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Starting my MBA at 40...... (1 Viewer)

following...thought about it myself.

(clarify: not an MBA, but a masters degree in marketing to add to my BFA and 20+ career in advertising and graphic design. Burned out of the creative side of the biz and want to move more into the management side) 

 
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Are you willing to change companies, or even move to make it pay off?

What are online MBA valued at these days?  

 
LSU - Shreveport; It is accredited however I am paying for half so I was not going to go to UNC- Chapel Hill for 100k.  It’s more about checking the box for me, and opening up more career opportunities.  I am currently in Supply Chain.

$12,500, can finish it in a year or year and a half.  Another bonus is if your undergrad GPA is high enough plus if you have enough years of experience you can qualify to not have to take the GMAT. (You had me at hello)

I get a good bit of the reason to get an MBA is for contacts , so an online MBA may defeat that purpose but there are 300+ people in my first class and we have a forum where we can chat and get to know each other.  I must say though the first day and reading the syllabus was a little daunting.

Oh I get to have a student ID again so discounts!

 
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In the grand scheme I will come out of pocket 6k.  Low risk high reward IMHO.  If I went to UNC and had to pay half at 50k we’ll i may have not done it.

 
Back in 1975 my Mom was 40 years old.  My father was working two full time jobs because they had 5 children.  My Dad was a letter carrier for the US postal service from 7-4 and he worked as a railroad dispatcher for the Pennsylvania Railroad (which became PennCentral and then Conrail) from 10 p.m. - 6 a.m.  My Mom went back to college to become an RN and she did it.  20 or so years earlier she had dropped out of college after she ran out of money, she was working as a nurses aid when she met my Dad.  They got married, they had the 5 of us children, life got in the way and she put it in the back of her mind.

I remember people telling her she was insane.  She actually went to college with my middle sister who was 18 at the time.  My oldest sister was 19 and in college at a different university getting her RN as well.  Anyway, my Mom and my middle sister drove to school every day together and the studied together. Truth be told I think my middle sister (who is incredibly intelligent) helped my Mom out quite a bit.  My Mom was a nurse for over 35 years, she retired at age 75 and my sister went on to get her PHD which I think she finished at age 58.  My oldest sister went back an got her MBA in her late 30's and I think her husband got his MBA in his early 40's - he didn't want to but it was a requirement of a job he had gotten - this was back in the 90's.   So you're never too old to get your degree in my book!  Go get 'em!

 
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ragincajun said:
LSU - Shreveport; It is accredited however I am paying for half so I was not going to go to UNC- Chapel Hill for 100k.  It’s more about checking the box for me, and opening up more career opportunities.  I am currently in Supply Chain.

$12,500, can finish it in a year or year and a half.  Another bonus is if your undergrad GPA is high enough plus if you have enough years of experience you can qualify to not have to take the GMAT. (You had me at hello)

I get a good bit of the reason to get an MBA is for contacts , so an online MBA may defeat that purpose but there are 300+ people in my first class and we have a forum where we can chat and get to know each other.  I must say though the first day and reading the syllabus was a little daunting.

Oh I get to have a student ID again so discounts!
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My experience (through a mostly night program) was that the contacts did not materialize as I thought, nor was I able to leverage it in the way that I wanted to move up.  That was partly on me, for sure, in that I did not play as active of a role as I thought.  I guess I am saying that because while it is surely still possible, I would suggest that you have a tangible game plan for how to best utilize the aspects of those connections.  It is not just going to happen without a lot of active participation and especially with 2 young kids, I think that you need to be prepared for that.

However, I definitely took a lot out of my program in terms of the thought processes and still use those concepts that have helped make me successful, even though I don't  use so many of the "hard skills" (I'm not literally calculating NPVs and break-even points often, but I am using those frameworks for decision making).

 
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I will definitely have to set time aside daily.  So far it looks like a good bit of the reading can be done via iPad while on the couch.  I can use my Apple Pencil to annotate, etc.  the one good thing is it’s flexible enough that I can fit my schedule around it.  The bad is heavier workload due to being online.

 
It’s also more of a check the box thing.  I have a pretty good network now.  My mom went back at 55 or so to get hers.

 
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Not something I would do at 40 but more power to you. I kind of think your job experience outweighs any degrees you may have at this point in your life UNLESS you are changing careers.

 
Long Ball Larry said:
My experience (through a mostly night program) was that the contacts did not materialize as I thought, nor was I able to leverage it in the way that I wanted to move up.  That was partly on me, for sure, in that I did not play as active of a role as I thought.  I guess I am saying that because while it is surely still possible, I would suggest that you have a tangible game plan for how to best utilize the aspects of those connections.  It is not just going to happen without a lot of active participation and especially with 2 young kids, I think that you need to be prepared for that.
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I imagine that there is some very strong merit to the "connections" aspect of the truly upper-echelon b-schools.  If you're going to HBS, or Wharton, or Stanford, etc., you're going to be surrounded by the best and the brightest students, many of whom have very strong prior work experience and/or an absurd amount of money/connections already coming into school, and have the resources to connect with the biggest of the big companies.  The opportunities there are surely incredible.

