Is MBA really useful in the work place?

After writing so many posts questioning the value of an MBA, I figured I should write something about whether or not I find my MBA useful at work. The short answer – YES, the bigger question – is it worth $120k in loans? I don’t know yet, definitely not if you want to start your own company.

Firstly, you get more responsibilities just because you are an “MBA.” This is not fair to others, but the ground reality is that your boss trusts you more if you have an MBA. Of course, you will eventually have to deliver and show results. Having an MBA definitely gives you an edge.

Secondly, MBAs are better at dealing with difficult situations and managing people. I spoke with so many people during my job search and I could tell just by talking to someone whether or not they were an MBA. MBAs were more professional, asked better questions, and provided better information. I guess they had done enough networking themselves to understand what a student is looking for. This is not to say non MBAs weren’t helpful, but I had to be a little more direct with them. For example, if I am looking to get my resume forwarded, I will never directly ask an MBA to do that. I will talk about my interest in the company and the MBA will automatically understand my intention. With non-MBAs I had to be direct – “Would you mind connecting me with someone or forwarding my resume?”

Lastly, MBAs are much better at managing teams. May it be smaller things like leading a meeting or bigger things like dealing with a difficult employee, I consistently saw that MBAs were better equipped to handle these situations.

Please note that I am not saying that *only* MBAs can handle these things, I am saying that MBAs are better equipped to handle such situations. The question you need to ask is whether a $1200/month loan payment for 10 years is really worth this training? Unfortunately, only you can answer this question for you.