So back to one question someone asked earlier. How much more money can you make with an MBA in Malaysia? Is it realistic to expect an ROI within 1 year of paying RM100+k for an MBA from an above average school or is working outside Malaysia the only realistic way of doing this?

I would just love to make more money (among other things of course)

There's another thread on MBAs here, check out that discussion.

Personally I think taking an MBA with less than 3-5 years of job experience is pointless. Most business schools won't even take you in if you don't have enough job experience.

Excuse my language but that's that's the most f***ed up attitude I've heard of from a place, and if it were from Nottingham/Manchester/etc I would complain to the management and make sure it gets noticed. Their job is to answer the phone so do their jobs properly already. Aside from certain demographics, anyone and everyone could be a potential customer.

It's sad but I see this everywhere in Malaysia. Do we have a caste system now that we have to look down on other people?

Just venting...

Haha, I guess I just love to complain when I know I'm within my rights. And the sort of attitude you mentioned is one of my favorites. You don't have to get angry about it, just make sure you talk to right people. For example I got a free sushi buffet dinner at Putrajaya Marriot last Saturday night after complaining to the manager about some stuff

Good question. Do places allow you to audit a course? Sit in a few classes maybe to see the quality of their classes?

Returning after working overseas can be hard. Adjusting to less money, different lifestyle, driving in KL/PJ and simply having a different standard of living.

I know a few people who did it and I truly respect their dedication to their family/country/whatever that made them come back from greener pastures.

Having been on both sides, I still think the grass is greener on one side only

Lady how right you are

asmly14 already mentioned about the need for a degree.

However yes, you can take an MBA no matter what your original degree is in. What is important typically is your work experience, and depending on the university, your GMAT score.

The cost varies significantly. A local university might charge RM20+k but a Harvard or Columbia MBA will cost you US$120k or even more.

There were some notes around here about the local MBA programs not being so great. I don't have personal experience, but what I expect from an MBA is to learn from peers who have had a significant enough amount of work experience that they can contribute to the discussion and classes. Friends who have experience say that local universities aren't the best in this area unfortunately.

Resigning is definitely an option, although much more expensive They do have part time studies you know...

The best MBAs are those where the professors are just facilitators and the students participate in active discussion depending on the topic/subject being discussed.

So if you only have very few years of work experience, have never managed people before and have never dealt with high risk/high value projects, it's going to be difficult to contribute to the active discussion going on.

That's why you need some real work experience. A good MBA should not be purely academic or theoretical, it is experience guided by theoretical/proven methods.

I want more money too!!!

I think you realize it but it needs to be said that getting that MBA will only get you higher pay if you take on more responsibility or sometimes if you move to a different line of work altogether. More money does not come without more work.

For some industries, the reputation of the MBA makes a huge difference. If you're good enough to be admitted and to pass/excel in a good school, then you're already better than the rest in certain ways. Some places in Singapore are like that for example.

While you can know people in LYN, I doubt that many good business folk running successful businesses have time to read LYN or impart their knowhow on LYN. Just look at the long running "Earning > RM5k" thread and see how much info you can actually get out of it

Also, do understand how a good MBA program works. The professors in the program are just facilitators, the people who contribute ideas are the students/coursemates. You are given a situation or case study, each group discusses this and come up with a solution, which is then discussed with other groups in the class. Someone coming straight out of a degree program or with minimal experience will contribute significantly less compared to an entrepreneur running a successful business or a more senior guy who's been around. Assuming that getting to know your coursemates is purely networking is just naive.

Sounds very "Malaysian" to me, one way street only In most of the top MBA programs, class participation is a significant part of your final grade, sometimes up to 25% which might mean a difference between an A and a fail depending on how high your curve is.

I find MIT's Open Courseware to be a good reference in general.

I think you can afford it if you don't mind working the US...
The question is whether or not you can get in in the first place

I don't think the degree matters when you take the MBA, what matters is the experience you bring to the table.

Experience in engineering, development etc. can be very useful as well from a process & procedures point of view or to better understand the R&D or manufacturing side etc.

Personally I think what makes a difference is that you know your own stuff well and know how to communicate well.

Why does it take one year to finish a UK based MBA, while many US based MBA programs take two years to finish?

I doubt that top US MBA programs are slower paced than the top UK MBA programs, yet even with summer breaks you're studying for 18 months in the US and only 12 months in the UK. Is it worth spending the extra time? Do you learn anything more? I can't really tell by looking just at the syllabus, but it seems as if there are far more elective courses in the US MBA programs.

I'm leaning more towards the UK MBA programs simply because they're cheaper

Actually there are part time MBAs and executive MBAs as well. Both are done while you keep your full time job.

I haven't figured out the difference myself.

I do wonder about it myself, MBS is listed but I'm not sure how MBS issues their degrees and how the Brits check these degrees. The company I work for will sponsor a large portion of the MBA for top schools, however there is a 2-year bond which negates the HSMP advantage...

The next cheapest option in that list is possibly IE (36k Euros) or AGSM (~60k AUD)