Difficult dilemma - pursue MBA or apply for well paid permanent job?....

August 8, 2016 2:43 PM

I'm fast approaching 36 this year and have had a varied career. You could same i'm a jack of all trades but master of none, what with undertaking lots of roles and completing a business degree at 33. For the past couple of years, the job market has been tough. I've undertaken a couple of 6-9 month job contracts as a temp, whilst also experiencing a length period of unemployment. I loved the experience academia brought and I excelled during this journey, developing some great skills. I've just been accepted to do the MBA part time and have been in my current contract 15 months. It is due to come to an end in October but there's a chance of a permanent job coming up that is very well paid.

I'm not married, no kids and no mortgage - currently living in a house share but looking to move in with my partner who is also in the same boat/circumstances as me. I've always loved studying - be that at school, doing a part time evening course in IT/photography/web design - I thrive within an academic environment. At the same time, i've always struggled to identify what I want to do career wise throughout my life. There have been some great jobs i've done over the years, but they have been temporary. My passion lies within researching, analysing, evaluating and particularly writing. I did really well at University, and even won a Vice Chancellor Award for my achievements as a mature student. My other passion and skills lie within a creative arena - I enjoy working with design, be that Illustrator (i'm by no means an expert), drawing, painting or reading about typology. I've always been very creative as a person - since I was *this high* really.

It would be great to run my own business, having worked for many companies, under many different managers, but I would struggle to pick exactly what my product/service would be. I've had the odd idea from content management (branding design/architect) for small to medium companies only (as they have smaller budgets and i'd feel it would be more rewarding serving the needs of budding new business owners). I'm not interesting in making a lot of money if i'm being honest, I just want to be passionate about the job i'm doing and love the idea of helping people to market their business. I've designed training manuals and website design (albeit drawings), but nowhere near enough experience to find a job within a design agency. So, my heart is definitely within the research/analysis/creative/writing/design arena. I applied to do the MBA at the same Uni I did my undergraduate because I really miss studying and experiencing that feeling of completing a report or essay and having it marked. My graduation day was the proudest day of my life. I'm not doing it with the aim of becoming a manager, it's purely for enjoyment purposes and I thought that *if* i did start a business one day, my academic achievements would serve as a basis of reassurance for potential clients (I know it's not completely necessary, but they would hold a lot of merit).

On the other side of the fence, I'm fast approaching 36, no pension, very little savings, no mortgage (not too bothered about this latter fact, but the constant moving is becoming a little laborious). I've been in my job for 15 months now, covering a lady on Maternity Leave. I've done extremely well in the organisation (not for profit) and it's a very cushy little job that pays very well indeed. This contract is due to end in October and there is a chance a permanent job is going to be advertised in another team. It's a Secretarial job and not something I see myself in the long term, but the salary is £31k per year (it's based in the North of the UK, so nearly £10k more than your average secretarial job). I've never earned that sort of money before (most i've earned is £20k) and there is a very strong chance I might (obviously a *might* at this point) get it as i've created a very good impression in the company, forged strong working relationships and kept my head down. Moreover, I don't believe anyone else is interested in applying. Anyhow, with that sort of money, i could save a lot, I could enjoy more holidays (I hadn't had a holiday in 6 years up until this year owing to financial circumstances), and i'm only young really, so there's still plenty I want to see in the world.

The dilemma is - if I do start the MBA, it's one day a week attendance for lectures, which means I'd need to find a job to fit around that, plus, if I did, it's likely the pay would really limit my chances to enjoy my life, buy that iMac to really push with learning Illustrator/start a business (as the funds would help).

Giving the current competitive nature of the job market, the MBA might also help strengthen my CV a bit (I know it doesn't guarantee anything, but it will help me stand out a little bit more, together with my overall experience).

Yet the permanent well paid secretarial job will provide me with financial security, a pension, savings, more experiences in life. It's not a job I want to do for another 30 years, but the pay will certainly enable me to perhaps push with starting a business on the side.