I got my MBA, full-time, from a borderline top-50 school (I think it's been ranked in the mid-40s in recent years).  Those opportunities really did not exist where I went to school.  The school placed more of an emphasis on strong GMAT scores, etc., and less of an emphasis on work experience; as a result, many of my classmates were like me - young, right out of undergrad, inexperienced, with minimal "connections".  I would imagine that out of approximately 100 students, at least half came direct from undergrad and there couldn't have been more than 10-15 who had substantial full-time work experience (say, more than 5 years).  Don't get me wrong, it was a good experience and I'm glad I did it, but the "connections" angle was extremely overblown, at least in terms of your classmates being connections.  The professors ended up being far better connections for me, in the long-term.

 
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I just finished up a master's degree and enjoyed it so much I stayed and got a 2nd masters(first in project management, 2nd in engineering) During the first year of school baby #3 was born.  I found that I was a machine with time management while in school, never wasted a second.  The learning also paid off immediately at work, I pulled stuff from school right into work.  I'm taking a break and going g back for my MBA in a few years.  Company pays 100% of tuition.

I say go for it, I really enjoyed the experience.

Doing it online really allows you to get the work done on your schedule.

 
I finished mine (at nights, in person) when I was like 35 and I cursed myself every day for not doing it sooner.

But good luck to you.

 
I think a lot of the network thing is code for 'like-minded people I drank with in 2nd college once I committed to business as career'.  I wouldn't expect much of a network when doing part time B-school since most people just want to go home after class. 

MBA on your resume tells the world that you are eager enough to do more than the average worker. 

MBA from top 20 school tells the world that a group of smart people looked at you and thought you had more potential than others. 

 
Steve Tasker said:
I imagine that there is some very strong merit to the "connections" aspect of the truly upper-echelon b-schools.  If you're going to HBS, or Wharton, or Stanford, etc., you're going to be surrounded by the best and the brightest students, many of whom have very strong prior work experience and/or an absurd amount of money/connections already coming into school, and have the resources to connect with the biggest of the big companies.  The opportunities there are surely incredible.

I got my MBA, full-time, from a borderline top-50 school (I think it's been ranked in the mid-40s in recent years).  Those opportunities really did not exist where I went to school.  The school placed more of an emphasis on strong GMAT scores, etc., and less of an emphasis on work experience; as a result, many of my classmates were like me - young, right out of undergrad, inexperienced, with minimal "connections".  I would imagine that out of approximately 100 students, at least half came direct from undergrad and there couldn't have been more than 10-15 who had substantial full-time work experience (say, more than 5 years).  Don't get me wrong, it was a good experience and I'm glad I did it, but the "connections" angle was extremely overblown, at least in terms of your classmates being connections.  The professors ended up being far better connections for me, in the long-term.
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I think you're an accountant IIRC. I am too, have my CPA and am finishing my CMA (I work in Supply Chain FP&A and was told this was good to get, so just doing it to do it). Really not much left for me on the certification front. MBA at my company doesn't mean much and is not a determining/limiting factor unless you're zooming through the director tier. I have some friends who got their MBA, and it sounds like a little deeper of a dive on everything I've already had in undergrad business classes, and you pay for mostly the networking. Any truth to this? I get that sense from your post and some of the others, I don't want to waste my time if it's not really going to make a difference technically. My company yanked 100% tuition reimbursement off the table while I was wrapping up my CPA, will forever be a life regret but it is what it is, still glad I got that done.

 
Good for you. While you're still young,  I think it's important to engage in some kind of professional development fairly regularly.  :thumbup:

 
mquinnjr said:
I think you're an accountant IIRC. I am too, have my CPA and am finishing my CMA (I work in Supply Chain FP&A and was told this was good to get, so just doing it to do it). Really not much left for me on the certification front. MBA at my company doesn't mean much and is not a determining/limiting factor unless you're zooming through the director tier. I have some friends who got their MBA, and it sounds like a little deeper of a dive on everything I've already had in undergrad business classes, and you pay for mostly the networking. Any truth to this? I get that sense from your post and some of the others, I don't want to waste my time if it's not really going to make a difference technically. My company yanked 100% tuition reimbursement off the table while I was wrapping up my CPA, will forever be a life regret but it is what it is, still glad I got that done.
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Yes I am a CPA, I work for a public accounting firm.  My MBA has little-to-no bearing on anything that happens in my job.  I still use plenty that I learned in grad school in my job, but the MBA is not required for promotions or anything like that.  I kinda knew this going into the MBA, but I had a unique set of circumstances where (look at me!) I had skipped a grade in elementary school, got into an accelerated 3/2 MBA program, and landed a teaching assistant gig so the MBA was free + I got a small stipend.  I was able to graduate at 22, same age as my friends/peers, except with an MBA instead of just a bachelors.  If I'd had to pay for the MBA, I probably wouldn't have done it at the time; I would've worked first and determined what I wanted to do and whether the MBA would be useful.  Even if I were to go into private now, the CPA is king; the MBA is a nice cherry on top but absolutely not necessary once you have the CPA, at least in a small business context in this geographic area.

