MBA is it worth 180k?
I'm an engineering manager at Amazon in the bay area. I have been in this role for 2yrs (previously a swe for 8yrs). I have recently started exploring the option of pursuing an MBA but most of the top schools (Berkeley, Stanford, Wharton) in the area have tuition fee of 185k for the whole program (2-3yrs). I'm interested in learning the curriculum and exploring this option but the price tag is putting me off. I'm not sure if it would be worth spending so much if it doesn't add enough value to my career. Thoughts by any engineering managers who did an MBA from these schools are welcome.
It’s not worth it. Build up years of experience and kickass at your job. It’ll pay off in the same way but without the financial investment.
90k per year is roughly 150k pre-tax. If you’re making for example a high TC like 450k, it means a third of your income flies. That’s not negligible
Just saying this because is see OPs point on asking the actual ROI for this
MBA is a networking degree. Not worth almost 200k debt. Though it may make sense of you are trying to transition to a PM role.
They don't charge 180k because the program is worth 180k as an investment in yourself, they charge 180k because they can as top schools - supply and demand.
Not worth it! Also 180k is not the real investment you also need to consider the missed earnings if u do full time. If u have a TC of let’s say 250k then the investment would actually be closer to 680k for 2 years. Ridiculous
You’re already a manager at one of the top tech companies in the world. MBA is overkill at this point and it won’t help you climb the corporate latter any more than another 2 years as a level 6 would. Save your money.
Are you planning to get a part time mba? Otherwise the loss in salary itself is a pretty big hit (~$500k over 2 yrs). I’m in the same place and debating getting an MBA because I don’t think tech salaries are going to remain this high.
MBA was valued a lot 10 years back due to the much higher TC for mba students back then. Now tech folks make better TC than EPMs. If you don’t plan to switch to hedge funds on Wall Street then mba has very limited value other than networking
Nope.
Dont you have high enough FANG TC that 180k over 2-3 years is insignificant?
It's not about how much I make, this is about the right investment and the value add to my career.
Insignificant amount of money requires no such calculation, hence the point. As an extreme example, a dollar which is insignificant needs to be decided whether it being spent on is the right investment?