The local part-time MBA- is it worth it?

[kevinCostner]

A lot of aspiring professionals take part time MBA at local schools. Some go to night classes after their work or some have their Saturdays fully blocked off just for it. The big question is- is it worth it? Are the top 3 schools- La Salle, UP and Ateneo (let us exclude AIM), providing sufficient education to aspiring professionals who want to advance their careers though continuing education? Or is it just a waste of money and effort? I know some people who are like doing this (working and studying) for a couple of years and I am curious to know if all their sacrifices would soon pay off after they graduate. A part-time MBA degree would take an average of 4 years to finish- this means that for 4 long years (its like back to college), you shell out a lot of money (which could have been invested elsewhere) and your social life is almost negligible (forget the Friday nigh-outs, the last full shows, the late night dinner dates, even your favorite primetime TV shows). This is aside from the sleepless nights of finishing school papers, reviewing for exams, and preparing for presentations (not even including the deadlines needed at work) for 4 looong years...

Will one be better off taking full time MBA abroad? (Some European schools offer it for just 1 year, and US schools offer it for 2 years). I haven’t heard a success story (career-wise) of a person who has accomplished a part-time MBA locally. But people who have taken the degree abroad are treated expats in their own country. And besides, MBA degree taken locally are not recognized abroad (in case one has plans of working off shore). Please enlighten me…

By the way, I hope this doesn’t turn out to be a Bashing thread among the top 3 schools (main reason why I posted it here in TWF forum instead of doing it in the Academe).

[fridazza]

4 years ang MBA part time?

[magtataho]

i have friends and officemates who took part-time MBA. so i'd like to answer some of the "assumptions":

a. it does not take 4 years to finish. it largely depends on how much you can take. i know someone who was able to finish his degree in 2.5 years. that's because he's in operations, and the workload is fairly repetitive and predictable. in contrast, it took an IT friend the 4 years that you mentioned. but that's because his workload is unpredictable. sometimes he'd go LOA because he's really busy in a project.

b. i don't think your social life will plummet. true, it will be affected, but not something a little planning won't help :) Plus, you get to make friends with people outside your industry. i think the exposure is worth it. going to school is not just memorizing books and writing term papers. it's also about networking.

c. i have to agree that it will be heavy on the pocket, especially if you enroll in la salle or ateneo. for those who graduated from those schools, the same price per unit applies in MBA. at least, now you know how much your parents spend for your college education ;)