Any MBA degree holders here?

[UK2K]

Looking towards my PMP in the near future

On my radar as well.

[ISHGoat]

What about for management roles in tech industry? You guys are all speaking from the finance/banking POV, and I agree that the MBA is not very useful for that because there's stuff like MQF and MMF.

[West-Side]

What about for management roles in tech industry? You guys are all speaking from the finance/banking POV, and I agree that the MBA is not very useful for that because there's stuff like MQF and MMF.

MBA = masters of business admin.
If you want to get management roles in tech industries; you'll probably be okay with an MBA plus knowledge in IT. If you have an undergrad in IT and are applying for a management role and have no business background; MBA is an excellent way to go.

CPA are designed mostly for people with a business background; MBA is actually designed for people without a business background. The courses you will be taking are quite general unless you take specific electives in advanced courses.

Like if you specialized in finance rather than a general stream, than you will take finance specific courses and they are definitely not general.

In MBA you take core courses which are general (and you can simply take the general stream throughout your 2 years) and you have elective streams (like marketing, finance, accounting, HR and operations).

So to answer your question; if you have a solid IT background and have little business background; MBA is an excellent way to go. If you have a business background and are trying to get a corporate job; go the CPA route, as it is far more advanced and will add a lot more value for your professional career and getting hired.

[InfiniteBaskets]

Top 10-12 schools are worth paying $100k a year for their MBA programs due to the type of networking opportunities and post career paths. The average MBA grad from a top tier school gets offers from $110k - $200k depending on what industry you go into.

This is especially true if your company reimburses you for an MBA degree. Although I will agree that getting a CFA > any MBA degree at a non top tier school. However if you really want to get into upper management at any fortune 500 company, particularly strategy or technology implementation/transformation, it will be extremely difficult without at least an MBA.

[wang4three]

What about for management roles in tech industry? You guys are all speaking from the finance/banking POV, and I agree that the MBA is not very useful for that because there's stuff like MQF and MMF.

It really depends. I got an MBA, mostly I wanted to change careers into tech. A lot of tech companies like MBAs with a technical background (BS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, etc.), especially if you're going for a Product Management/Program Management role for B2B tech companies (SaaS, enterprise software, cloud infrastructure).

However, if you're going for a Marketing, Sales/Sales Operations, Project Management role, then a tech background is less relevant. Marketing, depending on the role (Product Marketers specifically), may require some technical background, but ultimately it's not necessary.

Having gotten my MBA, the most usefulness is the networking. You get the ability to network with your classmates as well as your alumni group to get the interview opportunity. Previously, I came from a marketing/advertising background, but wanted to get into product management for a tech company and I wouldn't have able to make the transition if my classmates didn't refer me into their old companies for interviews as well as gave me the breakdown of what the job entailed. I spent my 2 years doing part-time and summer internships in the role and leveraged that to a full-time position.

I get when people say MBA is "useless." The education is great and all, but really the value is the networking. I have a great network of friends/classmates and people that I can go to anytime I want to get an interview at another company. Really, that's the only way to get interviews these days, is if someone refers you.

Sure, if you're getting an MFA, CPA, CFA, etc. you're more likely to get a job because those are clearly defined skills, but only if you're not looking to go towards an managerial accounting/finance role.

[Richie2k6]

It really depends. I got an MBA, mostly I wanted to change careers into tech. A lot of tech companies like MBAs with a technical background (BS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, etc.), especially if you're going for a Product Management/Program Management role for B2B tech companies (SaaS, enterprise software, cloud infrastructure).

However, if you're going for a Marketing, Sales/Sales Operations, Project Management role, then a tech background is less relevant. Marketing, depending on the role (Product Marketers specifically), may require some technical background, but ultimately it's not necessary.

Having gotten my MBA, the most usefulness is the networking. You get the ability to network with your classmates as well as your alumni group to get the interview opportunity. Previously, I came from a marketing/advertising background, but wanted to get into product management for a tech company and I wouldn't have able to make the transition if my classmates didn't refer me into their old companies for interviews as well as gave me the breakdown of what the job entailed. I spent my 2 years doing part-time and summer internships in the role and leveraged that to a full-time position.

I get when people say MBA is "useless." The education is great and all, but really the value is the networking. I have a great network of friends/classmates and people that I can go to anytime I want to get an interview at another company. Really, that's the only way to get interviews these days, is if someone refers you.

Sure, if you're getting an MFA, CPA, CFA, etc. you're more likely to get a job because those are clearly defined skills, but only if you're not looking to go towards an managerial accounting/finance role.

