On-line MBA Suggestions

[cyputz]

Truly depends on your career direction.

I was going to do a Masters in Organizational Leadership through Gonzaga, regret the fact I did not. Once the the company stated they would support and then backed off on the “time away” requirement, I should have did it anyway .

It was a move late in my career, however an area I really enjoyed. Did not like Project Management options.

However their thoughts were more towards European movements.

Nice career now retired.

 

[I-stateTheTruth]

I was a liberal arts guy - including advanced degree - and made it to lower exec level in an education-related company. I definitely had times about 10 yrs ago that I thought an MBA might give me a career boost but for various reasons, it didn't happen. A couple nuggets that could inform your choice:

* A few years back, I read a good analysis of on-line MBAs (there are more available now), and the conclusion was that the best cost/value was to be found with Western Governors University's online MBA. It's modularized and you can power through it faster - which is cheaper in their model - if you have time. Might be worth a look. Online MBAs do NOT, of course, give you much value in terms of networking, of course.

* I live on the East Coast so there are more high-paying, corporate jobs in my region so I don't know to what extent this applies to the Midwest now. A friend of mine was chatting with an acquaintance who's an exec in a Fortune 500 type company. He says his division hasn't brought in MBAs at all in recent years. They're looking for people with strong Math backgrounds and they train them in-house for 6 months in data analytics. He says it's all data stuff now with big companies and they can't find enough people with strong Math skills. He told him they had just hired a kid out of a big name school's Master's in Data Analytics program and gave him a starting salary of $285k (!!!). This may not have anything to do with your career trajectory or what you seek to do but maybe it's interesting just to understand the direction that the job market is heading.

 

[Mr.G.Spot]

Good information.

MBA is really a cost benefit analysis combined with the emotional/psychological benefits. If your employer does not reimburse or give u an indication it can help your career then it is about the soft benefits.

If you want to change careers then go for it. It will open doors even if it on-line.

I like the analytics major. Ivy is doing well with that major.

 

[Beerbrat]

Is an MBA even worth it anymore?

Unless your company requires it to move into leadership positions or you want to make a complete career change it generally doesn't make sense. If you want to improve your own knowledge and education it's great for non-business people, but don't go into it thinking it's the pathway to more money.

 

[TXCyclones]

Is an MBA even worth it anymore?

It is. You get out of it what you put into it. If you're getting an MBA simply to fill white space on your resume then, no, it won't be worth it. But if you're doing it to increase your business acumen then it is worth it several time over.

 

[cymonw1980]

Alright gang, so knowing CF has wealth of knowledge and great advices. I figured I’d ask for some suggestions or advices on online MBA programs.

I graduated from ISU with an engineering degree and have been working in manufacturing since then. While I really enjoy engineering, I am not sure it will be the career that I will retire on. It might be, but there is also a good chance that I will pivot to something else at some point.. If I had to re-do college, I’d probably have gotten a finance degree I think.

So this brings me to my current situation. I’m really considering getting an MBA (online), as I think it aligns with my interests and would help me pivot in the future. Whether the pivot is to a new industry, engineering/business leadership roles, or even entrepreneurship. I don’t have kids yet, so figured now would be the time to do it, while I still have some free time.

I’m struggling with trying to find a good balance between cost and quality/brand of the institution. The MBA is more than a check mark for me. I also want a quality learning experience. Anyhow, any suggestions on which programs to consider or not consider? Any random tips or related stories?

Thanks

Ps: I have already checked us news rankings, and started a spreadsheet like any engineer would lol.

I went to UNC Chapel Hill for my MBA about 10 years ago. They were one of the first top tier programs to offer an online option. I did mine in person since I work in the area. I know they have been consistently ranked #1 for the online MBA program though. Also, they offer opportunities for the class to meet up in person several times throughout the program. They have made it a bit more flexible as well, I believe you have between 18 months and 3 yrs to finish.

