According to the Star Tribune the MBA has become “the” degree to get for working adults.  In the St. Paul-Minneapolis area alone the newspaper estimates that there are 5,000 MBA students working towards their degree from one of a dozen available schools.  Students, “…primarily working adults taking classes at night and on weekends -- are working on what has become a tool for advancement in the corporate world” (Shelman, 2008).  What do you want to bet they didn’t include the online learners?  If you consider the online options for an MBA you go from a dozen or so offerings to literally hundreds of offerings, a “buyers market” indeed.  

So why is the MBA such a hot commodity?  Simple, students are realizing results in the real world by possessing a degree that commands respect in even the most conservative of circles.  Oddly enough however it seems that the MBA graduates are not realizing immediate results, but instead become increasingly more successful over time, getting promotions, better paying jobs and more opportunities than their “not quite MBA” counterparts.  I won’t say I told you so.  Oh heck, yes I will.

True to form like any good investment, getting an MBA will pay over the long run.  Getting an MBA will not catapult you to the top of the corporate food chain.  You will not graduate and have a corporate recruiter meet you at the end of the stage with a six-figure salary, corner office and company car.  Instead you will graduate with those vaunted skills that seem to be so highly sought after by businesses.  You will have the ability to apply MBA style reasoning and decision making to problems, become a “go to guy/girl”, get results and have quality work, in other words you will demonstrate your value and your pedigree will only show people that you are the real deal.  THEN your investment will begin to pay dividends.

Of course the article goes on to explain how one particular old line state school has a broader depth of faculty than the younger upstarts who have the temerity to challenge their turf for new students, yadda, yadda, yadda, but the great news is the success that the MBA is realizing success, even in this economy.  

Shelman, Jeff (2008 January 21). It’s a buyer’s market for MBA degrees. Star Tribune.com. Retrieved January 24, 2008 from http://www.startribune.com/local/13959111.html