All,I have around 12 yrs of experience. i have spent around 8 years doing a veriety of roles . started of as a developer then did teamleading before doing BA/PM type roles. I had an epiphany a few years back and was fortunate to move to a BUsiness developmenat read sales role which i have been doing for around 4 years. I also started doing an EMBA majoring in strategy around 2007 and due to finish soon. I am wondering what are my chances to move to MC role. What level & salary will i be taken in as? Any pointers and constructive criticism will be useful.

It depends on where the EMBA is from - know people coming out of LBS with the global EMBA (LBS + Columbia) who go on to pretty much anything they want, salary increases significantly assuming you are well into your 30's. A fair number of people use this qual to rebaseline themselves and join as associates or more in a consultancy - so yes you have a chance but depends on where it is from and if you have a strong history of achievement at some known brands. Of course an EMBA doesnt give you the ability to be a good consultant, this is natural or learnt the hard way!

I think we are going to see the value - and recognition - of an MBA crash in the next few months.

what do you mean Mars?

ROI on MBA / EMBAs is declining. Net increase in earnings post MBA not as good as it once was... oversupply, lack of demand... etc. There's a good article about it in (I think) yesterdays FT.

There is an oversupply of everything at the moment. And not many getting an increase in earnings period. So you cannot really separate out the MBA.Also.....an MBA on its own is fairly useless and is only useful when combined with appropriate experience. It has not been a magic ticket to riches since about 1960.

A good opinion piece on this http://bit.ly/fK0K

Strong on opinion but weak on facts and evidence. The comments are a bit better.Where on earth do you study an MBA that allows you to party for a year?What evidence is there that suggests MBAs caused the economic crisis? For sure there were some people with MBAs in senior roles but it was their greed and lack of oversight that caused the problem - not being over educated.

As I said, it is an piece and it doesnt purport to be hard analysis.Casio's point about the economics of MBAs aside (although very much on the mark I suspect), the point which is going to eventually drive down the value of MBAs is sentiment. It matters not one jot whether all those MBAs in banking caused the recession or not: when the G20 meet in April will the streets of the city be full of angry people waving evidential documents? No. Just like bankers will never be trusted the same way again, so too MBAs will lose prestige as businesses return to the old recipe of a good education and solid experience. I'm not saying MBAs will disappear, rather than they will lose some of their critical importance and become just another qualification - and probably considerably cheaper to acquire in the process.

Mars, i agree with the basics of your point. Let me draw a similar comparison with private vs public education. I doesn't really matter if you have a either to succeed in life, but let's be fair, the contacts, network that you develop in private school are invaluable besides the (supposed) higher quality of eduction. It is much the same with MBA - you get a group of highly ambitous, career driven people together in one environment...the network power that this develops is priceless, rather than the actual education you receive.

A good point ZB; the networking dimension is likely to hold the perceived value of MBA up - for a while at least.

I've got an Exec MBA and the ROI has exceeded my expectations by far.I see on this forum many people questionning the value of an MBA. But how many of them actually have an MBA from a good school?I know several people who say MBA are useless, simply because they need an excuse not to do any... because they are too lazy to do one or not bright enough to be accepted in a reputable school.An MBA is not the Holy Grail, granted. It's not for anyone (depends on previous experience, objectives...). You don't need one to have an interesting job, etc... but it can really be worth it.

can you give us some details of your experience, please O (e.g., before & after position/ salary, what school, etc.)?

- Was consultant in organisational design, on domestic projects. Not too bad but more and more I was "asked" to work on IT-driven projects. Always refused and was lucky enough to find good projects, but my position was clearly not sustainable- Did Warwick (good school, but clearly not the most prestigious, even in the UK)- Today do 90% business strategy, mainly international projects- Salary X 3 but it's not meaningful since I was underpaid before the MBA (my consultancy stopped paying bonuses). Payback of the MBA: 9 monthsWithout the MBA I would today work on crap IT/process mapping projects... just like all my former colleagues who didn't believe in the value of an MBA.

I'm delighted that you've had such a positive experience, O, although I don't agree that people choose not to do an MBA "because they are too lazy to do one or not bright enough". Having worked at both one of the MBB and a similarly prestigious boutique, both in London, I estimated that less than 15% of partners at either firm had an MBA or similar post-graduate qualification.If one finds oneself with an unimpressive CV and stalling mid-career then an MBA can help to make one stand out from the crowd. However, if one is already distinguished and enjoying a successful fast-track career then it is foolhardy to "step off the moving train".

@ A nun/:I worked with McKinsey and all partners did an MBA (mostly from Harvard) when they were EM.But I totally agree with you that not everyone need an MBA to be successful.My point was just that it could immesnsely help, when you are blocked in you career as I was, or when you want to switch to another industry...

@ A nun/:I worked with McKinsey and all partners did an MBA (mostly from Harvard) when they were EM.But I totally agree with you that not everyone need an MBA to be successful.My point was just that it could immesnsely help, when you are blocked in you career as I was, or when you want to switch to another industry...