weekend classes for me to go and I couldn't find any in their catalog for the summer or fall - going there means I'd have to put this off till next year.
Just start taking some classes online. I spent a good year getting ready for my MBA because I didn’t have a solid math background. Khan Academy is awesome for that.
If you want to do accounting, check out coursera.org.
1. Where did you go to business school? Florida Gulf Coast University/Lutgert College of Business. Did you go to a top school? Hardly. I've heard you can't get a job with an MBA unless you go to a top school. Not sure what the definition of a 'top job' is. If you are looking at just salary, you can make more then six figures in insurance sales. Or you can be a cog at a Fortune 500 company making $50K. You can have the same salary at a startup with awesome perks and future stock options. It really depends on what your goals are. I've looked at the websites for some of them just for kicks and no way could I afford them. I still have student loans to pay off and I'm close to 40 already. My MBA cost less then $15K...but even top programs can be inexpensive if pursued at a public state university. Try Google and search for 'inexpensive MBA programs.
2. Which brings me to question 2 - is doing this at my age a bad idea? I keep hearing about age-ism in the workforce and I'm assuming it's like that for older people applying to entry level jobs. Age is not so much a factor as career level. An MBA will effectively shut you out of entry level jobs because many hiring managers are going to see you as overqualified/over-educated. There are some exceptions to this though....like sales positions.
3. What exactly is your job/job title? I tried to look up jobs on Indeed requiring an MBA to see what people do and only ended up confused because I can't tell just exactly *what* job(s) people with this degree apply to. It's not like being a doctor or lawyer where you know exactly what job title to search for. I am a Brokerage/Marketing Assistant for a Commercial Real Estate firm. An MBA is not needed for my job. However it prepared me well for it (I have to have skills in many areas...including some data-heavy work with finance and forecasting)...and quite honestly, I probably would not have been offered my current position without it in that I was lacking in other areas such as having a real estate license (I still need to get one...but they the company will pay for it) and graphic design.
I will say that the main reason why I do not regret my MBA is because it was so incredibly cheap. I was considering law school but was really put off by the cost of just about every program I looked at (and was feasible...I was not able to relocate at the time due to family). In all honesty, I was put off by the idea of spending money on graduate school at all...but with over $100K in undergraduate student loan debt for a degree in liberal arts...I felt dead in the water professionally. I was able to pay for my MBA with a combination of employer tuition reimbursement, a graduate stipend and savings. I found my coursework to be interesting and challenging. However, I did not experience any type of windfall of job offers or amazing networking opportunities emerge. In fact, alumni networking with my undergraduate school (which was larger and more well-established in my region) proved to be more beneficial in the long run.
But in the end, the MBA fit into my plan; which was was to strengthen and further define my education. I have several friends who earned or are pursuing MBAs from other, higher ranked programs. And of course, I still have the contacts from my own MBA programs. One of my cohort peers went on to get her PhD in Marketing and is teaching at a state university in Texas. I would consider that to be pretty prestigious. A couple other of my friends who earned MBAs from Cornell, NYU and Michigan are in great positions....but all of them were already on that career track, or even working for the same company, before earning their MBA. I know of two MBA graduates from Pitt....one works freelance as a marketer...but is essentially a stay-at-home mom. The other one runs a real estate agency (which you don't need an MBA for...but again, it most likely helps her!).
MBAs are no longer a golden ticket to anything. There are too many programs....to many options....to many scenarios. The best way to utilize an MBA in my opinion, is not to rely on it at all...but to have it as a part of your professional arsenal. You are not pigeonholed by it like you could be with a law or an advanced accounting degree/CPA. But that can be both a blessing and a curse...trust me!
Been a while since I started this thread, but I could use fresh advice. Has anyone gotten their MBA from a foreign program? If so, how are those viewed in the US - did you manage to get a job here or not or got one but had problems landing it?
