[OneStepAhead]

I will be attending UC Berkeley next fall to receive my MBA. I am getting this post-graduate degree in order to improve my knowledge of the different aspects of business.

To those who have taken the time to get your MBA's would you say it was worth the money including the opportunity cost of not working (if this was the case for you)?

[Xanifur]

I probably shouldn't respond -- because I haven't gone through the programs but I would say no. I found that EVERYTHING you can learn in school can be self taught or learned through research and personal development. In fact, I don't think school has done very much for me at all. It's basically money for a certificate of certification. But in the words of Donald Trump: "While it's not necessary, it's a big advantage if you do." meaning, if you have the money, it's an advantage to do it.

[ADVERTISE HERE!]

"In the words of Donald Trump: 'While it's not necessary, it's a big advantage if you do.' Meaning, if you have the money, it's an advantage to do it."

I couldn't agree with this more. An MBA is not necessary to succeed in the business world. However, it will likely make your life much easier. There are exceptions, but in general, I think that one will be better off with an MBA than without.

I have my MBA, and if I had to do it over again, I would.

[jasaunders]

Yes, you can learn everything outside of the classroom that you would in an MBA program. But do you have the discipline to read thousands of pages a year, attend lectures and speeches by some of the brightest business minds, work alongside and network with other successful business people, travel to international businesses to learn about doing business in different cultures?

You can learn anything out of a textbook or on the internet these days. But it might take you 10 years to do it. Making connections in B-school is invaluable. Taking advantage of the opportunities available is invaluable. Learning face to face from some of the smartest business minds in an interactive setting is invaluable.

You get out of it what you put in. If you go for an MBA just to 'get your certificate' that is all you will get out of it. If you go to learn, meet new people, and because of an honest interest in the subject matter, you will get a lot more out of it.

[ChiTown2222]

It totally depends on you. I have a graduate degree... would I do it all over again if I had to? Yes. Is it what has directly led to my success? No.

The thing is, I don't think I would have been mentally ready to jump at the opportunity I jumped on when it presented itself without struggling through 3 extra years of school and realizing where it was leading me... maybe I would have been ready if I would have stayed the course and not gone back to school but I can never be sure.

It really all depends on you, and what you want right now, what your goals are. If you keep your ultimate goal clearly in mind, the means will present themselves. If part of those means are an MBA, then do it. The decision to go or not is completely dependent on your goal.

[totters_traders]

i didnt even finish college so maybe im not the best person to coment but i know a guy who got his mba and it took him about 1 yr to find a job paying im $40,000 a yr

[Woodcs82]

College is good, but not nec. these days!

[jasaunders]

Originally Posted by Woodcs82

College is good, but not nec. these days!

Where did you come up with and what backing do you have for such a garbage comment?

[Woodcs82]

Relax man... I said college was good, infact , its great! But you it just isnt necessary these days.

I am a successful entrepreneur and i didnt need college. College is for some people and isnt for others.

Before you get all angry you should have read that i said it was "good".

WOW

[jasaunders]

I am wondering where you are coming up with it not being necessary? You are one person, and don't represent the population. Not everyone has a college education, but to say it isn't necessary anymore is just garbage.
The number of college graduates has risen for decades as has the number of people with advanced degrees. For people looking to get a job, it is extremely difficult nowadays without a degree. Even those who want to run their own company have to start somewhere, and in 99% of cases that is working for someone else. In almost all cases, the path has been education.

Of course, you can name people like Bill Gates who didn't graduate, but those few people are the exception, rather than the rule, and few and far between (and these people tend to be extremely bright dropouts at Ivy League Schools, not Joe Schmoe deciding to drop out of community college).

More and more entrepreneurs have college degrees these days, and rightfully so. There are many young people on this board, and to make a general statement like college isn't necessary anymore is hurtful to these young folks, because it is just plain wrong... college is more necessary than it ever has been in the past.

[ADVERTISE HERE!]

There are rare exceptions, as there are in every case, but a general rule of thumb is that you should get a college education.

I don't see the need to elaborate or defend this comment, as it is rather straightforward and self-explanatory.