Online MBA Degree Program?

Enrolling in an online MBA degree program?

I swore for years that I would never get my MBA degree; I didn’t think it was worthwhile. And I never thought that an online MBA degree program would be a viable option for me, a bachelors degree holding professional like myself, with the drive to get things done was just fine. I would work hard at my job rather than get a piece of paper that tells other people that I can get things done. It turns out however that I was wrong.  Getting my Master's Degree was actually a great decision.

Master's of Business Administration
About five years out of my undergraduate studies I found myself doing what I never expected comparing MBA programs at various schools. To be perfectly honest I found exactly what I thought I would find, over-priced pieces of paper that would interfere greatly with my life if I sought to obtain one. That was until a friend introduced me to the concept of enrolling in an online MBA degree program, the same one in fact that he was enrolled in.

Intrigued, I gave it consideration for a few weeks and I found through introspection and research that I could use the eventual MBA degree as a bargaining tool with my employer for a promotion. I learned that an online MBA degree program was a fraction of the cost of typical MBA programs and that they could be completed in half the time in some cases. I even learned (shame on me for not realizing this at the time) that I could even defer my federal student loans while I was taking the online classes. With subsidized federal student loans on my balance sheet I’d be crazy not to take that offer.

Going To An Online Business School
Obviously the decision to enroll in an online MBA degree program was not made in an instant but it really was not that difficult of a decision to make. It turns out that my employer covered a third of the tuition expenses and gave me latitude to do some of my school load from my desk during lunch. Five hours a week of work that would not have to be completed at home. Of course not all MBA online degree program benefits packages will be so enticing as this perk was very specific to me and my situation, but without even considering enrolling in an MBA program I never would have known.

Eventually I gave in and enrolled in the online MBA degree program that my friend had already begun and before I knew it I was done. It only took 17 months for me to obtain my MBA degree! I didn’t even have to quit my day job or make any significant personal sacrifices. Sure a few weekends were devoted to writing papers but most weekends were quite typical. Course work in an online environment I found is very easy to fit into a daily routine. You hardly even have to plan for it. Whenever you find a few minutes you can get a fair amount of course work done.

Now are you considering getting your MBA degree online?

If you’re on the fence let me tell you that the benefits to getting your accredited MBA online as opposed to in a classroom environment are far greater than you probably realize. Unless you’re out to get a top job at Goldman Sachs virtually any employer doesn’t care that you got your MBA degree online; they are simply impressed that you obtained it at all because in my experience not many people actually have one. The costs are low, the impact on your lifestyle is low, and the benefits are great.

Let me leave you with one further anecdote. You will find that certain people that you might expect to have MBA degrees in fact do not. I learned that a senior VP at my company was in fact enrolled in an online degree program at the same time that I was… however the program was not an MBA degree program it was a bachelor’s degree program. I was floored and at that point I realized just how important an MBA degree is to a career. It can get you past doors that you didn’t even know were shut and you don’t even need the VIP pass. Obtaining your credentials through an online MBA degree program is just fine.