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I was thinking about some programs where getting a masters is not a good idea unless you have enough relevant experience.
I know with teaching if you get a masters right away it can hurt because they don't want to pay you more if you don't have experience. So they will likely hire a teacher with only a Bachelor's instead.
I was thinking the same for an MBA. Because an MBA is designed for people with experience. I have "worked" for my dad who owns his own business. So that is enough "business experience" to get into the WGU MBA program. But I'm not sure that would help me get a job. I think it would hurt me because I don't have much business experience but I'd have an MBA. So companies wouldn't want to pay me as high of a salary. Then if I got a high up business job I'd need a lot more help/training then MBA grads who actually had years of experience.
Those were just my thoughts, but I wanted to know what you guys think. Is getting a masters a bad idea if you don't have experience? Could it hurt you?
Also, I have no interest in earning a masters degree in the near future (unless it was completely free). I was more just curious about what you guys thought of this.
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02-18-2019, 12:59 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-18-2019, 01:19 PM by posabsolute.)
The 2 scenarios you described pretty much sums up what I had on top of my head. I guess you can also include very junior positions like data entry where they might think you will leave because you will be looking for something else.
MBA is a very specific program, at some universities you can't even do it if you have a BBA, as it is more geared toward people coming from different background moving up in position or for entrepreneurial purposes.. So in the MBA case, I feel it's about what kind of position are you looking for with it? There are some roles that can fit with an MBA, product/project management is one that comes to mind.
Personally, I don't see any issue with having a master that help you specialize in an area even when you are starting your career.
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The MBA is a general management degree that applies to every field. It's often incorrectly used in attempts to change careers, but it's not a specialist's degree. It's a degree for moving up the ladder. It's too broad to teach anyone how to specialize in anything. Every industry has a need for middle and upper management.
I cringe every time a WGU MBA is recommended to someone who hasn't even started his or her professional career.
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you could leave the MBA off your resume if it's hurting your job hunt. i assume for teaching they want your transcripts so you probably can't leave off detail like that in that field.
but i agree that getting an MBA without experience isn't the best move.
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You can always leave things off of your resume if you think it will hurt your chances. But, I'm not a huge fan of getting an MBA right off the bat, as there's no real point to it. Get some experience, and then go back to school later if you think it will help.
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I've heard from MANY nurses that a master's in nursing *especially a NP* without several years of experience as an RN is a terrible idea.
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This is so different from what happens in India. Here, it is almost like one’s education course is charted all the way from kindergarten to an MBA/Masters. There is no question of taking a break after high school, because the same university which accepts you this year, might not accept you the next year. We have a large population, and so, competition is fierce. So, most students would complete their engineering bachrlor’s Degree and immediately pursue a masters. And some will further pursue an MBA after their MS in Engineering, and totally change careers to become an investment banker! It has never made sense to me why they spend so much on their engineering degrees, if they were clear they would not be pursuing that for a career.
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> I know with teaching if you get a masters right away it can hurt
depends on where you teach doesn't it ?
don't some places require a masters in education ?
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(02-18-2019, 01:08 PM)sanantone Wrote: The MBA is a general management degree that applies to every field. It's often incorrectly used in attempts to change careers, but it's not a specialist's degree. It's a degree for moving up the ladder. It's too broad to teach anyone how to specialize in anything. Every industry has a need for middle and upper management.
I cringe every time a WGU MBA is recommended to someone who hasn't even started his or her professional career.
From my research, it appears that the people who are using an MBA to switch careers are entering the program mainly for the networking opportunities. In fact, that appears to be the main advantage of an MBA. An online MBA or executive MBA is really only beneficial if you are trying to move up within an organization you are already a part of. This seems to be the consensus at r/MBA.
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My sister is a recruiter and she would agree with what you're saying about MBAs. She says employers see that and figure you'll expect more money, which makes them less inclined to even interview you. She would recommend leaving it off the resume unless a specific requirement.
For other degrees, like engineering, it would depend on the company/career. I know at Intel they don't hire people with Masters. They want only a Bachelors or a PhD. My husband was interested in working there, but because he was working on his Masters at the time, they told him it was basically pointless to even apply. In his current position, he hires engineers and wouldn't see anything wrong with someone having their Masters even without experience.
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