I did an MBA 5 years ago and am not happy with the way my career has shaped. I am into marketing research and do not enjoy it. As it was not a well-recognised MBA, I could not get into the right type of firms either. Now at 31, would it be a bad idea to do an MBA from a Tier-1 school and bank on a good internship or a good grad program at the end of it? I have been considering this for 2 years now. Please share your views. Regards.

My gut tells me that it's not the MBA that will hold you back. I don't think a tier-one school would change that. You'd simply be pursuing a qualification for the sake of a qualification, as I doubt the learning would be substantially better.What are you doing now, and what opportunities do you think another MBA will offer that are out of your reach now? If your goals are general ("an internship or grad program") then you're likely to be disappointed. If your goals are specific, you probably don't need another MBA to achieve them...

I agree with the previous post; doing a second MBA even at at a more highly-rated business school would be a complete waste of time and money. What you have to do particularly with your own personal investment is to look at it just as you learned to look at any business investment during your MBA course. Every worthwhile investment is a matter of yield. What personal ROI would you achieve overall (including the total cost to you of your present MBA on a discounted cash-flow basis) by doing another? Even if you did a DBA it is unlikely that this would maake any difference to your career as you really just become "over-qualified". An MBA really only has the advantage of getting you interviews early on in your post business school career. It does not have any real significance once you get past that stage. If you have an MBA even from the lowest ranking business schools you can still add "MBA" after your name on your business card and it looks just the same!One of the problems is that success is all about developing your own personal qualities and being in the right place at the right time. You will not achieve that by doing another MBA. Indeed I would suggest that unless you left all mention of your first MBA off your CV afterwards if you got a second it would look extremely strange on your CV and could give rise to disadvantageous questions in interviews. Have you considered applying for and working towards Chartered Management status. That might be more advantageous than a second MBA and your present MBA would enable you to do that. It would denote more awareness and practical ability than just academic ability and might just give you the advantage you need? Now that The Institute of Management Consultancy (IMC)has (part) merged with the Chartered Institute of Management (CMI) it is probably only a matter of time before the IMC takes up the Chartered Management status as an indication of Management Consultancy proficiency also (because the present CMC is not sufficiently academically rigorous) and then becomes more closely merged with the CMI.

I agree too that second MBA would not add value. Also I am not convinced another "general" management course of any kind will be useful to you. You might consider a more specialist qualification that focuses on a particular area of management such as CIMA or CIM. Really depends on your goals and what is realistic.

I have sales and marketing experience in the technology sector which I simply do not enjoy. I would like to get into business analysis and strategy, and I believe I have the knowledge and analytical ability to do well in this area. M&A is also an area of interest. A good MBA could perhaps give me that chance? I am not sure if a CIMA or CIM could open the right doors for me. With an MBA, 5 years of sales and marketing experience, and a CIMA or CIM, what organisations/roles would you be in a position to target?

I agree with other guys - a 2nd MBa would waste of time and money. Additionally, it sends the wrong "message" to employers. I see 2 inter-linked things here - 1) What do actually want to do in terms of "sector" and in terms of "activity" (consulting covers a multitude of sins). When you have decided that then 2) Get a specialised, short but recognised "diploma type" qualification in that area. Don't waste time and cash on another degree. Lastly, there may be an issue with CV and how you are presenting yourself. Try to focus on your "skills" and emphasise you are cureently applying them in marketing analysis as a stepping stone to .... ? Business skills are transferable and you have to major on that. hope this makes sense and is of help. Good luck.

I agree; having two MBA's is like having two bottoms - messy and completely unnecessary.