MBA anybody?

[lonely canadian]

So, I am seriously thinking about going back to school. So serious in fact, that I've pretty much decided it. I just say "if" so that on the off chance I don't get accepted, I can pretend that I didn't really want to go to school and nobody will have to know. I like to have an out like that.

Anyways, I am going to do my MBA. Does anybody out there have one? What do you think if you do? What do you think if you don't?

I've looked into three schools in my area. I would work full time and go to school part time. My choices in summary are:

1) Royal Roads - $35,000
- roughly 2 year program
- mostly online type thing with 2 "residential" sessions (3 weeks per year you live on campus for intense learning)
- older population of students
- no requirement to write an MBA or have a university degree
- I am pretty much deciding it's a no on this one. It seems like a place where you pay for your degree rather than actually earn it.

2) University of Victoria - $30,000
- 2.5 years
- usual, part-time program with about 2 classes per week
- required to go to another country for a class which adds some cost
- located about 15 minutes from where I live
- downside is that I am not interested in their specialities.

3) University of British Columbia - $40,000
- 2.5 years
- classes on Fri evening, and all day saturday and sunday every 3rd weekend.
- not in the city I live in but I could get there in about 3 hours and have relatives I could stay with
- most prestigious
- I am the most interested in their program.

Funding wise, I am getting $10,000 from my parents and $22,000 from work. So, I can afford all of them with the University of British Columbia one being the most expensive for my out of pocket payments. I can do it though...

So, what do you think?

[lavender]

can you get off work on fridays to get to a class 3 hours away that evening? that seems to be the main drawback to the third one, otherwise that sounds best considering it's the program you seem most interested in. after all, once you're done the most important thing is what you got out of it.

why an MBA? i thought you worked in human resources - are you changing careers?

[SuspendedAnimation]

Personally, I don't have my MBA but if I were going to do one, I'd aim for #2. Close, cheaper and it's not as if the degree itself is 100% applicable/paramount to the working world and life in general. A friend of my ex-husband's had a degree in electrical engineering, worked full-time as an insurance salesman and part-time (because he enjoyed it) as a sports photographer. The degree is generally more of a way to check-mark the box on the "is she qualified to get to the next round" form than it is to fulfill one's life purpose. Unless you're in pursuit of a career in academia, that is. Are you? (I don't think so but it never hurts to ask.)

What are the specialities and such? How do they relate to what you're doing now? And to what your long-term goals are?

My husband has his MBA. And doesn't use it. A co-worker has his MBA. And doesn't use it. So much so, in fact, that he's going back to get a second MBA in the hopes that it will help. (I suspect it won't. He's got the nickname Positive Paul because it's so ironic.)

[lonely canadian]

Here we go to answer your questions:

Yes, I can get every third Friday off to go to class. In addition, my boss also said that when needed I can have a day here and there to use for studying. So, he's in total support. No problems there.

No, I am not interested in the fine world of academia. The MBA is really to give myself more credibility as well as to check it off my list of things I always wanted to do.

Yes, I am in HR and no, I am not changing careers. What I do want is to climb that corporate ladder. I want to keep going up and up and I feel like in order to keep going up and up, I need to learn more. You know, learn about finances and other crap like that so that I can sound intelligent and actually understand what it is I am reading/talking about.

As for the specialities...the UBC program has a "Strategic Management Specialization" which is a fancy way of saying a general management studies. the UVic program has 3 specializations: entrepreneurship, service management, international business, or general studies if you insist. They really pressure you to take one of their three specializations though. Sadly, I am not interested in any of those three. This is a major reason why I am looking at the UBC option which is further away.

So...what do you think of that now that you know more?

[SuspendedAnimation]

With all that, I'd go UVic for Intl Business. That whole global village thing is real and if you're aiming for the top of the heap, international is where it's all going to happen.

But that's just me. And I thought you worked for the government ...?

[lonely canadian]

Yep, I work for government. But it's like a corporation but with a different focus. And I see your point on the international business front. I never really thought about it too much. It's just hard to think it would be all that relevant for government. But maybe. It's a good point. thanks for the feedback. I guess I'll look further into the two options.

Oh yeah, and study for the bloody GMAT. sucks

[SuspendedAnimation]

I would poke around at work. Check with your boss, your mentor, research some of the big wig bio's - see what they focused on. The more closely you align yourself with those in power, the stronger their affinity toward you & the more likely to get promoted.

I would think (guess) that there's a 50-50% shot on the international scope for a government gig. If you work in and plan to stay in an aspect that's internal-focused (like HR for Parks & Rec) then international wouldn't make much sense. But if the end game involves any level of international aspects (even bringing in IT guys from India to re-do the govt database or whatever) to a high degree of international stuff (like drafting ex-pat policies for ambassadors & such) then it would really pay off I would think.

[vinyl]

Not an MBA but I'm thinking of maybe returning to part time study (kind of the same as you though - if I dont get in I'll maintain I didn't really want to do it:P)
I might have missed it in the other posts (am extraordinarily unobservant at the moment), but what does your gut say? Which feels the best?

[lonely canadian]

My gut says to do the UBC every third weekend thing. The reason is that I think having it parceled out like that will save my sanity. I'm worried that if I do a traditional route of two nights a week plus group meetings and stuff that I will burn out. I'm worried I would start to give up my sports and activities in order to have school 2 or more days a week, whereas with every third weekend I think I could maintain my day to day life more. Mostly, I know that when I get stressed about overachieving (which is what I do in school) then my eating problems start to creep back into my life. Of course, it's been a few years since that happened but I know it's a possibility for me.

On the flip side, the UBC one will cost me about $15,000 out of pocket when it's all said and done and I could do the UVic option for about $4,000 out of pocket. I know I can afford the $15,000 and I know that my hubby thinks it's all great. I'm just a worrier.

As for the other question about the big wigs...they tend to have an MBA like the Royal Roads option (online, executive like, with a focus on public administration). Royal Roads is pretty much no longer an option for me. It's geared to older people than me plus it's all online...I need classes to actually get anything out of it. Plus, I think you go to Royal Roads when you can't cut it at a real school. But that's just me being a snob about it all I'm sure).