Getting a Masters in Information Systems or get an MBA?

[ed21x]

i have a masters in material science from NYU, so that gave me the opportunity to take classes from stern. it was the biggest waste of time, as half the time was spent high-fiving one another, and the other half was spent checking out each other's packages.

By the time I was done with the MBA classes, I was so pumped up being indoctrinated into thinking that I was a CEO and president of a company that I forgot that I actually wasn't a CEO and president of a company. There should be a term for post-MBA depression when MBA students realize that they've just spent 60K to have people tell them how amazing they are only to go back into the work force without any new qualifications.

In the end, a Masters degree is useful for getting into management, as most management positions simply require one. But to get there, you'll need both the advanced degree AND job experience.

 

[rcpratt]

I'm waiting on my MBA until my company will pony up more than the current ~$20k of the $100k it will take.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I'm waiting on my MBA until my company will pony up more than the current ~$20k of the $100k it will take.

Good plan. I worked for a company that paid 100% of the cost of an MBA and in retrospect, should've done it then. At my age and in this stage of my career, I would never pay for it or take out loans to get one, as the ROI is generally not there. If someone else pays for it, I don't care about their ROI.

WGU would be the only one I'd remotely consider paying for but I'm not sure how their MBA program is viewed.

 

[dn7309]

only 16 more months before I get 100% post 9/11 GI Bill ()

Theoretically it will cover 100% of my MBA from a public university. I'll have to call the VA to find out. But since it fully covered, there should be no reason I shouldn't get a MBA (or any other masters)

 

[B-Riz]

Have you heard of / considered informatics?

I stumbled across it a few years ago, it is mostly associated with the healthcare industry, but there are programs that focus on more general aspects of it.

http://www.informatics.uci.edu/grad/

http://www.bu.edu/online/programs/graduate-degree/computer-information-systems/health-informatics/

 

[dn7309]

I may have had a strategy at the time, but I have since forgot it. I did go back to memorize all of the basic mathematical formulae - mostly geometry stuff. It's not a knowledge test, it is a performance versus certain metrics test, so practice, practice, practice.

My personal irony part is that pre-MBA (and now post MBA kinda-ish) is that I was an analytical scientist. I did math like crazy on a daily basis and worked with pretty large datasets. However, so-called "real world" math is not at all applicable to the GMAT. I think I burned myself in trying to solve problems as I would a scientist, not as somebody trying to zip through and play to the test. So I guess that would be one advice; look at the problems not in a practical sense, but in a how-to-beat-the-test sense.

You sound like you have a very successful career pre and post MBA. Kind enough to share your experience and let us know what is your career field and education history. Something like that could help me research schools and draft career path for the essay and interview portion of the application.

And do you know and online resource and community that cater to prospective MBA or Grad students?