The other day I got an acceptance letter in the mail for an MBA program. It was a surprise because I applied in the summer but decided against going because I just don’t want to add to my student loans. I am also not ready to commit to the time required to complete the program.
I love learning and being in school is always a pleasure for me. I know, I’m weird like that but the learning process and discovering new things just does it for me.
So I’m torn now. Should I start the program or not? How much time is it going to take away from my family? Will my kids feel neglected? A thousand questions to consider.
On the flip side, by getting my MBA I will have more business insight, more earning power and probably less hard work as a manager or director of some company.
Fortunately I have done a lot of preliminary thinking about what I would concentrate on. Who knew an MBA program had so many options? Fortunately I don’t have to worry about choosing a major or a college like I did in undergrad. The choices are endless.
The program I’ve been accepted into begins January 2, less than a month from now. What an interesting way to start the holiday season. I suppose I’m blessed to be in this position right?
I’m leaning heavily toward going but I have to look at my schedule and consider how I will juggle parenting, my clients, and class work.
What would you do?
Samantha A. Gregory is an author, consultant, and speaker. She’s a single-mom lifestyle, money, and parenting expert featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, HuffPost, ABC News, and Mint.com.
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MBA’s are like batteries, everyone has one….they are a commodity. Check out the following
http://www.gmac.com/gmac/NewsandEvents/DeansDigest/2010/April2010/DTG.htm . My opinion would be to chase a degree which is more unique or has some separation from the pack….
You certainly have a point. Degrees are given out like candy but most are ending up with rotten results, i.e. no jobs…
The costs, time, and return on investment are all major things to consider when pursuing an MBA. I myself am a part-time MBA student. I take 2 courses (usually) in the Fall & Spring and 1 course during the Summer. I would say that the time spent on my studies equates to a part-time weekend job on average (so 12-16 hours of work a week). Of course this goes up during finals time. Also I am childless, so I have a bad habit of working on my MBA coursework between the hours of 10pm – 2am (I should get it out of the way sooner after coming home from work, but this never seems to happen). In my case costs were paramount, so I opted for an online program at a public state university (my entire program will be less than $15K). So while I’m taking loans out, I’m not breaking the bank. In regards to my ROI, I am currently underemployed, so even if I’m able to secure a position making another $5-$10K more a year annually…it will be worth it.
This is my experience as a part-time MBA student who is working full-time during my studies. I started the program in the Fall 2009 semester and I plan to finish in the Summer 2012 semester. So you can try it out…maybe a course or two to begin with…see how it goes. Or maybe do some more research and take some more time to think about it…and start in the Summer.
Shona thank you for taking the time to break down your experience. It helps put things in perspective in terms of time commitment. I have two kids but fortunately they are older and more independent than if I had little ones. They still need me though so I can’t see having so much time consumed without some kind of schedule. So my decision is still up in the air but in the end I will follow my heart.