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October 1, 2009 6:14 AM

Thinking about getting an MBA? You might want to think again... The MBA in the corner office, fresh out of business school with a six-figure paycheck, is a standard trope of Corporate America. Every incoming student has heard rags-to-riches tales of that gilded certification leading to giant paychecks and even bigger bonuses. But how often do these MBA fairy tales actually come true?

I speak from personal experience on this topic. Admittedly, my MBA came from a school where the admission requirement was to draw Zippy. (Zippy is the turtle in this scenario.)

My MBA was obtained for my own amusement, I am not making big bucks, and let's thank heaven that I didn't pay for the damn thing. What about all of those folks out there, paying tens of thousands of dollars for on-line programs?

posted by Ruthless Bunny (8 comments total)

Really? This trope existed? Maybe I am too young, because in my lifetime, the uselessness of an MBA has always been a punchline.
posted by rokusan at 6:32 AM on October 1, 2009 [1 favorite]

HA ha
posted by toastchee at 6:36 AM on October 1, 2009

The MBA in the corner office worked in the Morgan Stanley or Goldman Sachs analyst program and then went to Harvard or Stanford or Columbia. Before re-entering the workforce they went on a skiing trip to Europe with friends they bonded with at various business school happy hours. The University of Phoenix is unrelated to this experience.
posted by solmyjuice at 6:39 AM on October 1, 2009 [3 favorites]

"Most of management theory is inane, writes our correspondent, the founder of a consulting firm. If you want to succeed in business, don’t get an M.B.A. Study philosophy instead."
posted by antihostile at 6:43 AM on October 1, 2009 [1 favorite]

From where I sit typing this message, within one city block are two McDonald's restaurants, four Starbuck's coffee shops (and four more places off the top of my head that "proudly" serve Starbuck's coffee), and two Gold's gyms. I can also see the Capitol out my window.

Suck it Hugo Chavez!
posted by Pollomacho at 6:53 AM on October 1, 2009

I obviously can't post things in the right thread and I don't care. Which leads me to two conclusions:

1) I would be a perfect CEO.
2) Suck it Hugo Chavez, that's how we roll in America!
posted by Pollomacho at 6:56 AM on October 1, 2009 [3 favorites]

I got my MBA by taking 13 consecutive quarters of night classes at State U. This was back in the early 90s - I think maybe the total bill was around $20K? My employer paid for it all, so for me it was just an investment of time to get smarter. I can't say it really did anything specific for my career. By the time I finished grad school I was making more in sales that I could make starting over in an MBA type of job, so I just stayed in sales.

I don't regret doing it. I did learn a lot, and I met some great people that are still friends 16 years later.
posted by COD at 6:58 AM on October 1, 2009

Even more useless than the MBA, the JD!
posted by gagglezoomer at 7:06 AM on October 1, 2009