I am 22 (23 in a few months… getting old). I got a bachelor’s degree in computer science right when I turned 21, and have about 3 years of professional experience in the field as a programmer. As one might imagine about someone who gets a degree before they can legally drink, I don’t like feeling stagnet. I am thinking about going back to college to get an MBA in the hopes of achieving a management position someday (the transition from dilbert to pointy haired boss has begun). My main issues with it is that I work full time and cannot afford to quit work for this (though there is a payback plan at my work), and I have no idea how many classes I would have to take at the undergrad level before I could even qualify. I have looked at a sample GMAT before, and if the real thing is anything like that, I will shoot myself if I can’t break high 600s.
Enough ranting… I guess my question comes down to this… is it worth it in the personal sacrifice of time/sainity for me to go back?
I think the most important question is whether you want to stay in a technical track and stay a programmer, or truly want to go into management. If management is for you, then an MBA is a valuable tool.
Note that it won’t necessarily magically open doors for you and guarantee that you’ll have six-figure offers filling up your mailbox, but what it will do is give you a better understanding of how companies organize, how they operate and why they do what they do (i.e., why does a company buy back its own stock, what’s this ‘margin’ thing they keep talking about, what kind of reorganized structure would be most valuable, et cetera).
I’m about to get mine in three weeks; it’s been a long road but it’s been time well spent. Again, don’t look it as a guarantee of higher salary or more responsibility, but it will give you more flexibility and ability when you get to that management level.
And if your company offers tuition reimbursement, take advantage of it. Free money is a beautiful thing. 