Which MBA?

Genesisz

Genesisz

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Tigarex said:
3 Years ago, I was just about to graduate with a degree. I was about to make a decision on which tier B university to for my MBA. Back then, I had time, money and experience to go into any tier B university. I shortlisted Manchester, Strathclyde and NTU. I thought hard about my choice and went with it. I chose none.

As I explored the options available to me, I realized there was much to consider. What was my goal? What was the ROI, would it really increase my pay? How much experience would I gain compared to working. Would my net work increase?

One thing soon became clear to me. The entire MBA idea is same as how De Beers tells you that when you get married you have to buy 3 sets of rings, proposal, engagement and wedding band. It is also how LV/Gucci/Prada convince people to buy their overpriced branded bags. It is a marketing gimmick to make you feel like you want it even though it is not something you really need.

The idea that having an MBA will increase your pay is a huge myth. Let us be realistic here. Will having an MBA increase profits for the company? This is very difficult to measure and most bosses will tell you the answer is no. This is the basic idea that most people forget.

Instead of an MBA, what I consider to be really useful is a technical certificate (hard skill). Let’s take nursing as a very good example. It is needed everywhere. The average life span of a human is always increasing and this also increases the demand for nurses. If you have an existing non-nursing degree, under WDA scheme, you can take a fully paid for course, with 1K SGD monthly allowance with a 3 year bond. You clear up the bond, you migrate to any part of the world where you can speak the language. Do you know the average pay for a nurse in Australia is easily 5K SGD /month and can easily hit 7-8k with experience? Many of my wife’s colleagues have already migrated over there so please don’t tell me about higher costs of living. It is only higher if you choose to make it higher.

So what other skills are there? Engineers, electricians and even plumbers are hot favorites that other countries want. My advice is, don’t take the MBA option if you want to earn a higher salary. With a 20-40k SGD budget, you can actually start a small business. That’s also another way to earn more monies. There are many much more cost efficient ways to achieving that coveted goal and an MBA is certainly not one of them.

Today, I am 28 and married. I have a 9 month old daughter with no financial debts to speak of. I am pretty satisfied with my pay. It is enough to support my wife to quit her job to take care of the baby. Once in a while, I still get drawn back into the “I must get MBA to get richer” view and that is why I am still reading this thread. Maybe one day I will get an MBA for fun. Just maybe.
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A thorough thought through process.

I too did not take on the MBA path and am contented with what I have done and am doing at this point in time.
 
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pinkpiglet4

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Is there any1 studyin MBA in any of our local units? is it hard to get in with a private degree? Can gmat help to boost up d application? thanks
 
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htngwilliam

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This thread is really quiet lately so I thought I will post one comment. Education is always a part of our life regardless whether we do it in school (Taking MBA, M.B Eng etc) or learn from our mentor at work.

However, one can consider investing in MBAs or buying cars, electronics, handbags. Some of my friends complain about paying $20-30k for an education but will not hesitate to fork out $150k for a car, or $10k for a set of DSLR with lens, $15k for a family holiday or a $5000 handbag.

Everyone has their own priority so make your wise choice
 
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Bedokian

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htngwilliam said:
This thread is really quiet lately so I thought I will post one comment. Education is always a part of our life regardless whether we do it in school (Taking MBA, M.B Eng etc) or learn from our mentor at work.

However, one can consider investing in MBAs or buying cars, electronics, handbags. Some of my friends complain about paying $20-30k for an education but will not hesitate to fork out $150k for a car, or $10k for a set of DSLR with lens, $15k for a family holiday or a $5000 handbag.

Everyone has their own priority so make your wise choice
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To each their own, I guess, but usually for education, one pays to "suffer" while those that you mentioned (car, holiday, etc.) pay to enjoy.
 
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nerdy82

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Yes. I do enjoy the time spent on my studies. I am just hoping it will give me the security I seeking ... :)

God bless.
 
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campbellronald7

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MBA degree’s are the core management degree s that help in building career if you have a work experience before ,so strathclyde MBA is a better option as there are university that do provides these kind of course within years of Span.
 
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htngwilliam

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Don't know about other school but Strathclyde really siong in terms of the number of courses
 
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rojak-

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although $$ and other factors come in when making a decision to choose which MBA program, eventually the biggest impact is which school you did your MBA from. When you're at the level (or industry) where everyone is expected to have an MBA, the first question you get will be "where did you get your MBA?", and that will determine your 'ranking' from then on. So the reputation of the school is most important, IMO.

2nd in line would be the kind of networks you can form during your MBA. What are the demographics you would expect in your cohort? Who are the type of people you are looking to network with during your MBA? What kinds of networks do you need to move on in the next stage of your career?
 
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alexlewyl

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MBA value is quite questionable.
I don't yet have a good sense which company will definitely pay more for an MBA grad.

Data for top MBA is self selective. If you area top performer, you go to a top school like Chicago, Harvard, insead, Oxbridge.

Suggest pursue education not hope of a new job.

This is why you should have good working experience and perhaps, a research phd to know your stuff really well.
 
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htngwilliam

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It is very difficult to argue and say who is correct. You can look at the senior management of listed companies and see what qualification they have and decide. End of the day, if you need a phd, get a phd. If you need a MBA, get an MBA.

It is like a decision in life, there is absolutely no guarantee on the correct decision. End of the day, we can spend $30k on the gambling table, on a car, on a property etc... No right or wrong answer.
 
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p0236948

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see that its a bit quiet here so I will drop a comment here.

I dont understand the purpose of getting a cheap and easy to do MBA? was the purpose just to get that piece of paper, or to truely study MBA and open yourself to future opportunities?

Having said that, as argued by so many people before, it really depends on individuals, opportunities and luck in your career. MBA does not gurantee success. If an individual is just trying to add on his/her credentials then it may sound like an idea.

In the past I thought the same, trying to do an easy, cheap 1 or 1.5 year MBA but my HR was against it. She mentioned that in her opinion that she is not familiar with that school and prog. and she would not value the MBA much in terms of recuiting or promotion. She checked with her other HR colleagues in the group and not many is familiar with that programme as well. (I dont mean MBA definately must be coming from top notch Chicago or Insead etc. here). But face the fact, people tends to have their opinion and tends to have the impression that certain schools like local unis rule the world.

Comparing side by side, almost all of my friends and colleagues have MBAs which are widely recognised. If I were to go for something easier, I dont think I will be able to get much value out of it.

I would recommend to choose the MBA programme depending on what you are looking for. When I was choosing the MBAs, the curriculum also affects my choice on how the modules were taught.

Just my 2 cent thoughts.
 
wahkao3

wahkao3

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p0236948 said:
In the past I thought the same, trying to do an easy, cheap 1 or 1.5 year MBA but my HR was against it. She mentioned that in her opinion that she is not familiar with that school and prog. and she would not value the MBA much in terms of recuiting or promotion.
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so those who come from top schools, they will be highly valued much in terms of recruiting and promotion?
 
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