Career
Should I get an MBA?
Is an MBA worth 100-200k and two years of my career, or is it an expensive networking event?
An MBA from a top program reliably opens consulting, banking and leadership doors — but the all-in cost of a full-time program often exceeds 300k once you count lost salary, and outcomes from lower-ranked schools rarely justify it. The math depends heavily on where you can get in and what you are pivoting toward.
Pros
- The cleanest reset button for a hard career pivot8/10
- +On-campus recruiting pipelines into consulting, banking and big tech7/10
- −Those pipelines are concentrated at top-25 programs6/10
- Lifelong network of classmates and alumni7/10
- Salary jump: top-program grads often double pre-MBA pay7/10
- A credential some leadership tracks and visas explicitly value5/10
Cons
- All-in cost of 300k+ for a full-time top program9/10
- −Two years of lost salary and compounding on top of tuition7/10
- +Scholarships, employer sponsorship or part-time formats soften the hit6/10
- Outcomes below the top tier often fail to repay the cost8/10
- Two years out of a fast-moving industry can dull your edge5/10
- Much of the curriculum is now available cheaply online4/10
Frequently asked questions
- How much does an MBA really cost all-in?
- Tuition at top US programs runs 120,000 to 250,000 dollars for two years, but the bigger number is opportunity cost: two years of forgone salary often adds another 150,000 or more. A realistic all-in figure for a full-time top program is 300,000 to 450,000 dollars. Part-time and online programs cut the opportunity cost dramatically, which is why they dominate for people not seeking a hard career pivot.
- Does school ranking actually matter for an MBA?
- More than almost any other degree. Consulting firms and investment banks recruit heavily from a short list of top programs, and the salary and network premium falls off steeply outside roughly the top 25. The common advice on r/MBA is blunt but grounded: a top-15 program is usually worth full price, a mid-tier one is worth it with a large scholarship, and below that the math rarely works for career switchers.
- Who actually benefits most from an MBA?
- Career switchers, mainly: people moving from engineering, military or nonprofit work into consulting, finance or product leadership, where the MBA functions as a recognized reset button with built-in recruiting. If you are already in your target industry and progressing, experience plus targeted courses usually beats stepping out for two years. The degree changes your trajectory most when your current path cannot reach your goal.
Is an MBA worth 100-200k and two years of my career, or is it an expensive networking event?
Weigh it yourself