Is an MBA Worth It? The Top 3 Reasons to Do the Degree

If you ever want to trigger an entire community, go to an MBA-related subreddit and ask whether “an MBA is worth it.”

You’ll get a wide range of responses, but most will be some variation of: “Yes, of course it’s worth it because I did it / I am doing it currently.”

I wrote this article because I’m more of a neutral, 3^rd party observer.

I never did an MBA, but plenty of friends and acquaintances have, and so have many students and coaching clients.

So, I’ve seen when the degree is useful and not so useful over the past 15+ years.

As always, I will start with the short version:

Is an MBA Worth It? The Short Version

Here we go:

• The MBA degree – even from top schools – has become more expensive and less useful over the past few decades (2000 onward).
• If you attend a top school in the U.S., you will pay $200 – $300K in tuition and living expenses and give up your current compensation for two years. So, it must boost your cumulative earnings by hundreds of thousands of dollars over the next 5 – 10 years to be worthwhile.
• The three best reasons to do an MBA are 1) Making a big career change quickly, especially into finance and consulting roles; 2) Getting promoted at your company if they require an MBA for advancement; and 3) Getting work permission in the U.S. as an international candidate (or making another, similar geographic change).
• “OK” reasons include 1) Getting forced out of a job and using an MBA to recruit for other, similar roles; 2) Gaining more credibility and a wider network if you went to a lesser-known university; and 3) Making a career transition where the degree boosts your chances, even if it’s not strictly required.
• Bad reasons include “networking,” “learning about business,” “taking a break from work,” or using it for implausible career transitions (e.g., no pre-MBA finance experience to private equity).

Introduction and Starting Assumptions

This article focuses on full-time MBA programs in the U.S.

The dynamics are totally different in places like India, where (for example), a degree at one of the top Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) leads to Analyst roles in investment banking.

Part-time, executive, and online MBA programs also differ, offering advantages and disadvantages over traditional ones.

For example, the opportunity cost is lower for executive programs because you can keep your current job, but it’s also more difficult to make a dramatic career change.

These are interesting topics but discussing them would turn this article into a novella, so we might revisit them in future coverage.

Finally, I assume that you must pay for the degree personally, which means student loans that need to be repaid.

If your wealthy family is paying for the degree or your company is paying for it, these “Is it worth it?” questions are pointless.

What Has Changed with the “Is an MBA Worth It?” Question?

MBA applications fell substantially at the top ~10 programs between 2016 and 2023.

This is partially because the degrees have become more expensive, but there are other factors:

1) Appeal of Career Changes – I would argue this has decreased because many “Big Tech” jobs also pay very well, even if you’re not an engineer. Do you want to give up $300 – $500K at a tech company just to have a shot at working longer hours as an investment banking associate for lower pay?

Things are less frothy outside of Big Tech, but getting lucrative jobs in other fields is still possible without an MBA.

 2) Networking / Knowledge Benefits – You can learn pretty much anything in the top MBA programs independently via online courses and training programs, and there are dozens of ways to build a network (events, conferences, meetups, social media, incubators, rotational training programs, etc.).

I could go on, but the point is that MBAs offer fewer unique advantages than they used to.

Is an MBA Worth It? Good Reasons to Do It

In my view, there are three good reasons to do an expensive, full-time MBA program:

1) You Want to Make a Big Career Change, Especially into Finance or Consulting

We cover this scenario in the MBA recruiting article.

Your chances of getting into investment banking directly from a completely unrelated full-time role are very low – unless you do a top MBA program.

“Completely unrelated full-time role” means something like marketing, medicine, engineering, non-profits, journalism, or insurance sales.

If you’ve worked in one of these fields for 3 – 5 years after university, a top-ranked MBA is your most plausible path into banking or consulting.

It must be a top-ranked program because it’s only useful if firms arrive on campus specifically to recruit students.

If you are interested in other, less competitive business/finance roles, you don’t necessarily need to attend a top program.

For example, you could win corporate finance, strategy, or business development roles at many normal companies via mid-ranked MBA programs.

2) The MBA Degree is Required at Your Company or is a Promotion Prerequisite

This scenario has become less common, but some old-school firms still require or “greatly recommend” an MBA to advance above a certain level.

If this is your scenario, there’s a strong case for getting the degree because you can calculate the ROI and payback period based on the extra amount you earn over 5 – 10 years.

