Does anyone regret getting an MBA?

[Hollywade]

I just took my first graduate level class today. I am starting the MBA program at Western Michigan University and hope to finish it within two years.

As an undergraduate, I studied secondary education. I have spent the last few years dabbling in teaching English and Math on and off. In December, I decided I no longer wanted to teach.

With the degree I currently hold, I do not expect to have a realistic shot at a really good career. Hence my desire to go to graduate school. I chose business because I believe it will greatly increase my marketability as a candidate for a wide range of potential positions.

Of course, this is not a cheap endeavor. It will probably end up costing me over $40,000 with the interest on my loans. If I end up with a great job that pays well, this will not bother me much. However, I worry that if I just sort of float around aimlessly without finding a great opportunity as I have seemed to do for a couple years now, that money will essentially be wasted.

So...those of you who have an MBA: in your opinion, is it worth it? Did you quickly find the type of job you were looking for? Are you happy with your career and income? I'm sure this depends partly on what MBA program you came out of, but I'm just sort of looking for general feedback on how much you feel getting the MBA has improved your life/career. Have any of you abandoned business after the experience and gone on to something completely different?

Thanks for the input.

[BlueBear]

Speaking from an outsider's perspective, I do think that people who benefited most from an MBA are usually already career-orientated individuals when they started their course and are able to see where the MBA fits in their goals related to their career.

[Nicholasp27]

i was a business analyst with a large company and got my MBA from University of Georgia in the evening program the past 2 years, with the 10k/year paid for by my company

now i'm starting a new job in just over a week as a Product Manager with huge increase in salary and earning potential and career path...without my mba i don't even get a look at that job...graduated in may so took a few months to get a job, but i also only have experience as business analyst (6 years) and had no idea what sort of jobs to even apply for

mine was free and i love learning and enjoy business strategy wayyyy more than the comp sci i learned in undergrad, but even if i had to pay for it, it would def have been worth it monetarily, career-wise, and with regard to job options

it can help u get a non-entry-level job in a field u hadn't had experience in before...yes, u can get up to the same levels all the way to ceo without an mba, but u can get there faster or get a leg-up to start with the degree

[Nicholasp27]

oh yeah, the above was just work-oriented response

i'm also an entrepreneur by heart and the stuff i learned in my classes will be invaluable to me when i start my own businesses in the future...so it would be worth it just for that

[tabako]

From my understanding, an MBA is something most people get after working a couple years, for a very specific reason, not a degree to get to help them find a direction.

[NU Star]

I feel pretty good about getting mine.