Well said

[Duderonomy]

I have a bachelors in BA. And currently work in corporate technical recruiting. I agree with most of the comments. To simplify the answer a MBA with little work experience is a uphill climb to repay student loans. On the other hand at a company like Chrysler most execs with the corner offices are required to have one. If your company pays for you to get a 6 year degree go for it, if you can't find a job after completing your bachelors and are bored, don't do it. Keep grinding and pressing until you find your niche or a company who is willing to train you or put you into their system.

[ISHGoat]

Thanks for the responses guys. I took a diagnostic GMAT yesterday and got 560 which it said was the 56th percentile. How much can I reasonably expect to improve? Im pretty fresh out of engineering school, with minimal standardized testing experience/training. The GMAT will basically be the first test I take outside of school other than some java certificate.

[West-Side]

Thanks for the responses guys. I took a diagnostic GMAT yesterday and got 560 which it said was the 56th percentile. How much can I reasonably expect to improve? Im pretty fresh out of engineering school, with minimal standardized testing experience/training. The GMAT will basically be the first test I take outside of school other than some java certificate.

You can improve a lot by studying.
My friend did worse than you and got 90th percentile on a re-try.

[West-Side]

My colleague who did his MBA with me; he decided to do his PhD.
He took 3 practice exams and failed all 3 times; I remember talking to him in the smoking section. He was legit nervous and thought he would not make it. I told him during the real test you will focus a lot more and do fine. He ended up passing with flying colors.

There are people who legitimately choke on actual examinations and people who do much better than on practice exams; I do much better on actual exams, and apparently so did my colleague.

He studied a lot and showed progress each time but he wasn't hitting the threshold for the program he was trying to enroll in.

So the best advice I'll give you is be as prepared as you can be because studying will most certainly help you gain confidence and knowledge. Even if you don't pass, don't give up. I know many students who didn't pass the 1st time (in some cases, even the 2nd time) but with hard work, they ended up passing.

[DeuceWallaces]

GMAT and GRE are about knowing how to quickly recognize the "type" of problem presented, and the "trick" to complete it in 45 seconds.

One of the books and a little studying will go a long way towards improving your score; at least for the non-writing portion of the exam.

[West-Side]

GMAT and GRE are about knowing how to quickly recognize the "type" of problem presented, and the "trick" to complete it in 45 seconds.

One of the books and a little studying will go a long way towards improving your score; at least for the non-writing portion of the exam.

Yes!
Thank you for pointing it out.
There are certain components you can improve dramatically from simply studying more; and some (English) that takes a lot longer to improve (than a normal duration time of 2/3 months). That's about how long some of my friends studied for their GMAT. I think the exam is offered every 4 months or so.

[DeuceWallaces]

They're both offered quite frequently depending on your area, but you can only take them so often. It's either 1 or 3 months. I can't remember.

[ISHGoat]

Yes!
Thank you for pointing it out.
There are certain components you can improve dramatically from simply studying more; and some (English) that takes a lot longer to improve (than a normal duration time of 2/3 months). That's about how long some of my friends studied for their GMAT. I think the exam is offered every 4 months or so.

So if I understand this correctly, lets say I plan to allocate 3 months to study, around 2-3 hours each day:

1-2 weeks to relearn basic concepts and theory, like trig, geometry, algebra, english sentence syntax. basically freshen up on fundamentals, which is all that is required for GMAT.

2 months to do practice problems so that I can see as many types of questions as possible

1-2 weeks to do fully timed practice exams

not in that order, but is this pretty much a good direction? should I spend more time learning the thorey/background or is 2 weeks enough?

also, how the hell do I practice my written section?! this is one of those times where I feel that it is easier for people from a essay-based major like journalism/english. people with little math/logic background can powertrain and improve greatly in those areas in a short time span. for language and writing, i think it is understood that it is not one of those things that you can rapidly improve on.

[DCL]

So if I understand this correctly, lets say I plan to allocate 3 months to study, around 2-3 hours each day:

1-2 weeks to relearn basic concepts and theory, like trig, geometry, algebra, english sentence syntax. basically freshen up on fundamentals, which is all that is required for GMAT.

2 months to do practice problems so that I can see as many types of questions as possible

1-2 weeks to do fully timed practice exams

not in that order, but is this pretty much a good direction? should I spend more time learning the thorey/background or is 2 weeks enough?

also, how the hell do I practice my written section?! this is one of those times where I feel that it is easier for people from a essay-based major like journalism/english. people with little math/logic background can powertrain and improve greatly in those areas in a short time span. for language and writing, i think it is understood that it is not one of those things that you can rapidly improve on.

if you want to do well, you must do the following...

step 1: stop procrastinating and get off insidehoops
step 2: repeat step 1