Thread regarding Wells Fargo & Co. layoffs

My MBA was worth it in the sense of what doors it opened up for me in my career. I did put out a good chunk of change for it but since I've graduated I've changed jobs 2x and have more than doubled my salary.

As far as day to day work is involved I use basically 10% of the knowledge I received while getting my MBA. The rest of what I used day to day is based on real world work experience and what I've learned through that.

The piece of paper on my wall with MBA is worth way more than what I actually learned while getting it.

20 years after I can say that it worked out well for me

Most people learn quite a bit

@wor+1e4DdFdi - <--hilarious-
Now back to OP and the MMA question...it didn't help me get a job but I did get punched in the face sometimes. Did I deserve it? You betcha.
p.s. school is for dummies

No. But my JD was.

Mine was worth every dollar Wells Fargo spent on it! I was identified as a candidate for the Early Talent Technology Management program right out of college because more women were needed in Tech when first hired. I was encouraged to apply to MBA programs with Tech focus out here in the Bay Area (late '90s).

I went to night school for 18 months and was permitted to leave an hour early four days a week to commute to the university to attend classes. I received a sizable off-cycle merit increase immediately after graduation and was promoted during the next focal review performance cycle.

It was because I had an MBA that the next door opened for me to receive another promotion a couple of years later. I do find at my level the roles I want expect an MBA and even though mine is decades old at this point, it still gets me in the door.

Yes, there are some jobs that expect an advanced degree and 10+ years of hands-on experience to even be considered. I recommend the approach I took to go right back and earn the degree while still up for the grind. Otherwise, life and family expectations do start to stack up. I knew I needed to have some advantage over other candidates to be selected for interviews. It worked.

NO - I have had mine for 17 years from a highly respected school. I loved the experience and perspective, however, hard work, flexibility, strong people skills, and the ability to solve problems or add significant value will get you farther faster in your career and is SIGNIFICANTLY less expensive.

@1fwy no one at WF cares if you have an MBA.

@1ynm+1e4DdFdi

Same experience here. I would like to have done it, but I just couldn't justify it.

I looked at getting an MBA maybe 10 years ago, when I was around 45. With the cost of a good MBA, the pittance of tuition reimbursement offered, and Wells' track record of not promoting and not giving actual raises, I decided I'd never recoup my investment (at least in this organization) and abandoned the idea.

Looking at those around me who have MBA's, I'd say it's a waste of time and money. They're not any higher on the food chain than I am.

While you're spending time and money getting your MBA, the other guy is out there working and making money. Right out the gate you're behind, and you may never catch up.

Post ID: @1zgb+1e4DdFdi

At WFC, for the most part, you can not go above a certain level without your MBA.

I took my time with mine and let the bank pay for it so it didn’t cost me anything, I figured I may as well do it since it was was free. I do think that it has given me value. On my current job, my 3 up manager really liked that I had it. Not sure if that got it for me or my experience did but glad I got it. I just figured if all other factors are comparable, maybe my MBA will push me over that edge.

Some job postings have degree requirements and you won't even get an interview without them. More opportunities is usually a good thing, though many get by just fine with fewer options.

Waste of time and money. I make more than probably 75% of them with a Associate degree

@1uus Er, what ceiling? Only 1/3 of Fortune 500 CEOs have an MBA.

Getting a challenging degree or just having extensive experience appears to be a much more successful approach.

If you have an MBA, that is a door opener. But you need to produce. If you're a leader, ok to start in low level management. If not, ok to start somewhere in a line of business you might want to stay in for a while and work your way up. That MBA can certainly help in advancements. In the end, you are the driver.

My MBA definitely helped me when I purchased license plates with those letters. My career didn't get any help. But I felt manly.

From what I have witnessed, there is a ceiling above which you cannot rise without your MBA.

@jbf+1e4DdFdi

Was it your MBA, or your work experiences, luck, or a combo of all the factors?

In my experience, nobody cares. Once you're in, you're in. Maybe it's needed to get entry level jobs now though.

@jbf+1e4DdFdi good advice - experience matters more if it's a non-prestigious school. Having the letters opens up more jobs and levels but experience is a factor.

In the absence of a prestigious school, the school where the hiring manager or many in the team is also a leg up. A local state business school that a hiring manager I worked for would prioritize graduates of the program he came from for interview.

I got in the NBA and it is worth the time for the money.

What does this thread have to do with WF or layoffs for that matter?

Or did your MBA not prepare you for important concepts like "relevance"?

My MBA bumped my salary by almost $100k within 3 years of graduation from a mid-level, non prestigious school.

The problem with business school is that a lot people who can't hack it in other majors often choose business, so there are plenty of graduates, even from prestigious schools, that are pretty dull. Those types are not going to get much benefit from the experience. You need more than just the degree at the end of the day to make use of an MBA.