TeachMe

Because of years when I could have been earning income? I trust that you're right, but that's so hard to believe considering the incredibly high up-front cost of an MBA and the debt load that implies for me. ~$150k or more in debt is frightening, to be frank. I recognize that there's a certain "pay to play" element of MBAs (in that the cost of the program is about an education as well as buying access to a certain tier of work, or certain levels of employment and accompanying financial gain that are not necessarily as easily accessed without the degree), but it's daunting as all get-out to think of going into that much debt.

You're right-- I was referring to consulting in general and clearly inappropriately vague terms. Thanks. Appreciate the positive comment. :)

That's helpful and reassuring to hear-- much appreciated. You're correct in that I was imprecise in my language, and I was indeed using the layman's definition of consulting. I'm spending a lot of time thinking about what I hope my work life to look like going forward. I'm grateful for your information and thoughts!

Due to lost working years, even considering funding support vs. debt from an MBA? I don't have any reason to doubt what you're saying, but that is so hard to believe when I consider the prospect of ~$150k in debt or more. I recognize that there may be a "pay to play" element to an MBA (in terms of the education but also buying access to a certain tier of work opportunities and the accompanying financial gain they might offer) but it's still frightening. I paid for my M.Ed out of pocket to avoid financing it, but that's not an option for me with an MBA.

How considerable can MBA funding packages be? I've searched through a ton of threads on here and can't find much about funding. I'm daunted/put off by the cost of an MBA; it seems like a "pay to play" kind of situation, where the barriers to entry are restricted to people willing/comfortable with taking on huge amounts of debt. I'm considering leaving education (currently work as a teacher) to make a transition to the for-profit world and have been looking PhD programs in part because of the funding opportunities. I realize this is a bad reason to start a research degree, so let's not have that fight here. :eager: I'm terrified by the prospect of $150k in debt (even as a CA resident, Berkeley-Haas would cost that much), as I have exactly no debt right now. How do most of you guys rationalize the cost? Or are there more funding opportunities available than I realize? Help me understand this-- if funding weren't a gigantic obstacle and question for me, an MBA would seem much more exciting. Thanks!

Really? I'd assumed that teaching experience + a graduate degree in Education pretty much only qualified me for more academic work/research. Interesting to think that my profile might be more appealing to an MBA admissions director.

Appreciate all the feedback. I'm still not sure an MBA makes sense (financially, building deep expertise, standing out from a huge crowd of other people with MBAs) but you've given me something clear to think about.

I’m strongly considering leaving the teaching profession and hope to transition to a career outside education and into business, with a focus on organizational behavior (power & influence, conflict & negotiation, leadership & org culture. Organizational change focuses all these into one specific area in my thinking). I’m thinking a PhD in business is right for my long-term goals, but I’d love some advice. I have a bunch of background to offer to make this make sense, so if you make it to the end, I’ll be both impressed and grateful. Basic Info I’m 31, male, have been a history teacher/curriculum developer in a startup private school for 6 years. Undergrad from a “Great Books” program (history of math/history of science/philosophy), M.Ed completed last year. No kids, no undergrad/M.Ed debt, etc. Professional Experience ​I’ve stayed in education this long because I was excited by the opportunity at the startup school where I still work. I was part of a group of 12 faculty who helped build this school from the ground up. The organization now has 500 students and 60 faculty, has raised $40 million, and will see our founding head of school retire this spring. My own roles have varied: in addition to teaching, I’ve led teams, developed and implemented new programs, and am now working with one of the co-heads of the upper school to design and implement a database system related to an all-school travel program (approx ~600 people on four continents at one time). Why I Want to Leave: In short, I've realized I don’t want the job my boss has. That’s been a growing concern of mine for some time. The questions and issues that administrators deal with aren’t the ones that excite me, and I am not able to use some of my strengths and interests in my current role at the school. I have a close friend who is an administrator (same age as me) and I can say without question that I would not want her job. ​Initially, the startup atmosphere was invigorating, challenging, and exciting. I’ve been involved in the school’s change from tiny startup to mid-sized and stable organization, and I’m watching closely as leadership change at the top occurs this spring. A number of questions (that I mention below) have become very interesting to me, and I can’t work on them at my current job. Why a PhD ​I’ve been thinking about starting a doctoral program for a few years. My sister, her boyfriend, and my girlfriend are all in doctoral programs, and I’m stimulated by the challenge and level of discourse in their programs. They get to work on big questions and explore them deeply, and while they work hard for little money, all of them see it as a worthwhile trade. When I did my M.Ed, I heard over and over again from my advisor to “save it for a PhD, this is just a Masters.” Needless to say, I felt ready for a higher level of work and challenge. I thoroughly enjoyed conducting research and engaging with the literature in the field. I also designed a study that I ran at my own school, and it was a thrill to see more deeply into the experiences of students. As the organization I’m in has changed, a ton of questions have emerged for me around how leadership style & personality shape an entire organization, the role of conflict (and conflict-avoidance) in the work teams do, how transparency & communication drive or inhibit productivity, and so on and so forth. I could write a ton more about all my questions around strategy, power & influence, class/gender/leadership, and many more topics. The credibility that a terminal degree offers is appealing to me, as well as the intellectual stimulation and challenge of doctoral work. Why Business ​I’d like to break out of the echo chamber of education and educational research. I’m also aware that some of the sharpest and most incisive thinking about organizations (which is where my questions are) comes from business and not from educational research. I’m also eager for a change of scenery out of middle/high school, and eventually to a change in sectors. Also, the questions that I’m interested in working on seem to be best addressed through business. Plus, there are far more opportunities for employment in the business world than with a humanities PhD. Which gets me to... Why I’m Not Sure ​I don’t think I want to exclusively teach in a business school for the rest of my career, and I can’t exactly be open about that with potential programs. If I imagine the ideal career, consulting is appealing, as is working with a startup organization (it was a thrill the first time and I imagine would be again), as well as teaching part-time in a business school. These don’t all have to happen contemporaneously, obviously. But all of those are exciting to me. Consulting is appealing for a number of reasons (I’m a creature of novelty, I love problem-solving, etc), and I like the idea of a flexible and diverse career path with a lot of options. A lot of this makes me think that a PhD in business is a great idea, because it would give me a range of options, but I’m not sure that it would all be workable or that it’s the best way to achieve what I want. My Questions ​Are there red flags or other questions that what I’ve written raise about whether a PhD in business is right for me? Are there less lengthy degree programs that might let me do what I want (other than MBAs, which seem more broad-based and less in-depth)? Is it a bad idea to go in to a PhD program knowing I don’t want a tenure-track job long-term? Thanks-- any other thoughts welcome as well!