What would you do in my shoes, with no responsibility at my age?! :)

I appreciate you taking the time to read this - thank you.
Emma

posted by emma33UK to Work & Money (14 answers total)

Apply for the job, and when you get the offer see if you can't work around the lectures. The worst they can do is say no!
posted by hollyholly at 2:54 PM on August 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Take the well-paid permanent job and find an MBA program that you can do purely online or on weekends so that you can do both. Or don't take the MBA and figure out your own curriculum that will teach you what it is that you really care about (marketing, content management, branding, graphic design, etc) and take advantage of MOOCs or Khan Academy or The Great Courses to learn for free/cheap.

In a "tough" job market, the chances that your MBA will land you a job that will pay for both the MBA and the wage hit you'd need to take to make the program work are slim.

I am also someone who "loves" school, but I specifically chose a different route for grad school because, at least in North America, MBA's aren't really that helpful unless you are already a manager looking to rise to another level of management.
posted by sparklemotion at 2:55 PM on August 8, 2016 [10 favorites]

Take the money.

In your situation, the MBA sounds like a distraction from what you want to be doing. You don't have a clear idea of what you want to do with that MBA, much less in life, and are treating it like a generic badge on your CV instead of a stepping stone to your next big goal.

With the higher paying job, you won't have that instant feedback-validation-gratification, but you will have more flexibility in your life, both with money and with time. With that money and time, you can develop something on the side, do independent business studying, find new ways to network, do some soul searching, and/or just enjoy a simple life while growing savings account.
posted by itesser at 2:59 PM on August 8, 2016 [2 favorites]

An MBA isn't going to teach you to run your own business and is not an investment in an identified career track. You're just wasting your time and money with this.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:07 PM on August 8, 2016 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Really appreciate all your answers - i'll apply for that permanent job and mostly likely undertake some distance learning or attend college of an evening. Holly Holly made a good suggestion - apply/take the job and see if there is some way I can get around the attendance of lectures, yet if im being honest with myself, trying to complete an MBA in 2 years (it's a 2 year part time course) alongside a permanent job whilst having a life would be stretching it, so maybe i need to think about the long distance learning route and see if i can complete an MBA over 3-5 years instead.

Bit of a no brainer really isn't it......................

Thanks so much though, everyone's insight has been invaluable.
posted by emma33UK at 3:15 PM on August 8, 2016

When I get resumes from people who have spent years (especially a decade plus) in post-secondary education but have only contract work as employment it sends the message that this is someone who can't work in a regular job and will have to mentor a lot to get them at the point that most employees grasp in their early twenties. Which means I sometimes pass the applicants over because past experience has shown they tend to be less trainable in the basics; they assume they know it already. I also wonder about their commitment to any job as they appear to have a second source of income supporting them that may be a higher priority than this position.

Pursue the permanent job, it helps you reach your goals better than any of the other paths.
posted by saucysault at 3:21 PM on August 8, 2016 [6 favorites]

You could be me in some ways. Take both the job and the MBA. Seriously. I was in the very very creative field (it has no connection to business in any way or form). However I went ahead and got my MBA and worked full time. That capitulated me to a high income bracket faster than anything else. The MBA is really given a bad vibe by many but your attitude will make all the difference and by golly, you have the right attitude. Think of it as a time to absorb the daylights out of all theories/materials/research out there by prominent thinkers in a structured manner. Read like crazy. The most important advice I will give you is, your MBA should be a fantastical learning process. Don't do it just to get a degree, do it so that you can actually research and think more in depth about Business. There are some great thinkers out there-classical like Kotler, Drucker etc. and the new guys. I get the feeling you will really enjoy it, their thought process, how they developed their theories and how it really applies in life. Those 2 years of MBA, if properly used, can serve you for a lifetime. Trust me I know. I have seen enough empty vessels making a lot of noise in large companies (software, e-commerce) etc. that a person with real knowledge will shine out anytime there. Also, the MBA will give you a very comprehensive look (birds eye and worm eye) on the world of business itself and you will be in a position to place yourself exactly where you want-do you want Operations? Marketing? Finance? Jobs will come and go, what you need is a career. Forget about the age thing, I did this when I was at least 5 years older that what you are now. Never regretted it for a minute. (on a side note, in terms of salary, right now you are thinking very small ;))
posted by metajim at 3:23 PM on August 8, 2016

Neither. The secretarial job will give you a bit more money and some security, but not much else, it is likely to be a dead end. It is very hard to get out of pink collar work when you're in it. The MBA would only be useful as a complement to much more senior and more consistent experience than you have (and if e.g. your employer contributed to your tuition). Without that, it is much less persuasive than work experience, agree there. Agree also that some kind of work experience would be better than any school, right now. (Unless you went all in on a serious, professional, skills-based course that would genuinely add to your value, e.g. design, health care, etc, and is relatively short.)

