The value of an M.B.A. by Tony Green

I have been reading in various publications recently about whether the value of having an MBA was not what it used to be. In the past the conventional thought was that getting an MBA was the surest route to higher management. From what I have read in magazines the degree is becoming dime a dozen and not the rite of passage that it was.


Part of the reason is that graduate school enrollment has decreased with the strong job market and universities are offering watered down programs in attempt to encourage enrollment. The value of getting an MBA, in my view, depends on what a person was seeking to get out of the earning the degree.

In my case, I had a technical background and wanted to complement my background with business knowledge. At the time I had lost my job and wanted to do something positive in the event it was a long time before I found employment.


As a veteran the GI Bill could finance the $18,000 price tag. It seemed like the logical thing to do at the time. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and as I was the sole earner for my family I could not afford to take two years off to go back to school and make my mortgage payment.
After 22 months of classes of evenings (and papers during the weekends) I completed the requirements for my MBA. During my classes I leaned a ton of useful information which proved most helpful in position eventually landed after a three month job search. As it turned out it was my first management position.


In the end I am unsure whether I am on the road to path to success that people earn MBA to achieve but ultimately I feel that I am a better professional/person as of the experience. In my estimation the value of that is much more than dimes or dollars.