My wife is home with the kids and will be for the better part of a decade. She’s thinking of doing an online MBA with Gies / Illinois. She’s got no business background and was professionally a senior Business Analyst in a bank when we founded a family. I’m looking for experience with this MBA or any advise based on experience that can be given.
Business Analyst is absolutely a good enough background in business, and most MBA schools offer a handful of bridge classes if your undergrad wasn't a business major. And if she's been a biz analyst the stats won't be much of a hurdle. Heck there are MBA concentrations and professional certs in biz analysis so you don't have to spend years in accounting or finance! I admit to loving math but hating accounting class :) I'm biased. While I don't have an MBA from gies, it was worth getting my MBA part time. The only hesitation I have here is cost. She could spend a lot less money getting certified as a PMI-BA or PMP and get back into work that way and have work pay for the MBA. This was how I approached it. But if cost isn't an issue I think she'd have a blast, and it was great to have scheduled adult time with smart humans when I studied for the PMP while I was a stay at home parent
And a part time side business would be completely reasonable as kids start to be more independent, so it's not a waste, and if she plans ahead she should exit school with 150 plus new contacts in her business network.
Does that all apply for a 100% online course, too? I think Gies is, but might be wrong.
Tell her to focus on raising a family. Online MBA or any degree is useless at this phase of life.
Could you elaborate a bit more please?
Raising kids and inculcating values in them is and should be a full time job. No need to lose focus and give scattered attention to kids in first 5-7 years of their life. Careers can be made by women later but this phase will not come again. Corporate America can do fine without one Sr. Business analyst during that time.
MBA is a waste of time and money unless it’s from a top 10 full time program. I would recommend bypassing the MBA route all together. Learn some Python/R for analysis and Tableau for making fancy dashboards. Practice structuring ideas and findings and making compelling presentations. Start writing on medium and someone will reach out to you for special projects or jobs. Then try finding a product management gig at a start up and take it from there.
AMA
Yesterday
3336
I’m a professional coaster AMA
Tech Industry
10h
2538
Avoid teams with only Chinese or Indians especially with a Chinese/Indian manager
Tech Industry
Yesterday
30706
Worried that our top performer is an attrition risk. How do managers handle this?
Cars
Yesterday
430
Mazda CX-5 vs Honda CR-V vs Kia Sportage
TC?
I don’t pay her for raising the kids. She holds all the power, no cash required. Mine: 380
Was asking about yours as you are OP