She should go, if it is fully funded.

with this ''FULLY FUNDED SCHOLARSHIP THAT COVERS BOTH TUITION AND LIVING COSTS!'' i see no reason why she should not jump at that. The industry infact the whole economy may look hopeless as it is now but it willl pay her better in future. Life itself is a risk, like what happens if the bank she works with now run out of business and she has nothing special to compete elsewhere? He who is afraid of risk may not move as far as he actually can.

My friend's brother took the risk sometimes ago even paid his tuition himself and all that he got a better job shortly before he completed the course he was interviewed over the phone from USA and got a fantastic post in the bank's Nigerian branch.

All the best.

Pls do an online mba rather than lose ur job. The Mba is not as competitive as it once was, like in the 80/90s when it wasn't as trendy. Right now every one wants to get one. So be wary of the herd mentality,

The market is in tatters like u know, and don't even bet on it picking up in a couple of years cos it wont still be able to deal with the backlog - i.e the pent up demand for jobs from qualified peeps who have been under-employed or unemployed all that time.
To my mind MBAs are for people who r dead sick of their careers, and who probably need a break to recalibrate, procrastinate or explore other career options. Only losers consider doing the mba really,

But hey i'm considering doing one

^^^
So are you considering yourself a loser?

Tell your friend its a no brainer!! see free food abeg!! s/he has work experience already so getting back into the system wont be hard

Horayce:

Pls do an online mba rather than lose your job. The Mba is not as competitive as it once was, like in the 80/90s when it wasn't as trendy. Right now every one wants to get one. So be wary of the herd mentality,

The market is in tatters like u know, and don't even bet on it picking up in a couple of years cos it wont still be able to deal with the backlog - i.e the pent up demand for jobs from qualified peeps who have been under-employed or unemployed all that time.
To my mind MBAs are for people who r dead sick of their careers, and who probably need a break to recalibrate, procrastinate or explore other career options. Only losers consider doing the mba really,

But hey i'm considering doing one

I dont think you are talking about the Nigerian market, lots of room for expansion untapped territories- 2011 will be an interesting one esp for the banks

Ok,

Just to add a few lines here.

Look, whether we like it or not, an MBA will always make a difference. The downturn in the global economy should not be an excuse.

Infact, this is the best time to strategise and re-discover one's self.

If anything, the downturn in the economy is a wake up call for one to think thru his/her career.

With a fully paid scholarship, ur friend had better jump at the offer, I hope the school is not one of the 'fly by night' schools in the UK though.

Things are definitely going to get better and those that carefully navigate thru the lull will emerge big when the recession is over.

I speak as an HR professional . She should take the offer.

Apart from her 1st degree does she have any other post graduate qualifications. Say what you like, an MBA still carries weight no matter how many there are in the market. If perchance she loses her present job, and needs to begin hunting, her first look-in will be her CV and if there is nothing behind her 1st degree despite several years of experience, she will look like someone who is slack in the area of professional development.

A glimpse at the ad pages say it all. employers have raised the bar. its now 1st degree, masters, membership of a relevant professional body ( some even add that this should be by qualifying exams. A foreign degree attracts that extra attention to you.

While there, 5 months into the end of the course, she could begin job hunting. in fact going abroad will broaden her horizons and she might even branch off into other things. how many years will she save to pay for this kind of opportunity again.

i for one would jump at it I think bad belle is worrying the bank. she could try the study leave without pay angle and see if it flies.

AjanleKoko:

^^^
So are you considering yourself a loser?

A loser who knows he is is far better than one who cant tell

Dis Guy:

Tell your friend its a no brainer!! see free food abeg!! s/he has work experience already so getting back into the system wont be hard

I dont think you are talking about the Nigerian market, lots of room for expansion untapped territories- 2011 will be an interesting one esp for the banks

No denying bro, there's a lot of potential room for growth in emerging markets like ours. But there are more practical ways of seizing those opportunities instead of spending one to two years in a classroom listening to clueless professors who have never MADE a dime in their lives

I'll reiterate my earlier point, if you're having a great time you don't need to get an mba. But if you need to, then by all means go for it. For instance an out of state mech engineer with a renewable energy startup idea may consider the stanford mba mainly to align himself with the innovative currency of Silicon Valley . A young analyst harboring a career dream in a hedgefund may opt to give wharton or cornell a try because of the increased prospects he'll have of recruitment. But then again if you are that smart why not bypass the mba route instead of needing the fleeting pedigree an ivy league MBA would invariably give u. And who says u cant learn all that tech jargon they teach u in the classroom by yourself?!

To be honest, I cant remember anything useful that has come from owning an MBA, MBAs are mainly for risk averse types who think paying for an expensive piece of paper will cover their ineptitude and open up doors to big checks - a narrow mindset to have

One more thing, draw up any list of some of the most "succesful" people you know who have mbas, I cant even think of any that inspire me

George Bush ( former US president and HBS Alumni)

Hank Paulson ( Former US treasure sec and HBS Alumni)

Lloyd Blankefein - ( Current CEO Goldman Sachs and HBS ALumni)

, a bunch of losers in my opinion

The real movers and makers in this world don't need a Masters of Barely Anything embossed after their names

Horayce:

A loser who knows he is is far better than one who cant tell

Pray tell. You know some of us are really slow

Thanks for all your responses to this post.I really appreciate your candid views on the above subject matter.However I am not happy that this seemingly innocent thread is generating friction between Nairalanders.

We are all entitled to our individual opinions and don't need to force it on other people.I mean if I could force my friend to see things from my own perspective then there wont be a need for the thread.

Secondly,I think that we need to move past the era of calling people namesetc,etc, We need to stop using such words honestly!Calling somebody a loser does not in any way make you a better/intelligent/well informed/exposed person!

Well my friend has applied for her visa and she will be leaving very soon to come back in 12 months.She finally got the study leave but without pay

I wish her the best!

skintom77:


Well my friend has applied for her visa and she will be leaving very soon to come back in 12 months.She finally got the study leave but without pay

I wish her the best!

Smart move! If someone hands me such an opportunity right now, man I wouldn't hesitate. Free errthing? Dang, how lucky can some people get!