Decision to Get Mba

Decision to get an MBA

After years of contemplation, and consideration, I finally decided to get into graduate school. Part of me is just looking forward to the challenge of getting back into the classroom; I have always thought I needed more education to be a more comprehensive entrepreneur. I had several concerns first how would I pay for school, second how was I going to work a fulltime job and go to school at the same time, and where would I go to school. I started by doing a little research, I talked to friends that had gone back to school for advance degrees, I asked them questions about my concerns of money, time and, location. They spoke to me about applying for financial aid, the quality and convenience of online degrees. I heard all the nightmares about online degrees from schools that were not accredited etc. I wanted to avoid those problems if I could so I did some research on cost, accreditation, faculty, compensation, reputation and ranking of colleges, also if going back to school would be worth the time and effort to obtain a graduate degree.

Faculty: A graduate program is only as good as the faculty that teaches it. It is very important to work with well-respected faculty well known in his or her field of expertise. One should establish a method to evaluate each program. The most basic measure is looking at the percentage of classes taught by full-time, terminally qualified faculty. Investigate the reputation of the faculty by examining the number of scholarly publications, the national or regional acclaim of faculty members, and professional experiences of the faculty.

Cost/Financial Aid: Unfortunately we do not have unlimited resources, so cost is a top issue for most of us. Make sure all associated costs are examined carefully, including tuition, books and supplies, housing, and miscellaneous fees and, expenses. Then review the types of financial assistance each program is offering, including grants, loans, and fellowships. Do not be afraid to negotiate with your top schools; if a school genuinely wants you in their program, they will find additional resources for you.

Compensation: Most studies show that people with advanced degrees earn more on average than people with bachelor's degrees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2000 the average worker with a bachelor's degree earned $52,200, although a worker with a master's degree earned $62,300, and a worker with a doctorate earned $89,400. (Obviously those salaries are higher today; the key is the difference in salary by education level.)

For the past 14 years I have taught in the public school system in the DFW area, let me be the first to say I really enjoyed my time as a schoolteacher but I was really beginning to burnout on teaching students who did not appreciate the opportunities afforded them. I personally think my experiences as a teacher was one of the driving forces in getting me back into school. I had a very unique perspective in my position as a teacher, coming from the cooperate world of Architectural Engineering and big business; teaching was different. Most teachers are lifers they have only worked as teachers not possessing much experience in Cooperate America. I taught in the Career and Technology