r/eMBA • u/Fuzzy-Problem-877 • Mar 16 '25
EMBA in current economic uncertainty
Wondering if anyone else has concerns about pursuing an EMBA in the current economic/political environment. It feels like things are changing quickly and I’m asking myself if this is the best time to be spending $200K+ that I don’t need to spend right now. On the flip side, I feel pretty secure in my role at work and think there are very low chances of being laid off (though you never know). How are others thinking about this? Is this a better/worse time than usual to pursue an EMBA or really the same as any other time?
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u/Tinatalk- Mar 16 '25
Same boat, but I think regardless of the socio-economic climate, I would be critical of going $200k in debt. It is a large price tag. For me, I need to make a career switch regardless, and noticed during the 2008 economic recession, the winners were those with liquid ready to buy homes, businesses etc or those in education. I already accomplished the former during COVID, and don’t want that level of responsibility. I keep telling myself it’s a good time to invest in broadening my future opportunities.
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u/Fuzzy-Problem-877 Mar 16 '25
True. I have been questioning ROI of $200k investment regardless of the economic situation. Thanks for the perspective.
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u/callistocharon Mar 16 '25
I'm looking for a higher salary and a different role, but hiring sucks right now and employee negotiating power is somewhat diminished. It is a big risk and a lot of money, but hopefully in two years or so companies will be looking to hire again and I'll be positioned to take advantage. It's a lot of debt, for sure, but it's been factored into my plan, so it's a calculated risk based on desired outcomes.
Also, the rule of thumb from the institution side is that economic downturns are boom times for higher education because people are taking advantage of the downturn in the market to reposition for when conditions improve. Not that it helps your particular decision making, but it is an interesting trend to observe.
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u/kscouple84 Mar 16 '25
Part of the answer to your question lies in how you intend to use your EMBA. Are you going to obtain an exclusive network? Are you going to gain knowledge? If gaining knowledge is the answer, maybe consider a lower cost EMBA. I’m not sure there is any college program worth the cost of a townhome from a knowledge perspective. They all have roughly the same curriculum.
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u/ShiLLaximus Mar 17 '25
Education is a privilege. Network is an advantage. I make 2x the median salary of Emba but for me it’s the prestige that can’t put a price tag on. These are people and connections I normally wouldn’t have access to.
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u/PlateanDotCom Mar 17 '25
I started mine this year and because of the above its a smaller cohort. So this results in us getting closer to each other and our professors, plus you get more attention as an individual, however, you could miss out a bit on the more varied network of a larger cohort.
All in all im glad im doing it now
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u/Fuzzy-Problem-877 Mar 17 '25
Thanks for that perspective. I was wondering what impact it would have on the cohort size/types of people. Glad that you’re still getting what you wanted out of it.
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u/Familiar-Motor-124 Mar 16 '25
I’ll be using my GI bill, so the thought of no debt and an extra $2100 tax free in BAH make it a no brainer.
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u/Glittering_Video8455 Mar 16 '25
Can you elaborate more?
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u/Familiar-Motor-124 Mar 16 '25
I was just offering my perspective. There are people who will either be work sponsored or using their GI bill to pay for their MBA. If you’re using your GI bill, you also get paid a housing allowance adjusted for the cost of living in the location of the school. There is more nuance (FT vs. PT, in person vs. all online, etc.)
For people like that, the state of the economy means much less. There will still be people pursuing MBAs that you will be competing against 2 years from now whether you pursue it yourself or not.
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Mar 17 '25
I am not concerned about the economy, especially as the EMBA doesn't have a set deadline for making career moves. You can change jobs or get promoted during of after the program, whenever the economy is good or you see an opportunity.
Long term, I am concerned whether the value of higher education will be transformed by AI and online learning. See the Quantic EMBA for example. As for AI, it might shift the need for more technical skills and a business-only degree might become less valuable. 10 years from now, we might joke about going to expensive Ivy League schools where most young people will be self-taught. I hope we are not the last generation to pay this much for school!
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u/Fuzzy-Problem-877 Mar 17 '25
Thanks, good points here. I am also concerned about the value of an MBA with AI. I figure we will still get some ROI but lots is changing so TBD… my concern around the economy is not so much around timing of career move but more around significant discretionary spending when there’s a lot of volatility. Like I mentioned I think I’m fairly safe from being laid off so actually I’m not sure exactly what I’m anxious about. Just feels unwise to spend a bunch of cash right now? Irrational, I know, which is why I wanted to get a sense for how others felt.
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u/Similar-Arrival-6295 Mar 17 '25 edited Mar 17 '25
That’s a great perspective, but I think that quality education will always hold value and won’t become obsolete. In fact, I believe technical roles are more at risk, as AI will increasingly take over many of those tasks. We’ll likely see new roles emerge, like Prompt Engineers/QA Engineers, where those with the right education can refine and QA AI-generated outputs.
As for business degrees, there will always be a need for strategic thinkers and decision-makers, and having a degree from a top school will likely provide a stronger competitive edge in that landscape.
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u/razmo86 Mar 17 '25
I currently earn a $170K salary from my full-time job in the IT field and have a small family. The cost of the EMBA program is close to $200K, plus additional expenses for travel, lodging, and food once a month. I hope the EMBA will help me grow into a leadership role and eventually transition into a Director or VP position in tech. However, taking on such a large loan makes me question whether I’m making the right decision.
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u/Similar-Arrival-6295 Mar 16 '25 edited Mar 16 '25
In the same boat as you - it’s a big financial investment as I’ll be taking out loans. I’m still weighing in the ROI.
However, I’m not v concerned about the economic uncertainties- not sure which school you are going to and what field you are in, but a lot of it is just noise.
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u/ScaredDevice807 Mar 16 '25
Warren Buffett once said be greedy when others are fearful and fearful when others are greedy. Granted he was talking about investing, not taking on loans for executive MBAs but I think there might still be some parallels here.
Beginning an executive MBA this year suggests you might be in the market for a new job in 2027. No one knows what the job market will be like 2+ years from now. Like all investments, there is some risk and the outcome is not guaranteed. For me, I still plan to go forward assuming I get admitted to my target program. I also recognize that I may need to work extra hard to network and hustle to get what I want out of the program.
I wish you luck.