I think you've got a bit of a window now to make headway in another direction. (You might find yourself with less energy for a career change or startup idea in the next 2-5 years, and you'd be confronting more age bias then. I don't know what state your parents are in, or if they're around, but if they are, you might find yourself having to deal with their issues in not too long.) But you would have to be decisive, focused, and committed.

I've had the odd idea from content management (branding design/architect) for small to medium companies only (as they have smaller budgets and i'd feel it would be more rewarding serving the needs of budding new business owners). I'm not interesting in making a lot of money if i'm being honest, I just want to be passionate about the job i'm doing and love the idea of helping people to market their business. I've designed training manuals and website design (albeit drawings), but nowhere near enough experience to find a job within a design agency.

Keep doing stuff like this. It might mean contracts for the next few years, but it will add up to something if you're good (and lucky) and stick with it (contributes to being lucky). You can get a secretarial job if it doesn't work.
posted by cotton dress sock at 4:24 PM on August 8, 2016

TAKE THE MONEY. Save up and go to MBA school later, or part time, or online, or save up your vacation days. You can always leave a job you have! The MBA will still be there.
posted by blnkfrnk at 8:06 PM on August 8, 2016

I got my MBA at night from a top school while working full time. It is very doable. I actually preferred it over a day program. One, the benefit if taking a night program is that you not only get the teacher's perspective but also the perspective and often the input of folks who are doing similar work in the real world. Two, there is much less politics going on in the program because no one has time for that and the result is the actual classroom learning is stimulating.

Take the full time well paid job and find a way to take a night program or weekend program.
posted by AugustWest at 8:09 PM on August 8, 2016 [4 favorites]

Nthing take the money. If you already have a business degree, the MBA is almost pointless unless you're going to do it via a good university that will give you contacts.
posted by ryanbryan at 12:13 AM on August 9, 2016

Response by poster: Hi saucy salt, thanks for your response, appreciated. I did work for central government for 10 years throughout my twenties, so there is evidence to suggest I can commit long term to a job. It was only after doing my degree, and prior to my central government job did i do short temp jobs...
posted by emma33UK at 12:09 PM on August 9, 2016 [2 favorites]

Contract work is increasingly the norm in lots of sectors (including government work, where I am) - for years on end, sometimes. I don't know what saucysault meant exactly, I suspect the idea there was about people who spend years on end getting degree after degree and only having a few temp jobs here and there (although perhaps that could be clarified).

If on your resume you had a good chunk of solid work experience, then a degree, then a series of contract roles that move towards increasing specialization, that's totally different.

Does this non profit with the secretarial job have a culture of promoting from within? I doubt it. They're paying a lot for a secretary who wants to be a secretary. If you want that, or you want the money, that's totally fair. But I don't think it will take you closer to your goal of providing marketing services. Unless you do a switch at some point, probably to another organization. (Which would also happen later, when you're a bit older...) I think if you have a strong feel for marketing, do marketing. Either keep taking contracts and building skills, or get an entry level role in marketing. Places that let you switch from admin to marketing exist, but they are rare.
posted by cotton dress sock at 12:33 PM on August 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

I don't know what saucysault meant exactly, I suspect the idea there was about people who spend years on end getting degree after degree and only having a few temp jobs here and there

Yes, that exactly. And I see it often enough (and interview enough to see there is a reason the person can't keep a job or focus on one goal) that it is a known issue in HR similar to the failure to thrive issue in thirty/forty year olds - as distinct from someone who has worked 5-10 years and then went to school for a career change, or having linked contract jobs on their resume. There is definitely a group of people that can't fit into the normal work world, don't have the insight to recognize that, and get frustrated that increased education is not getting them further ahead.

In short, looking for a job right now really sucks.
posted by saucysault at 6:46 PM on August 9, 2016