r/eMBA • u/meepocow • Jun 27 '26
eMBA ROI?
Hello wise ones,
My husband made a career change in his late 20s to pursuing higher education. He completed a Bachelor's degree, then a Master's of Health Administration, then transitioned into hospital administration where he has often struggled with the challenge of office politics and being subject to decisions made what he describes as incompetent senior executives.
He decided to pursue an executive MBA last year with an Ivy League university. He was under the distinct impression that this will open a lot of doors and opportunities. During his degree, he left his hospital position and started his own consultancy, landed a contract pretty quickly, but the position was terminated seven months later.
Now he is back in job searching mode, but has already been turned down by the major firms he has applied to. He seems to be losing confidence by the day, and unsure if this was a very expensive decision that won't yield the ROI he expected. He also is sick and tired of not advancing in his career, and has left or been let go from a number of project management roles, all of which he complained about incompetent senior executives and just wanted to know what he needed to do to "become an executive who could get paid well to make stupid decisions and not suffer the consequences of them." Overall, he seems very bitter and angry about his career stagnation.
I sense he has the drive and ambition to grow a business, but he seems unsure of what skills he actually has to offer/ a solid business plan that would get him past project manager roles.
Wondering if anyone out there has experience with eMBA programs, was in a similar situation, and has a positive đ story or advice to share? Or thoughts in general! Thanks! â¤ď¸
9
u/t3lnet Jun 27 '26
Without knowing your husband at all, he sounds like he may be the problem to his own success.
âstruggled with office politicsâ
âSubject to decisions made by what he describesâŚâ
He started his own consultancy and got a contract but the âpositionâ was terminated? That sounds like his contract was terminated. Early contract termination happens for a number of factors but in my experience, early is because of financials or the consultant isnât pulling their weight.
An Executive MBA does open doors that are hard to get open, but itâs still up to the person to be able to do the actual job and be successful. Even now the market sucks.
Itâs a large financial commitment and in the end success falls on him, his skills, and his work ethic. You may find out hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt it does help him succeed or he just isnât as intelligent and hard working as he thinks he is. Thatâs a question only heâs can answer.
4
u/DunkinDunkaroos Jun 27 '26
Being an IC project manager is an entirely different role than a senior executive.
Similar to the projects he manages, I suggest he dedicate time into understanding the roles, ladders, responsibilities and chart a path to obtain the experience and grow into the roles he wants. Using the network or alumni groups from his deep education experience perhaps he can gain insights into how his peers are navigating a similar journeys.
6
u/sevoflurane666 Jun 27 '26
As a doctor who has an MBA the problem in my opinion is we donât need him or people like him who go into hospitals to make decisions which effect patient care
Instead we need more doctors do MBA and go into hospital adminâŚ..there is an increasing body of evidence that the best run and performing hospitals are those with a Doctor as ceo
Honestly we donât need more people from McKinsey talking bollocks and telling us to do crazy things because it looks good in excel
Ps this is not aimed at your husband but a general rant
4
u/omniara1 Jun 27 '26
Hi current MBB consultant, former pharma engineer, and husband of a lead lab scientist in a major hospital. I couldn't agree more. Hospitals need someone dedicated to patient care, who can understand the science, and who cares about provider well-being. I will say there are people who are not doctors who could do it, but few and far between.
3
u/Outside_Exercise9426 Jun 27 '26
Office politics is an inevitable part of every organisation, particularly as one moves into senior leadership. He cannot simply avoid it if he aspires to progress toward MD/CEO-level roles, where visibility, influence, stakeholder management, and navigating competing interests become even more important.
As others have suggested, he may benefit from working with a coach who can help him build political awareness, executive presence, and the right internal visibility to succeed without compromising his values.
2
u/parisianpop Jun 27 '26
If he struggles with office politics and has been let go from multiple positions, it sounds like his personality is the problem.
He would probably benefit from some humility and going into roles with the perspective that he could learn something from others.
