MBA vs PhD

[swati_rao]

Thanks for the help guys, I've decided to just stay and and get my doctorate.

 

Hey!

 

I stumbled on this discussion on MBA vs PhD as I an currently being consumed by the dilemma. I have PhD offers in Chemical Engineering from two-three good schools and one year of work experience. I applied for a PhD as I felt I was being given crappy work in my company after getting MS in Chem Engg!

 

Now that I have PhD offers, I am contemplating applying to MBA school after one working for one more year. The grass is always greener on the other side, as they say.

 

My goals/liking:

 

1) I like science/technology but I will be happy with any job that involves decent analytical work (even slightly challenging) and not crappy report making/ excel /presentations work.

2) I want to be able to make a lot of money and retire soon

3) I want to be in a position to go back to my home country-India without being rendered useless (right now R&D investment in India is nil which makes me think that getting a PhD would probably make me useless in India)

4) I am willing to work extra hard as long as the job is satisfying and well paying

 

I always wonder if there is anything close to job satisfaction in post-MBA jobs as they are hardly technical and full of office politics. Any suggestions/thoughts/comments are most welcome!!

 

@rbp6: I am just curious as to how your choice of getting a PhD worked out for you? In retrospection, how do you feel about your choice??

[CharonY]

2) I want to be able to make a lot of money and retire soon

 

This essentially disqualifies an academic career. However, qualifications are only a small part of the package, first you should work out your career plan and then look what qualifications you may need to achieve that. I do not believe that we have got many members that could help you with that, though. Probably you should look for job advertisement and delve a bit deeper into the job market.

[leenco12]

rbp6, you should get a PhD, get involved in R&D, and become a good investor on the side. You don't necessarily have to be CEO- or real estate-inclined to become wealthy, if you manage both your profession and portfolio really well. Meanwhile you are learning a lot, gaining insights, adding to civilization's knowledgebase, and keeping your brain fresh, even as you do the mundane of researching industries and markets. An MBA, as the prospect sounds much cleaner postdoctoral rather than vice versa, would be much easier to obtain once you have a bunch of professional and investor experience.

 

Regarding the guideline of needing to leave wealth for your children, their children and their children, forget that. As your wealth builds, with more advancements in biotech and nanotech looming, you'll be able to invest in anti-aging and other exotic technologies. You won't need to worry about dying any time soon. Your family doesn't need you dead just to leverage the fruits of your diligence. Plan your life as you would if your maximum life potential is greater than 10,000 years. And don't worry about psychologies not being able to cope with so much life and awareness; that's just another nice challenge for business.

 

Supposedly once you get the PhD the job market can turn and bite you.

 

However, if you DO go to Harvard, things will look up for you.

 

Getting a grade of D isn't a very popular thing in Harvard though.

Isn't Harvard liberal arts?

 

I would go to MIT or something like that.

 

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Edited September 9, 2010 by Mr Skeptic
removed spam links

[Marat]

I don't know where the idea ever got going that Harvard is a liberal arts institution! It grants graduate degrees in all the sciences, and all students at Harvard and MIT can cross-register for whatever course at either institution they want to take. It is also only a very short bus ride (on the university-run bus service) from one campus to the other.

 

As for studying for either an MBA or a PhD, it is important to note that the former degree only trains you to be a money-making machine, while the later actually trains you to think and opens the opportunity for a life of curiosity, fascination, and exploration rather than just heaping up cash to buy more and more consumer goods until you choke on the glut. Although making money seems important to young people, and it is when people are young that they have to choose their career path, with increasing maturity money seems less and less important, so it would be a pity to saddle yourself in middle age with a goal that no longer seems deep enough for your eventual state of maturation.

[Pruthiraj]

MBA stands for Master of Business Administration. MBA programs are designed to teach you how to work in the world of business, including finance, consulting, marketing, and entrepreneurship. Some MBA programs have more focused tracks, such as non-profit management or media management.

 

MBA programs attract people with all kinds of goals. Some want to work for Fortune 500 companies, some want to start their own business, and some just want to be more attractive to employers in the business world. If your dream is to get a top job in the world of business, the biggest factor is the reputation of your MBA program. Top MBA programs have such an impressive network of alumni and internship partners that it’s completely achievable to get a career-track position with one of the world’s biggest multinational corporations.

 

A PhD degree sets you up for a very different career path. A PhD is the requirement for teaching at the university level. If you want to become a college professor, a PhD is a must.

 

However, there are also many PhD's in non-academic jobs. A PhD in a science field, for example, makes you a very attractive candidate for research positions in a variety of science-related industries and government labs. A PhD in social studies or humanities (as well as science) can be quite useful in the world of consulting and many consulting companies actively recruit PhD's.

 

 

[Fredrick Boggs]

I would advice you to go for the MBA. It will add to your skill sets, widen your choices and give you some time to settle down in terms of focus and decide what you want to do with your life. Even if you do not like confidence that you have taken up teaching by choice not compulsion. I believe that from a purely financial standpoint, MBA is a better investment than a PhD. An MBA is only a two-year program, whereas a PhD is typically four to six years.

 

 

 

 

 

[Versa]

Sometimes education does not guarantee a high end well paying jobs. Whether you are going for MBA or PhD, the most important aspect is learning to deal with life situation and apply for knowledge in order to gain experience. I had a tough time when I first graduated but I was lucky that everything was fine until today.

[CharonY]

Actually not education guarantees a job (not even a lousy paying one). It only gives you skill that can make you more competitive. In the end, education is only a part of the equation. A phD opens up certain job opportunities (and closes off some others), for instance.

However, one still needs a strong career development plan, which does not come with the education package.

[Fredrick Boggs]

The two main differences between online Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Business Programme, the period of study and career of graduates. MBA students often have a strong desire, private, corporate sector, and expect them to earn their diploma high positions with higher salaries than those without college education. Meanwhile tend .- doctorate for academics and perhaps more interested in increasing their prospects for research and publication to provide professional office.For more information you may check this link http://www.thedegreeexperts.com

 

 

[Marat]

In this whole discussion it is important to keep in mind that the value of an MBA has been considerably reduced over the last few years, since the general theory around now is that too many MBAs did nothing more for their inflated paychecks than promote the speculative investments which resulted in the market crash and ensuing recession.

 

Although when you are young it is easy to misunderstand the point of life in terms of money and career, after a few more decades you will realize that what truly enhances the quality of your life is the sophistication of your intellect, and for that a Ph.D. is infinitely preferable to a degree in buying and selling things at the right price.

[Fredrick Boggs]

For working in business, a PhD is overkill. You should only get a PhD if you really want to and you would want a job doing research or to become a professor. It is much easier and probably make more money. Also, if you want a PhD in a quantitative field like finance you would need to take enough math that you are almost done with a math major. It's a lot easier to get into a top MBA than a top PhD. If you want to get more information on MBA and PhD then you may check this link http://www.thedegreeexperts.com/online-degree.aspx

 

 

[cregwilliams]

One can can pursue M.B.A if he or she is interested in doing a job,whereas Ph.d requires a lot of dedication,research to at a research institutions or at university level.

 

 

 

summer study abroad egypt

[HamsterPower]

my goal is to do both

there is a program in the university i want to apply to, that gives both mba and engineering phd

so i might go for that

and afterwards i will get a job in the engineering field earn some money for grad school in England, THE Cambridge and study cosmology

and become professor in physics or cosmology

 

Do something you like rite??

thats what your life is all about