Do you think B school is for me?

Question

Hey all, ive worked for 5 years as a staff supervisor, then promoted to business manager/administrator at a very successful (but small) law firm. Since taking on more respon. with business and financial management and planning, I have really found a niche. However, I am concerned about wanting to move up, or even into other business mgt positions (non profits, for example). Does it sound like I would benefit from an MBA? I would go part time, have a 3.6 GPA from a small, elite liberal arts college, and 6 years of progressive work experience (half of which has been management).

Im in the first phases of figuring this out, but it seems like an MBA would benefit me in the long run (to not get stuck, etc.)

thanks

colbytim · Answer

any and all opinions highly appreciated!

sdg · Answer

First; a lot of part time programs don’t have much by way of career services, so if you’re planning on going that route, be prepared to do some of your own leg work. If you get into a good pt program you may have some classmates you can network with after all most of them will have jobs and you can pick their brains about other industries of interest. Second; there are not a lot of MBA’s out there. I’ve worked for two midsized companies (1000-1500 employees) and no one that I’ve spoken with has an MBA (I work closely with directors, vp’s and above). So is it necessary? The short answer is no. That being said I believe getting an MBA can and will help fast track your career.

colbytim · Answer

im basically feeling stuck, both compensation and mobility-wise. im stuck in san francisco (worse places), so would be looking to go locally. I think berk may be out of my reach, but then again i havent cracked a gmat book yet.

i basically want to find a way to become a more effective and established manager for a small business or non profit. ?

i basically want to find a way to become a more effective and established manager for a small business or non profit. ?

conmisdosmanos · Answer

Funny, I just quit the exact same job to pursue my MBA, and also have a similar gpa from tiny, elite liberal arts school. I decided on the MBA for similar reasons - I was pretty stuck and I wanted to open doors in both my immediate future and beyond.

IMO, no, an MBA is not necessary. Another gmatclubber I met once joked something like "MBAs are for people who screwed up somewhere along the line." While I don't think that's necessarily true, it obviously stuck with me. Being a manager or a businessperson or a consultant or wherever you may go probably doesn't require a degree. But the degree may give you a fast track to get there. I decided that a couple years and a couple hundred thousand dollars would be worth the myriad of opportunities I would doubtless encounter by going for it.

It's ultimately, obviously, a completely personal decision. If I were you, I would spend some time researching possible career paths and speaking with MBA alums if you can find them (I had a really hard time with that part - turns out I don't know any...). And if you decide to go for it, consider doing a fulltime program. At first, I had planned to go part-time at a regional school, and the only MBA I found talked me out of it. He encouraged me to aim as high as I could, as it's a once-in-a-lifetime decision and opportunity. Anyhow, best of luck and feel free to pm me .

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Do you think B school is for me?

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