worth it ?

[GrizzlyAdamsUK]

I am wondering what the employemnt value of the MBA is. WIth so many programmes, schools, standards and 'life experience' graduates every year.... would I be better getting something else?

How does someone get by after being on a FT MBA programme ?

is the market better in the US than in UK.

Anyone with Guidance on changing career track. ( Im in IT, no longer a techie, manager-leader etc ) Im thinking Service/operations management.

warm regards

[slayterdown]

Sounds superficial, but if you get an MBA from a top business school it is certainly worth it.

[Bender]

Hi,
I'm new to the forum having completed my first semester successfully and into my second semester of study. Rather than start a new thread I figured I would just tack onto this thread since it seems to be along the same lines of the question I wanted to ask.

As stated I just recently returned to college to obtain my MBA. My undergrad is computer science and I'm currently working in technical sales as a support engineer. The reason I returned to school is because I'm getting burned out in my current position and I'm looking to make a full career change, to either Project Management or Materials Management. I just finished the first semester with a 4.0 avg. so I'm feeling pretty good about going for the degree in general. I also want to note the classes I plan on focusing on are forecasting and statistics. Now, the question is, how realistic am I being at being able to change careers at my age? By the time I finish I'll be 49 years old. My current company is not doing very well, and I don't expect to make my move internally. So what are the odds that a company would take a chance on me as a new graduate hire? And am I being unrealistic in thinking of a starting salary around $70K per year? This would be about as low as I could go and not lose my home.

Thanks

[cemj99]

I don't think it's unrealistic for you to change professions and get a salary of at least $70,000 with your experience. I'm not saying it's going to be easy but it isn't for most people that won't a career change. I would recommend getting certified by PMI if you plan on getting into project management. Also this goes without saying since you're a sales professional, but networking is important as well.

[sarat]

I do not think it is that difficult to make a career change and make $70K with your experience.

You are in the NY area and if you focus on IT Project Management work in a Financial Services firm (Perm or Contract) or Pharmaceutical IT Type work in NJ/CT area you should be able to get more than $70K but to do that you have to leverage your technical and industry background (and prior customer connections) and try not to start fresh in a new role in a new industry. Pharma and Finance ( and other large NY companies such as GE) firms are also outsourcing a lot of IT work and therefore they need strong local Project Managers who can handle overseas resources and projects.

Of course if you are going to be a Project Manager, it would be an asset to get PMP certification to build credibility. With a CS undergrad degree and your tech. sales experience I think the transition to Project Manager in IT divisions should be relatively easy.

Specializations in forecasting and stats- though intellectually challenging- are really overkill for a Project Manager . The only people with an MBA that I have seen doing forecasting are sales managers doing revenue and product forecasts using existing models. If anything more quantitaive is required - either you get specialized companies or specialized people (typically PhD's) to do the statistics. I think the expectation with a 49 year old Project Manager is that they will manage people, resources, timelines, deliverables, project technical and customer issues, deliverable quality issues, etc.

[philipwhite]

Bender,

With your experience, $70K is very reasonable. Your currently employeed so you have the luxury to shop arround and negotiate as well which really adds to your selling power. Going along with what cemj99 wrote, you may have a good chance at IT project management jobs. It would align very well with your experience and education. Age is always a factor and I think most people have the most options and their best negotiating power within the 30-45 range. MBA or not, as you pass the 50 mark, you will have less opportunities. Well unless you want to come work for the government like me. :)

[Bender]

Outstanding, thanks for all the replies.

I've looked into the PMI certification, and it seemed it was only useful if you were a current Project Manager. Again, because of the difficulties entering certain fields and my age I'm keeping my options open. I'm looking at the statistics and forecasting electives for possibly entering the Material Management field.

Excellent forum. I'll be visiting often.

Thanks again.