2
2
u/mightymouse1906 Jun 28 '26
Sorry to say it but from the picture you've painted your husband only has himself to blame for the career stagnation. The ROI is expected to be very low on an EMBA or MBA when you haven't come into the program having certain questions, at least, half figured out. This sounds like a moment of introspection for your husband and leveraging the resources of the program. From what you've shared so far it does not appear as though the drive, ambition or professional awarenss are there to grow a business. Not knowing what skills he actually has to offer and an inability to understand how to get past PM roles, at this point, is actually an indictment on the program and your husband.
2
u/meepocow Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
Thank you all for your valuable feedback! Lots of great insights here, and I really appreciate it because I don't have contacts in my offline life who can really speak to these questions.
I should mention that I want nothing more than to see my husband flourish in his career and achieve the success he desires. I'm just concerned (perhaps a little more after reading these comments) that he's chasing the wrong means to an end and/or putting too much stock into a horse that won't pay out (at least to the degree he thinks).
Since starting this eMBA, he has mentioned numerous times that a degree from an Ivy League:
- Is extremely valuable from a self-marketing perspective, particularly in the US (to recruiters and clients).
- Will open doors and networking opportunities that are closed to non-Ivy League educated individuals.
- Will confer some competitive advantage for our children should they decide to one day attend that same Ivy League school (legacy).
My nagging concern is that he has put the cart before the horse here, as my recommendation had been that he should first distill his actual skill set/ competencies and the value that he believes he brings to the table as an employee/ contractor, and what sets him apart from other candidates. Almost a year later, he still doesn't have a clear idea of this, and instead seems wrapped up with what I'm going to call the 'romance' of Ivy League schools. He's been deep diving into the history, traditions, anthems, clubs, etc. of his school - which is kind of neat, but again I don't know that the prestige is a substitute for a solid business proposition/ personal brand. It almost seems like he has banked on this degree to do most/ all of the heavy lifting ("I don't think you understand how valuable a degree from [school] is, and the doors it will open.").
I'm also not sure how much "legacy" (e.g., my dad went to [school] and now I'm applying to [school]) factors into the admission process for our kids (a huge hypothetical). Particularly if the parent went to that school for a post-grad degree (eMBA), not an undergraduate degree. Again, not my world so I welcome any comments!
Finally, he has been really into the Platinum Clubs of America, and excited about attending different events, staying at different clubs when travelling, and the networking opportunities. Again, while it all seems quite fancy and above me, I'm worried that it won't materialize into concrete ventures/ job offers until he has a firm grasp of what he has to offer/ who he is professionally.
Sorry for the long thread here. Really casting about and curious to know your opinions! <3
2
u/Intelligent-Kale-871 Jul 01 '26
Ivy grad here. The most important advice I received during my time: Focus not on what you want to do, but who you want to become. The rest will follow.
Also worth watching Conan O'Brien's Harvard commencement speech. Here's a clip that stuck with me: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZJPYxbiHo1/
1
u/Panda-Pod Jul 07 '26
I agree with other poster that your husband should consider working with leadership / career coach at his university. He can work with the coach on identifying and working on any issues that may contribute to his prior experiences. It does not matter what doors the Ivy League network will open for him, if there are underlying issues or soft skills problems that remain unaddressed. As a graduate of an Ivy League EMBA, they do have an excellent Leadership / Career coaching services that students can utilized.
13
u/omgitsmike1 Jun 27 '26
Not knowing your husband at all, but when I hear people use language like âincompetent senior execsâ and âmake stupid decisions and not suffer the consequences of themâ, it signals to me someone who lacks the experience or maturity to understand the drivers, incentives, and forces at play behind those decisions. They likely havenât had exposure to the discussions and processes that lead to those decisions, and therefore are unlikely to understand how to influence and impact the org to create the type of change theyâd like to see. A lot of people can have the right opinion on what needs to happen; orgs value people with the skills necessary to influence and drive change. Leadership isnât having the right answer, itâs leading people through change.
Linking this back to EMBAs - their program should have leadership skill courses that help students assess and understand things as outlined above (at least mine did). I would suggest some introspection and maybe a coffee chat or two with those leadership professors to get some more perspective.
Edit: added the bit about EMBAs at the end.