Posted on Feb 1, 2016
PO2 Seabee
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Is having a MBA still worth it these days? I mean a degree is better than no degree with today's economy and all but I'm asking just for general knowledge. (Yea I have some credits in this field already)
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Maj Densel Galloway
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Having an MBA is worth having, and will continue to be very useful for a long time to come. However, having an MBA is not a silver bullet. You need a reason and plan why you are seeking it and how you plan to use it.

If you are convinced that an MBA is right for you go for it. Stick to your plan and make it work for you. I use my MBA to assist me to operate, manage and improve my business. As a consultant it enabled me to do the same for my clients as well. Leverage the information you learn and develop practical ways to use it.
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COL Strategic Plans Chief
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Agree with what everyone here has said so far, but I'd ask yourself..."Do I really want to be a 'master business administrator'?" I was part way through my MBA and just went through accounting. While I aced the course, I looked at what I was studying and why and realized what I really wanted to learn about was leadership and management...not accounting, probability and mathematics. Having an MBA is a good thing, but it wasn't for me. So...I went into management and organizational design. This kind of degree is mostly focused on consulting businesses on their organizations and improving their bottom line through change. I found this much more to my liking than knowing how the accounting systems work in business. Besides, like some have said already, businesses are looking for more than an MBA. Not to mention that if you don't have an MBA from a reputable college, it's pretty much worthless in the larger business world without experience to back it up.
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CPT Steve Curley
CPT Steve Curley
8 y
I agree regarding getting MBA from a highly regarded program is important. I received mine from one of the stuff shirt northeastern schools. In my case I went fulltime for 2yrs. The reason I went may apply to many. I used it as a 2 year transition to the real world after 8yrs in the Army and to brush up on basic business skills. There wasn't much call for Cav chopper pilots in civilian life. The first question that must be answered is well stated by the Colonel. What do I want to do? Secondly, how do I get there? Also you should consider the expense vs the benefit. It worked for me.
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COL Strategic Plans Chief
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Having an MBA is a good starting point, but like a couple of people have said before, it's not necessarily going to make you stand out. I'd prefer to work for an institution that brought me on for my other skills instead of just the fact that I went to an ivy league school and got my boy-scout badge.
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CAPT Kevin B.
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OK, I'll provide some of the cons. in certain fields, MBAs are a dime a dozen. Some look at it as being able to skate the long program so they'll interview you to see if you're worthwhile, but not because of your degree. It gets used as a prefilter many times. Some outfits look at MBAs as a continuation of a person who still can't figure out what they want to be when they grow up.

However, my take is having one is better than not having one in most endeavors. However, don't overlook the power of a technical masters in certain marketplaces. Big, big bucks are earned by multiple degrees, i.e. a patent lawyer who's also a registered engineer. He makes more money on the witness stand than the rest of his practice. This just shows everything is somewhere on the bell curve. MBAs are pretty much in the fat part of it so you'll need more to differentiate yourself to many prospective employers.
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