Study Abroad: Is it Worth it?

While attending UCONN for my MBA, there were many classes offered that had trips to overseas locations. These classes enabled the student to study business in an international setting and see how life was outside of the US borders. Unfortunately I was never able to take one of these classes even though I wanted to. I look to those that were able to make the journey:

What did I miss from an educational setting?

How different were the businesses and the international setting?

What was the best place/class to take when going abroad? 

Money matters - 206k?!

Nevertheless, MBAs clearly still care about the size of their paychecks.

Students expect to be making a base salary of $90,232 a year after graduation, up from expectations of $89,654 the previous year. Five years after graduation, they expect to be bringing in $180,031 annually vs. $169,849 the previous year. Male graduates expect to be raking in even more, $206,000 vs. women's expectations of $190,382 five years down the line.

Students who go into private equity after b-school have the highest salary expectations -- anticipating $111,296 one year after graduation and $280,441 five years after. MBAs planning to enter public accounting have the lowest 1-year salary expectations ($57,331) while those heading for education/teaching have the lowest five-year expectations ($113,449). 

This content is dated May 27, 2008. I would be interested to see what the UCONN MBA group thinks they should be making these days after an MBA degree and in a down economy. What do you think?

Career Advancement or Career Change

What was the reason you went after your MBA?

Career Advancement or Career Change?

You may want to gain a position of greater responsibility in your current field. Or you may want to switch from one area of business to another-from marketing or sales to strategic planning or finance, for example. You could be looking to change your career path altogether. Using an M.B.A. to switch career focus is a typical strategy. Many people seek a management position after acquiring expertise in a different field altogether-such as nursing, teaching, performing arts, or engineering-because they want to shift to a management position in their area. An M.B.A. can help you make a major break or leap in your career path-with a concomitant leap in income. You may aspire to an area that "requires" an M.B.A. as an entry. An M.B.A. signals a prospective employer that you've got the knowledge and skills a demanding job requires, as well as persistence, energy, and even time-management skills to handle it.

So, was it Career Advancement, Career Change? Was it Pay? Was it specific management training?

I am sure the answer for most of us is all three. Now that you have your MBA have you achieved these things? How long would one expect to wait before these outcomes are realized?

What path have you taken or intend to take with your MBA?

Question: What career path do you plan to pursue after completing your MBA?

What is the value of an MBA?

The topic for this first post is simple. What is the real value of an MBA? I think all of us know that the MBA is a needed step for climbing the corporate ladder. More and more people are getting MBA degrees which take away from the value of having one. That brings me to my next question:
"Is the MBA losing its value?" This article has some valid points, but what do you think?
http://www.management-issues.com/2009/4/9/research/is-the-mba-losing-its-value.asp

I would be interested to hear what my fellow UCONN graduates have to say about this...

Thanks and GO UCONN!