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[Mark Andrews <mandrews AT ibiblio.org>]

I think that everyone her has raised good points. I am all for 
intellectual curiosity and learning for the sake of learning, but all 
of that can be done for free. Go to the public library of better yet 
get a check out card for Davis library. They are available to the 
public.

The point that I was trying to make is that experience is what is 
important in the market place, wether you get it on the job or in an 
MBA program. And I if you think that the experience that you get in a 
graduate program is worth $30,000, or what ever a MBA degree is going 
to cost you, go for it, but I think that you would be foolish to not 
even consider the return on your investment.

-Mark

On Wednesday, October 9, 2002, at 08:17  AM, Austin, Roger D. wrote:

>  I'm not sure of the intrinsic value of any degree, however, Thomas has
> nailed a general point in that those people who look at life 
> experiences
> in terms of dollars probably don't have the best experience in life.
> This theme can be expanded to other educational, travel, career, 
> sports,
> and a lot of other areas. Dollars do matter some of course. I'm no 
> fool.
>
>  Sadly, a lot of people look at a college degree as the ticket to
> (monetary) success rather than an experience to open your mind. The
> current theme of constant testing in schools and the universal
> education, no matter the cost, is a symptom of this thought. The
> college experience has been made a ticket to future career goals
> rather than an experience to be savored for its on value.
>
>  People should want to be more educated for the value of understanding
> the world, not essentially for the greater dollars it brings in. That
> is just a side benefit of the education at times. If you want to be a
> poet, do you go to engineering school so you can make money? Your
> life experience may include a shiny new car, but are you going to
> have your best life experience?
>
>  I've taken a lot of courses at the local schools just for fun, much
> to the amusement of some of my friends. "You took linear algebra and
> matrices for fun?!" was a refrain I heard. What those folks didn't
> understand is that years later, the knowledge I picked up in some of
> the courses allowed me to have greater understanding of other issues.
> Eigenvalues? I still kind of remember what they are, but I do have
> a broad understanding of them when I read something.
>
>  Understanding the world and educating yourself is a lifelong
> process. I would go for the further education if you have the time
> and energy. As you get older, it becomes harder to take advantage of
> it due to many family and career issues. Get the MBA, travel, explore
> cooking and art classes, and anything else that interests you.
> Someday you will be sitting in a home wondering why you didn't
> make the most of your life.
>
>  My answer to the original question of the value of a MBA is the
> same as Thomas'. Life experience is not a mathematical function.
> Wait, perhaps it is!
>  Education != Training.
>  Life experience != $.
>
>  Roger (in RTP, feeling old today and ignoring ROI)
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Thomas Beckett
>
> > I find one consistent theme between b-school and law school, however. 
> >  The
>
> > students who go for the degree with the primary purpose of getting a
> > "ticket" to some sort of high-paying career path do not usually have 
> > an
> > optimal experience.  They get their ticket without an understanding of
> what
> > they're doing and what they really want.  If you go with an 
> > intellectual
> > curiousity, an open mind, a sense of the value in the journey and a
> > willingness to follow where things lead, any good academic program 
> > will
> > change your life for the better.
> ---
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