So I'm a techie MBA (BS Mech Eng, MS Mech Eng, MBA) and here's my bit:
An MBA is an investment. Not that you won't find a surprising amount of intellectually interesting material at business school, but I will gander a guess that for the majority of the people reading this thread, they're in it for the career advancement (read MONEY).
So make sure the investment will pay back. Here's the formula:
Value of MBA = NPV(future additional earnings - cost of tuition - lost earnings for not working)
This value had better be >0, and there are things you can do to improve the value. Going to a good school increases your future earnings, but increases the cost as well. Going to night school decreases the lost earnings, but usually isn't regarded as highly as the full-time program from the same institution. Depending on your choices, not going at all is often the best return on your money.
Some of the best bets are dual MS Eng./MBA programs, many of which allow you to qualify for engineering RA positions to offset the cost of tuition. Some also provide fellowships as a result of their industrial ties.
My shameless plug is for the MIT Leaders for Manufacturing or Systems Design and Management programs, either of which are great choices for somebody with a tech backgound. Check out http://lfmsdm.mit.edu/ for more info.
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So I'm a techie MBA (BS Mech Eng, MS Mech Eng, MBA) and here's my bit:
An MBA is an investment. Not that you won't find a surprising amount of intellectually interesting material at business school, but I will gander a guess that for the majority of the people reading this thread, they're in it for the career advancement (read MONEY).
So make sure the investment will pay back. Here's the formula:
Value of MBA = NPV(future additional earnings - cost of tuition - lost earnings for not working)
This value had better be >0, and there are things you can do to improve the value. Going to a good school increases your future earnings, but increases the cost as well. Going to night school decreases the lost earnings, but usually isn't regarded as highly as the full-time program from the same institution. Depending on your choices, not going at all is often the best return on your money.
Some of the best bets are dual MS Eng./MBA programs, many of which allow you to qualify for engineering RA positions to offset the cost of tuition. Some also provide fellowships as a result of their industrial ties.
My shameless plug is for the MIT Leaders for Manufacturing or Systems Design and Management programs, either of which are great choices for somebody with a tech backgound. Check out http://lfmsdm.mit.edu/ for more info.