I know I said I'd stop considering this but I found an online program that let me take some business courses for free (Quantic something) and I'm really enjoying it (maybe not the part that required some math). But otherwise, I love it and I'm back again to feeling sad I won't get to do this. My local university program costs a small fortune. So I did some research and have found some Canadian programs which are relatively cheap. I don't know how easy they'd be to get into but one is so affordable, I could pay cash for the whole thing today even with the hiked international student fee. I would apply but the major issue is it's an entirely in-person program, nothing online, which means if I'm accepted and considering going, I'd have to quit my job and move there. I just turned 40 this month so still concerned about the age thing. And all of this isn't even considering the whole COVID/closed borders issue - for all I know they're not even going to accept any foreign students in the near future or indefinitely.
Should I forget the whole thing? Any thoughts on a Canadian/Australian/UK MBA? Are they only good for citizens of those countries? Thanks again.
Been a while since I started this thread, but I could use fresh advice. Has anyone gotten their MBA from a foreign program? If so, how are those viewed in the US - did you manage to get a job here or not or got one but had problems landing it?
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Should I forget the whole thing? Any thoughts on a Canadian/Australian/UK MBA? Are they only good for citizens of those countries? Thanks again.
Really the questions you should ask are no different than if it were a US online program or any other.
a. Is it from a legit university through their on line program or is it just an on line program run out of an office building?
b. Legit universities are legit universities regardless of country. Many are among the best in the world. I have no idea however if they have an MBA or equivalent.
It's an in-person program totally, not online which is why I said one of the big problems with it if I got accepted is I'd have to quit my job to move there which means giving up my work income. They don't offer anything online for the MBA though they probably are right now because of the virus making everything go online (but I don't expect that to last or their attendance requirements to change). It's a legit school but what I'm wondering is how much weight, if any, is given to non-US MBAs? I would gladly go to a US school but they're crazy expensive even for state schools and I'd be going back into student loan debt with no guarantee of a job, whereas I can literally pay for an entire degree out of pocket at the Canadian schools I've looked at (but I'm too afraid those schools wouldn't be given any weight by the employers in the US).
I have an MBA. Did very well in my career. I didnt complete until I was 43 yrs old. Worked in structured finance and mergers and acquisitions. I enjoyed my career greatly. Retired last year at 65.
An MBA isn't required to become a Certified Merger and Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA) through FINRA (and licensing is more important than obtaining an MBA, in and of itself, especially depending upon where the degree is from).
That said, if one is without a law degree (specializing in corporate law), opportunity can be extremely limited in M&A's (and is focused primarily on the financial consulting end taking a client through the process, which involves excessive travel and so on) i.e. 'same mind-numbing work, different day'. I often see those with bachelor's degrees (economics, finance, mathematics and so on) in that type of position; and therefore, from my perspective, it's not a direction I would recommend to OP right out of the gate if he/she takes the opportunity to acquire an MBA. Then again, I'm biased; I prefer being on the front lines i.e. negotiation.
OP - what direction are you wanting to go with the MBA (which is crucial in determining if it's needed/worth it relative to your experience, where you are now, and where you ultimately wish to be).
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Where do you want to end up living / working? (international?)
If you completed a 'quality' international MBA, AND you had 5 + yrs using that MBA in engaging foreign employment you would be prime for SOME jobs in USA, but... hiring managers need evidence of your performance and skillset. They will be skeptical of international schools, and tend to 'protect their own' (USA) alumni.
Academically.... I would suspect you can find MBA programs that are far superior to most USA offerings.
Holding a job in an international company you worked for while overseas (when back in the USA) is another option.
Still... MBA is all about the 'connections', so do follow above advice (You must know where you desire to apply yourself / skills / talent / future. )
Best is to have your MBA from your potential hiring manager / leadership team alumni.
In any event... be SURE you can get a green card to WORK while attending overseas MBA.
Last edited by StealthRabbit; 05-26-2020 at 09:48 AM..
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