Sounds like you are jealous of those willing to drop it all and go back to school.
Don’t believe me and prove me wrong, seriously. This is just my opinion from first hand experience. (I almost went emba) not every school is the same.
[quote=“notarmed,post:32,topic:5244”]
LOL - Not jealous at all, but very cynical that it would add real value. I appreciate the challenge in your follow-up post!
And apologies to Axel for polluting his [russian accent] strong like bull [/russian accent] thread!
I don’t think age is too much a factor (although the older you get the less energy you have, as a rule of thumb even if some 60 years have the energy of 20 year olds, it’s not common). Let’s just say I’m at the EMBA age with 20 years of work experience 
For me it’s more that my job is extremely demanding and I’m seriously brain dead at the end of my work day. That said, I’m a contractor at the moment so my job can change quickly. But for now, it is what it is.
I think notarmed thinks you’re talking about getting the degree so you can go and join a men’s mba club and polish your school pin and drink scotch with other mbas.
Nope. Its simple…it is to meet a prerequisite for employment consideration.
I also don’t think notarmed has answered yet whether or not he works in a large corporation or in a small or privately owned business. I think that will tell a story. I am betting the latter…ie he hasn’t run into what axel is talking about.
I worked in the corporate world for 10 years, I understand the need to gain a pedigree. They offered to pay for some of my mba tuition while I lived in L.A. (and go to a local school), but I said no thanks.
I wanted out of that world, and now I work for a small private equity firm.
Interesting… Sorry, I think you are stereotyping to the nth degree… I am fortunate to work for a company who believes strongly in continuing education, as I do as well… They were willing to cover all the expenses which amounted to about 100K for me to get an MBA and like others have said ultimately it is somewhat of a prerequisite for Director level+ jobs… Did I learn a ton, nope… I can however tell you it was the best long term financial decision I made as it has paid off very well for me and most others that I know who have one… Not trying to attack your view point datadatum but instead provide another perspective…
Axel, Car looks great… Go for the MBA/EMBA you won’t regret it in the long run IMO…
in this thread, you have bashed Axel for talking about getting an EMBA…you have called datadatum ‘jealous’ of people with an MBA (hilarious)…you have claimed an EMBA is for ‘networking’ not for resume enhancement…all of which are either fucking rude, or dead wrong.
If axel gets the degree, he will have more job opportunities. Simple. You’re just wrong.
We need an MBA/continuing education thread!
Completely agree with what’s been said on the pro-MBA side. That degree is likely critical just to get your foot in the door at a lot of places. Is it completely rational? Not really, as employers are no doubt siphoning off perfectly competent candidates. But that’s just the way it works in the corporate world. Maybe 20 years from now an MBA won’t be as important (which I think will probably be the trend).
Same goes for my industry. The large corporate law firms look at two main things when considering first-year associates: (1) the ranking of the law school the student attends, and (2) whether the student made law review. In reality, neither of those measures are great predictors of attorney competence. But that’s just the way those firms operate, and law students are well aware of what they need to accomplish to get their foot in the door.
Exactly clochner.
We all know how the perfect corporate world would work. The best man or woman would get every job…we wouldn’t choose based on schools or letters after a name.
We also are smart enough to know that the corporate world isn’t perfect, so you need to adapt…or start your own business and be your own boss.
I’m glad we all agree that the working world is far from ideal, flawed assumptions are made every day and you either jump on the bandwagon or you get left behind.
An entire business was created from nothing (GMAT, Training and prep courses, EMBA/MBA programs across the world, etc.). The only good thing is that it has created new jobs. Unfortunately, it’s people like me who are partially funding those jobs (along with all the other MBA/EMBA students) but the intent is to get that money back and much more throughout the following years.
And for the record, I didn’t feel offended by notarm’s comments. I agree some of his statements were skewed/inaccurate but he was expressing his discontent on the way the corporate world has evolved in regards to these post graduate degrees (poorly but I saw what he was trying to say). I agree with him on that front but I think we all do to a certain degree. Primetime himself stated he didn’t learn much from his MBA but as expected, it has served him well. Such is the world we live in.
No offense taken. I DID stereotype to make a point more dramatic, and you’re right to call me out on it. Only most MBAs are a narcissist and a flake. 
(<— non-confrontational wink!)
My comments were really about behaviors, and not specifically MBAs. About people that advertise their MBA to claim entitlement over others. It could be any degree, but perhaps because an MBA is commonly accessible, and often viewed as a “prize,” I have a larger data set of poor behaving people.
There is definitely a game that has to be played. You play it, or it plays you.
Years ago, one of my managers once liked to say, “When you get up in the morning and look in the mirror, you are looking at your own best resource.”
Looking straight ahead of slightly downward?
Whoa there! LOL
Sorry, all I did was ask axel to reconsider the cost benefit of an executive MBA vs. a full fledged MBA as there is a ton of difference. I did this exact math myself, as I went thru this exact exercise and decided against the executive branch.
Data then made a general statement that he is basically smarter than MBA people with real life experience, which is probably not inaccurate, but came off like a jealous sibling. So I felt like making a jab, which appears he understood as good fun.
You on the other hand have been nothing but a canker sore to the conversation, stating the obvious and trying to come off as some personality guru pegging me as some private industry troglodyte with no corporate ladder climbing boots.
Agreed.
My school had us do 5 courses in leadership and only 1 finance class to graduate.
MBA doesn’t prepare you for any one thing, it only makes you smart enough to understand most of the nomenclature used in a board meeting.
I took every finance class my school offered, as that was my focus. I probably could have done the same thing out of a book, but the human element provided motivation.
In all my extensive education, I doubt even 20% of it was practical application. Even in higher education practical application was lacking. I learned more in the first six months on the job then six years getting an education for my job.
Yes I realise that’s what you think you did, but it’s not how it reads. Here have a look…tell me if this sounds condescending and smug to emba programs. In fact it sounds like someone trying to justify mba over emba with very little experience on the matter. From another country, no less.
I don’t think you’re a troglodyte…I much prefer private industry to big corporate crap, in fact.
But it sounds like I was indeed bang on that you’re in small business and not maybe used to dealing with the glass ceiling axel mentioned…or with the effectiveness of emba programs at helping smash that ceiling. So knowing that, am I in fact a guru?
To me, an MBA is for younger people (20s) who don’t have a lot of work experience and want to get a jump start whereas an EMBA is way more hands on and goes way deeper and further than any MBA. It’s for people who have 10+ years of management experience and are already at the senior management level. Big difference.
notarmed, from your description of your own program, it doesn’t sound like it was all that intense. I might be wrong.
For me, I’m not only applying to an EMBA but I’m applying to a global one. Again, different than a regular EMBA. Way more focused on international business and how other countries do business. The program travels to China, South Asia (India), Europe (Switzerland and Russia), South America (Brazil and Argentina) and the Middle East (Turkey and UAE).
In the end, you get two degrees (one from Canada, one from Switzerland) which can be useful if I ever plan to move back to Europe.
Axel - that actually sounds fascinating… and perhaps much more valuable than just a resume builder.
About 10 years ago, I took a week long immersion course (Berlitz) on doing business with Asian partners. One of the most interesting and useful courses I’ve ever taken.