I want to have the title "MBA," but I don't give a rats ass about getting the education.

I'm never going to apply for a job, I'm never going to use it for anything other than to be "Stunna, MBA."

It just looks good in the consulting biz, and it needs to be legit incase I ever get sued for false advertising.

I don't care if it comes from the University of BFE Mexico, I just want to trade cash for a masters.

Is it possible?

If you wanna sell yourself as a consultant, you're selling in-depth expertise in one field or another.. So then get yourself a phd.

MBA's is basically a crash-course in management for people with little or specialized educations.. Nobody with a clue should care whether a consultant they hire has an MBA or not.. (Unless they're hiring for interim management positions..)

I think the market is getting saturated enough with MBAs that the value of an MBA in a vacuum isn't all that high right now.

That being said, it can potentially be a way to try to transition into a management role at the same company someone's at, and I think people who have an MBA *and* some other kind of specialized knowledge (e.g., you're also a proven chemical engineer) can still command huge salaries.

Yea, this is true. Most of the people I know of who have MBAs are also specialized somewhere else. I don't know if I'd call what they are commanding huge salaries, but they are in the 100,125k range.

There are a certain % of people in this world, however small, that think college education is the only way you can learn things. Having an MBA would just expand my marketshare to include those people. Also when dealing with large companies (400+ employees) they have an educational prerequisite they want from consultants. That circumvents that. It really isn't 100% necessary.

Plus, I say again, it's just cool to be Stunna, MBA.

The value of getting an MBA isn't really about being able to say you have an MBA (although it's certainly more about that than the actual education you get in most cases). It's the networking you do with other people getting MBAs in the course of doing all the many group projects you need to do for almost any MBA.

My wife is getting her MBA at NYU Stern and the upside is getting nationwide marketability from the way we see it (she works in private equity which is pretty much peculiar to NYC).

Don't get me wrong -- there definitely are jobs you can get cold based on having an MBA and no relevant experience, but most of the people I've met in that situation either don't have very enjoyable jobs or aren't making much money, or both.

I haven't tried to bust any kind of statistical analysis on it, but it seems like the MBAs that I know that saw real value out of the degree did either because of someone they met in the process of getting it (e.g., they work with a guy on a bunch of group projects, and then a year later that guy's company is trying to fill a position and he gets them in based on his strong recommendation from knowing the kind of work they do) or because it helped them push into management in a field they already were strong in (e.g. guy with a bunch of engineering experience moving into managing people doing the same kind of engineering.)

Your mileage may vary. :)

I want to have the title "MBA," but I don't give a rats ass about getting the education.

I'm never going to apply for a job, I'm never going to use it for anything other than to be "Stunna, MBA."

It just looks good in the consulting biz, and it needs to be legit incase I ever get sued for false advertising.

I don't care if it comes from the University of BFE Mexico, I just want to trade cash for a masters.

The two highlighted phrases are at odds with one another. There are certainly less reputable places where you can trade both cash and time for an MBA, but you're going to have to show up some of the time, turn in (easy) assignments, put in 1.5-2+ years, etc.

Even in consulting, when you add letters after your name, you're eventually going to be asked "From where?", even if it's just an attempt to open conversation. Answering "BFE" probably leaves your reputation lower than just not having the letters.

Ironically, one of the few uses of a paper-mill degree is applying for a job. If you're dealing with a large company that has written prereqs, it can get your resume past the initial HR screen and into the hands of someone who can correctly assess your previous job experience and accomplishments.

valguarnera@carrionfields.com

>I want to have the title "MBA," but I don't give a rats
>ass about getting the education.
>
>I'm never going to apply for a job, I'm never going to use it
>for anything other than to be "Stunna, MBA."
>
>It just looks good in the consulting biz, and it needs to
>be legit incase I ever get sued for false advertising.
>
>I don't care if it comes from the University of BFE Mexico,
>I just want to trade cash for a masters.
>
>The two highlighted phrases are at odds with one another.
>There are certainly less reputable places where you can trade
>both cash and time for an MBA, but you're going to have to
>show up some of the time, turn in (easy) assignments, put in
>1.5-2+ years, etc.

I get what your saying. I'm alright getting around casual conversation asking where I did my MBA. If someone is more interested in the qualification, I'll be quick to redirect their attention to other shiney (more important) credentials.

I have heard rumors of programs that let you use job experience as credit and so on and so forth.

The MBA title, at this particular point in my career, is probably not worth putting a year + into getting it.

As a current MBA student at a top 20 school, I think you're right that it's not worth it. Based on the other thread I just read, where you mentioned your existing businesses, unless you were thinking of making a radical career change I wouldn't think an MBA would be worth the time and money.

T

a real one probably needs some good contacts...

nt, i said

Afaik University's can dish out honorary degrees if they think you did something deserving in the fields of science or generally helping out the University.
While I guess it would be quite a feat to get that title from lets say Harvard, I am sure the bar is much lower if you look at a backwater University in some Asian country or the like. Sponsoring some equipment might be enough in that case...

NT, yea