If your firm pays for the degree, it’s an even easier case because the cost is much lower.

3) You Need to Get Work Permission in the U.S. (or Make a Major Geographic Switch)

All international students know about the OPT program for STEM majors at the undergraduate level, but it also exists for MBA programs.

You could potentially work at a large company, push for a transfer to the U.S., and skip the MBA, but there are some downsides:

1. It may be quite difficult to do this in practice, as it depends on the current visa environment and your company’s hiring needs.
2. You’ll be on a restrictive work visa that requires you to keep working at the same company to stay in the country.

You’ll have more options if you go through the OPT program, and you can even get an H-1B visa and green card eventually (sponsorship will be required here).

Is an MBA Worth It? “OK Reasons” to Do It

There are some “middling” reasons to pursue an MBA as well.

The issue with most of these is that the ROI is unclear because you don’t necessarily need the degree; it just improves your chances or makes the process faster.

1) You Get Forced Out of Your Company But Want to Remain in the Industry

This is very common in private equity: You might enter as an Associate, work for a few years, but then be told directly or indirectly that you cannot advance any further.

You don’t want to take time off or leave the industry, so you do an MBA and try your luck at other PE firms.

Personally, I don’t think this is a great use case because you could just interview around as your current role is winding down, but some people swear by it.

2) You Need to Gain Credibility or Build a Wider Network

Finance is still quite an elitist industry, and if you went to a non-target or semi-target university, people may not always take you seriously.

Attending a top business school could boost your credibility and give you access to a wider network (as you don’t have access to nearly as many alumni if you went to a lower-ranked university).

3) You May Not “Need” an MBA to Change Careers, But It Could Improve Your Odds

For example, maybe you’ve worked in corporate finance at a normal company, Big 4 transaction services, or corporate development.

In these cases, you don’t necessarily need an MBA to move into investment banking because you’ve already worked in a related field.

However, the degree will still boost your odds, especially if you’ve worked for 5 – 10 years or your undergraduate university wasn’t great.

Is an MBA Worth It? Bad Reasons to Do It

Many of these reasons fall into the “Not worth the price tag” category.

Others are in the “An MBA won’t help” category.

1) “Networking” / Meeting Your Spouse / Learning Business or Finance / “Figuring Out Your Life” / Taking a Break from Work

The issue here is that there are much cheaper methods for accomplishing each goal.

If you’re trying to figure out your life… take a break and do it.

Yes, a resume gap will hurt a bit, but if you have solid work experience over several years, it’s not a big deal outside the most competitive jobs.

As for “learning business or finance,” there are books, online courses, group classes, 1-on-1 tutoring, and dozens of other options.

I also put general “networking” into this category because it’s tough to use as your main justification for an MBA.

One possible exception might be the case above, where your previous background might constrain your network/credibility.

2) Implausible Career Transitions

Changing careers is one of the best reasons to do an MBA, but it can also be one of the worst if your plans are implausible.

The two most common examples we see are:

You Have No Finance Experience But You’re Targeting Private Equity Roles

Most investment bankers with experience at the top banks do not get into private equity… so why would a PE firm take a chance hiring someone with even less experience?

You will not be competitive for these roles unless you have highly relevant pre-MBA experience, which immediately rules out most career changers.

There is still a pathway into private equity following an MBA, but you’ll need to work in banking first to build up transaction experience.

You’re Targeting Banking or Consulting Roles But Are Not Attending a Top MBA

These highly competitive industries recruit primarily out of the top ~10 MBA programs, so don’t even bother unless you can get into one of them.

If you cannot do that but still have your heart set on an MBA, you’ll have to consider other options, such as corporate finance and strategy roles.

Final Thoughts on Whether an MBA is Worth It

I’ve seen some people argue that deciding to get an MBA is a complex, multi-step process that requires months of deliberation.

But I disagree with this and think they’re making a mountain out of a molehill.

It may take months to research different career options and pick one to pursue, but the “Apply or do not apply for an MBA” decision should be simple.

You should do it if you need to make a big career change, you need it to win a promotion, or you need it to work in the U.S. as a non-citizen/resident.

If you’re not in one of these categories, the degree’s utility ranges from “Not useful” to “Maybe useful, but think carefully about the costs.”

And if you really can’t decide, leave a comment below with your situation (bonus points if it doesn’t fit into anything above).