Should I get a business degree?

[ZetaBot]

The Carland College is ONLINE and as I mentioned this husband and wife team are two of the most respected professors in the country. I will most likely be helping them by teaching courses in Advertising, Public REALations as I like to call it, and Internet Marketing. I have a Masters in Advertising & Page Ranking from the University of Illinois.

Hugh

I was replying to Akula, who asked about my geographic location.
Thanks for the info about online courses though.

[BusinessAdviser]

If you're merely going there for a piece of paper, you're going for the wrong reasons and will not get out of it what you're putting into it. If that's the case, you're better off just attending a few classes in areas where you want to learn.

[bsacc]

I am actually in a similar situation as you. I recently finished my BA and am planning to go back to get my MBA in the fall. I spoke with some of my co-workers that have their MBAs. I told them that my passion is entrepreneurship and they said that getting an MBA is an excellent way to pursue that passion. Since I am working full-time, I decided to apply to part-time MBA programs.

I recently went to an information session. A lot of the professors in the part-time program have other jobs. Some are even entrepreneurs! They take real life examples and situations and address them in class. Some classes even encourage students to bring their real life situations to class to examine, analyze, discuss, and resolve. Also, many programs let you choose an emphasis for your MBA (such as Entrepreneurship), which is what I am planning on doing.

Further, when you go to business school, even pick an emphasis like entrepreneurship, you surround yourself with other individuals with similar interests and aspirations. This opens up tons of doors for future opportunities. Also, depending on the school you go to, you may have access to a great alumni network.

Since I haven't actually received my MBA yet, it's hard for me to verify how useful all of this is going to be. However, from the research I have done and the people I have spoken with, pursuing an MBA is the choice I made.

Good luck!

[titansgs]

Over the last 3 years, I have taken 2 years of Architecture and 1 year of finance, before that I have worked as a machinist for a machine shop that made airplane parts for Boeing. After, all of those experiences I was able to start my own company, Venue Entertainment. I ended up dropping out of my finance major and going back to my old machinist job to pursue making my business a reality.

The thing is, without the knowledge I got from college, I would have never started a company or been able to focus on developing my company in an academic mentality. Everyone here will agree that you will have to be able to learn quickly and expand your knowledge base to be successful for more than just 1 or 2 years. People are changing and so is technology – with having multiple skills you can learn just about anything which makes you think independently. This is very important because it’s a lonely world we live in, even if you have a degree, there is so much more to learn and hiring a person to do it all for you will leave you with no idea what is going on and in some cases they will try to take advantage of you (I have had 3 event proposals taken from me because I didn't protect my idea with a simple contract). There is so much information out there and the bottomline is that most information can be learned out of a book. My grades can vouche for that, since I received higher scores just read the assigned chapters everyday than I ever did sitting in on a lecture. I will reccommend learning each aspect of your business and take an active role- ALWAY ASK QUESTIONS.

I do agree with James, I don't think a business degree will help you do your business most effectively. Maybe you should consider specializing in the career that matches what you will directly do for your company. At least that way, you will be insuring your future of always having a job in the field because it's all about doing what you love. Success is what you make it.

You are better off being fearless and going for your dreams than wait for someone else to do it for you.

[ExpressPackaging]

How about instead of wasting all of your time and money going after a business degree, join a community college and take specific classes in the areas that you lack, such as accounting classes or marketing classes. I believe between the experience you will learn by starting and running your business and the on-going learning you get from joining classes and seminars will get you a lot farther than actually getting a business degree unless you are trying to be a major player in a major corporation.

[chocomoonstar]

you don't have to be a high school graduate, a degree holder to be an entrepreneur! all you have to do is follow your passion and your entrepreneurial skills will follow. Learn to love what you have and what you can accomplish in life. Time and effort comes in a huge factor too.

[allee]

Degree is not important. Education is important. Just begin to educate yourself with seminars, books, classes, etc.