The first year of MBA was basically a rehash of 3rd/4th year of undergrad business school.  The second year of MBA was where it really diverged from my undergrad experience and where I really learned a lot of real-world-applicable topics.  In terms of actual education, I think the MBA was great.  But in terms of networking?  I don't know, many people (including me) didn't have work experience, and we graduated right smack in the middle of the recession so a lot of grads didn't even have jobs right out of the MBA program.  I still talk to some people in passing every now and then, but it's not like a bunch of people have leveraged their connections into skyrocketing up the corporate ladder or anything like that, as far as I know.  I can only speak to my experience though.

 
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The interesting thing is that there is a Forum.  We posted introductions a few days ago, and I can already tell there are some good connections to be made.

 
Meh, I'd think a CPM certification would help more than an MBA but I think you already have that, correct?

I've always looked at MBA's outside of science & health to be something that guys like to put on business cards but don't really do anything other than to show I spent a lot of money for 3 letters on my business card. Just don't see the value in it for what we do but I'm also lazy and have worked at the same place for 10 years.

 
If you're looking to switch jobs, maybe...personally, I've never seen MBA's have much value internal to the same company.  You're not going to suddenly bridge a big gap in most cases.  If you're switching jobs, or have a guaranteed promotion after the program, maybe a bit more valuable, but that's probably the exception case.

I did my MBA at 30, and it was during a career change for me.  I'd say 85% of the value of the MBA for me was the networking and job opportunities.  I enjoyed the classes, but the applicable skills were minimal for me.  I did a full-time program at a major university.  The networking and connections were something I could have never gotten on my own.  

 
beer 30 said:
Meh, I'd think a CPM certification would help more than an MBA but I think you already have that, correct?

I've always looked at MBA's outside of science & health to be something that guys like to put on business cards but don't really do anything other than to show I spent a lot of money for 3 letters on my business card. Just don't see the value in it for what we do but I'm also lazy and have worked at the same place for 10 years.
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Was working on it.  I may take the tests over the next year.  You would be surprised how many jobs in our field had “mba preferred” in the job descriptions.  

 
Congratulations on pursuing MBA. Online is very acceptable to many industries. Some professions use advance degrees to determine pay levels, along with experience (ie teaching). Can be a good networking resource as you have started to find out.

 
ragincajun said:
100% online due to my unpredictable travel schedule.  I also have a fairly demanding job to go along with 3 & 6 year old boys.  Am I crazy?
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Why, do you get more $$ out of the title?  Most MBA programs are only valuable due to the network you get to build.  I cannot imagine, we are the same age, giving up the time and/or money to get an MBA at this point in my career. 

 
ragincajun said:
100% online due to my unpredictable travel schedule.  I also have a fairly demanding job to go along with 3 & 6 year old boys.  Am I crazy?
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Not crazy, if it helps your goals. I always intended to do the same but my career went in a different direction. 

 
ragincajun said:
100% online due to my unpredictable travel schedule.  I also have a fairly demanding job to go along with 3 & 6 year old boys.  Am I crazy?
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Just a tad younger and just finished last year. Got a lot out of it although network/in class relationships would have been much better. Would not have done it in person with work and young kids. I spread it out over about 3 years to take +/- 40 credits.  Didn’t do it younger and wouldn’t do it much older. Glad I got it done.

Edit - company paid around 60% all said and done based on reimbursement program and cost.  

 
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I’m all for bettering oneself. Just be careful to not set unrealistic expectations at your own company. You won’t be looked at any differently. We had one gal complete a 100K MBA and was sure she was going to get a VP type job.  Now she’s disappointed and may leave after the tuition reimbursement stay requirement. 

 
Judge Smails said:
I’m all for bettering oneself. Just be careful to not set unrealistic expectations at your own company. You won’t be looked at any differently. We had one gal complete a 100K MBA and was sure she was going to get a VP type job.  Now she’s disappointed and may leave after the tuition reimbursement stay requirement. 
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prestigious school?  If so, she could likely leverage that for a VP job or VP path job, depending on what she has accomplished to date.  

 
Good luck to you.  Some of the best MBA programs in the country like Penn State are basically folding, it's not a degree people seek anymore.  :shrug:

 
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