 

[cyfanbr]

@Mr.G.Spot @I-stateTheTruth

Analytics is so important. I joke with some of my coworkers that on my next quarterly review with my boss, I’ll tell him that I want to start a data analytics division in the company lol.

It is 2021 and it is unbelievable how difficult it is to get some of our KPIs. Good luck trying to improve or even maintain a baseline when there is limited visibility to the data.

It’s the classic a number is red on this monthly report, maybe it was just a bad month. Then you get two bad months in a row, well maybe it is just coincidence. Three bad months go by and now a quarter of the year has gone by with underperformance. Alright, time to do something about it! If it is not an easy fix then it might take another 2-3 months to find the root cause and fix it. Now you underperformed for the whole year because of lack of visibility to the right data.

 

[cyfanbr]

I went to UNC Chapel Hill for my MBA about 10 years ago. They were one of the first top tier programs to offer an online option. I did mine in person since I work in the area. I know they have been consistently ranked #1 for the online MBA program though. Also, they offer opportunities for the class to meet up in person several times throughout the program. They have made it a bit more flexible as well, I believe you have between 18 months and 3 yrs to finish.

Yea, UNC seems to be a great online and face to face program. As you might have seen from some of my replies above, I just don’t know if I can justify the $125k cost for UNC.

 

[Mr.G.Spot]

@Mr.G.Spot @I-stateTheTruth

Analytics is so important. I joke with some of my coworkers that on my next quarterly review with my boss, I’ll tell him that I want to start a data analytics division in the company lol.

It is 2021 and it is unbelievable how difficult it is to get some of our KPIs. Good luck trying to improve or even maintain a baseline when there is limited visibility to the data.

It’s the classic a number is red on this monthly report, maybe it was just a bad month. Then you get two bad months in a row, well maybe it is just coincidence. Three bad months go by and now a quarter of the year has gone by with underperformance. Alright, time to do something about it! If it is not an easy fix then it might take another 2-3 months to find the root cause and fix it. Now you underperformed for the whole year because of lack of visibility to the right data.

Age old issue with business. Are you curing the cancer or the side effects that the cancer is causing? Most business people go thru life fixing the side effects, not the cancer.

And yes, you need a lot of data to properly adjust/add/modify kpi's to stop the cancer vs. fighting the side effects.

 

[PSYclone22]

Is an MBA even worth it anymore?

MBAs are the new BAs and BSs

 

[carvers4math]

Indiana would probably be my pick, but the cost is ~$75k. I probably won’t do the MBA if I have to take out a loan. If I was sure that I would change career or jobs right after getting the degree, then maybe I could justify the cost as an investment.

That makes sense. An FYI, son took the GRE instead of GMAT in case he had any thoughts of getting a graduate degree in engineering. You may not have desire to do that but in case you do.

 

[intrepid27]

Is an MBA even worth it anymore?

As an executive recruiter I would definitely say yes to this. MBAs are very sought after by employers. It really does not matter where they are from. Employers not only like what you have learned getting an MBA but the fact that you are willing to invest significant time and money speaks highly of the type of person you are.

It's hard to put a number on it but I'd say everything else being equal candidates with an MBA Make $10,000 -$15,000 more per year. This is based off of individuals in the $100-$150K salary range.

 

[ISUCyclones2015]

I would also look at a couple options for meeting in person once a month.

I know Notre Dame does a 1 weekend a month MBA in Chicago and Florida does it as well. I have a whole list I was trying to find since I've been mulling an MBA for a little while.

 

[cyfanbr]

I would also look at a couple options for meeting in person once a month.

I know Notre Dame does a 1 weekend a month MBA in Chicago and Florida does it as well. I have a whole list I was trying to find since I've been mulling an MBA for a little while.

Yea I need to add a field to my sheet to compare face to face meeting opportunities.

University Of Chicago (Booth) actually has a weekend MBA program that I though was kind of a neat idea. $170k though