Any FIU or UM MBAs on the board? (Miami, Tampa: credit, how much)

[schiphol]

I'm a current FIU MBA student and just wanted get a sense of what the job market is like out there, in Miami or elsewhere, for any MBA grads from the area schools.
I've looked all over the internet and can't find any in depth stats for employment. One amateurish bit of research was on Facebook. I found lots of profiles for Miami MBAs who 1) make it clear that they like to drink, as evidenced by their profile pics (always a great idea for potential recruiters to look at) and 2) work for hourly wages or doing jobs people with GEDs can do. Sorry if I'm coming off as insulting to those people. I just get a little worried since I'm a grad student and wonder if I'm making a mistake by spending this money.

Thanks.

[robertobaggio]

Originally Posted by schiphol

I'm a current FIU MBA student and just wanted get a sense of what the job market is like out there, in Miami or elsewhere, for any MBA grads from the area schools.
I've looked all over the internet and can't find any in depth stats for employment. One amateurish bit of research was on Facebook. I found lots of profiles for Miami MBAs who 1) make it clear that they like to drink, as evidenced by their profile pics (always a great idea for potential recruiters to look at) and 2) work for hourly wages or doing jobs people with GEDs can do. Sorry if I'm coming off as insulting to those people. I just get a little worried since I'm a grad student and wonder if I'm making a mistake by spending this money.

Thanks.

Unlike MS degrees in Engineering, where what you could learn in class at a large well research funded state school could be on par with what you learn at MIT or Stanford, the biggest value of an MBA is the networking with fellow students, alumni and the reputation of the school in the eyes of potential recruiters. That is really what MBA students at top schools are paying for, much more than what you actually learn in class. Therefore, an MBA at a non top 20 schools is not worth the money and the time in my opinion. No Florida school is in the TOP 20 and almost no fortunate 500 is in Florida. This is proven by the average salary of UM's and UF's MBA graduates which is around $65k compared to the $100k or more at the top schools. Also, I believe 50% of UM MBA's have no work experience prior entering to the program, compared to less than 1% at the top schools. That pretty much explains your observation and how wasteful is an MBA at UM.

[noland123]

I have to agree with Robert here unless you go to a big Ivy League University like Harvard and in a city with Fortune 500 companies it might not be worthy of getting the extra education on a salary basis, but at the same time you can never have enough education and that pays down the road in some form or fashion..

[schiphol]

Thanks for the feedback.
I do agree with both of you to a degree. However, I do have 6 years of professional work experience; I am not planning on working in finance; and I work in IT as a programmer / developer. I have noticed that MBAs in Miami are a dime a dozen. I worked briefly at UM and every secretary has an MBA from UM. It is disheartening to not find anyone doing anything with their lives out here with an MBA and coupled with your comments I feel like I wasted money.
I was hoping that obtaining the degree with my background plus the fact that I'm not staying in this land of the underemployed would probably be a bonus for my resume and future employment prospects.
Is there anyone out there doing anything meaningful with their FIU or UM MBA?

[gtmv]

I got an MBA from FIU five years ago and in my experience the MBA is nice and it helps on your resume , but please have realistic expectations. The economy down here is what it is. It's not New York or San Francisco, but then again the cost of living is not as high as those places either. I think your future employment has more to do with your past work experience and how much you network. These are crucial things and they will play a bigger role in your future than the MBA. If you are going to stay in Florida, your best chances of making the most money is in South Florida or Tampa. I can tell you I do Ok financially, but my wife is a teacher and she needs to work for us to live well. I make double of what she does, but by no means is it a fortune. It's enough to get by, but I don't regret getting the MBA and I would never leave South Florida, either despite its flaws.

[gtmv]

Their are plenty of people that are doing meaningful work with MBA, but their are more MBA's than those "great jobs". Despite what you may think, no one is jut going to hand you a nice big title and a large paycheck just because you have an MBA. Like in anything you have to work your way up. As you get into organizations you will find that their are many talented people, who are very smart and do not have MBA's. I know you have high expectations and that is good, but don't expect too much just because you have an MBA.

[lcasas]

There are a lot of successful MBAs out there from FIU working both locally as well as around the world. Some examples include Yahoo Telemundo (Coral Gables), Microsoft (Fort Lauderdale), MySpace (Miami), Bank of America (New York), P&G (Cincinnati), Google (Ireland), J&J (Argentina), Wachovia (North Carolina), GE (Connecticut), etc., etc.

An MBA will definitely enhance your resume (nowadays it's almost a must-have), but it's up to you to proactively "sell yourself". One suggestion is to take advantage of your school's career management center, and the services and networking opportunities that they provide.

With six years of work experience and an MBA from a reputable school like FIU (even if it isn't Ivy League) you should be able to land a very good job, but you're going to have to work on it, especially since the economy is so slow. Good luck!...

[robertobaggio]

Originally Posted by lcasas

There are a lot of successful MBAs out there from FIU working both locally as well as around the world. Some examples include Yahoo Telemundo (Coral Gables), Microsoft (Fort Lauderdale), MySpace (Miami), Bank of America (New York), P&G (Cincinnati), Google (Ireland), J&J (Argentina), Wachovia (North Carolina), GE (Connecticut), etc., etc.

An MBA will definitely enhance your resume (nowadays it's almost a must-have), but it's up to you to proactively "sell yourself". One suggestion is to take advantage of your school's career management center, and the services and networking opportunities that they provide.

With six years of work experience and an MBA from a reputable school like FIU (even if it isn't Ivy League) you should be able to land a very good job, but you're going to have to work on it, especially since the economy is so slow. Good luck!...

FIU MBA is not ranked in the top 50 MBAs of any rankings. How is that reputable?

[kevinkagy]

Originally Posted by robertobaggio

FIU MBA is not ranked in the top 50 MBAs of any rankings. How is that reputable?

Yes it is.

BusinessWeek (2006) ranks the College of Business among the top 15% of graduate business schools in the U.S., the only one in South Florida, and in the top 25 among public business schools.

The College of Business Administration is among the 15% of elite business schools worldwide accredited by the AACSB International.

U.S. News and World Report's "America's Best Colleges" (2007) ranks the undergraduate international business programs 7th in the nation. The Executive MBA program is ranked 1st in Florida by Financial Times(2008) and 35th in the United States

[robertobaggio]

Originally Posted by kevinkagy

Yes it is.

BusinessWeek (2006) ranks the College of Business among the top 15% of graduate business schools in the U.S., the only one in South Florida, and in the top 25 among public business schools.

The College of Business Administration is among the 15% of elite business schools worldwide accredited by the AACSB International.

U.S. News and World Report's "America's Best Colleges" (2007) ranks the undergraduate international business programs 7th in the nation. The Executive MBA program is ranked 1st in Florida by Financial Times(2008) and 35th in the United States

This site reports all MBA rankings. Again I fail to see FIU in the top 50 of any of them. Miami MBA is in the top 50 of only the WSJ. UF MBA is in the top 50 or better for all of them.

ForeignMBA.com - MBA Rankings summary