I have read many threads on tis website with regards to MBA's and was wondering if you could shed some light on a couple of questions. I am highly ambitious but also know that success seems to come at a price. Firstly, I understand that at some firms you 'need' an MBA to move up the ranks even though they do not overtly specify this. Is it in all honestly worth getting an MBA from a school outside the top 15 in the world?. My second question is this. I already have a masters degree and one years consulting experience under my belt with a full house firm, should I aim to do my MBA as soon as possible (within next 2 yrs), or hold off for a while since I have an MSc International Management from a top ten uni and gain further experience. Thirdly, when is it best to start to specialise, before or after an MBA? Thanks for any constructive criticism or advise.

I personally think to do an MBA would be a very good experience that also gives you the opportunity to leave day to day responsibilities to focus entirely on thinking and learning, while spending some time with interesting Profs and new peers.A few people I know did it and most of them think it is a good thing and the ROI is there. I also know many successful people would not take the time and spend the money for this type of experience. And I know that today’s world requires skills that the modern education system can’t provide. Firms should look for a variety of backgrounds and experiences to form their best teams.

If I take your ambition to mean a desire to work at one of the 'top' firms (however defined), I think you'll find the answer to your first question is 'probably not'. The majority of firms where you might expect an MBA to represent a glass ceiling (and it is rarely that clear cut in reality) do not typically recruit outside of the top business schools. 15 might even be being a bit generous. A good management degree (I assume it's a mainland European school?!) does diminish some of the attraction of an MBA and most firms will recognise the possibility that you might benefit less from the formal education side of an MBA compared with someone with no academic management background, but there are other reasons to do an MBA that could still be valid. Personally, I'd say specialise when you feel you are ready to, there's no right or wrong time, it depends on where you want to go and which options you want to keep open. HTH

MBA as Sign On Bonus..... I would be interested in furthering my knowledge of the opportunity to identify a firm that helps you planning your future, to a certain degree, and puts on the plate an MBA in let’s say 3 years time. A small commitment from both parties that would start a brilliant relationship. jakiemckinsey@yahoo.co.uk

I need to elaborate on this: large consulting organizations have a big buying power compared to single consumers and the same could work for MBA seats. A large consultancy could identify a number of tier-2 fully accredited schools that are still not as expensive as Harvard but have the potential to grow in reputation over the next few years. They will then buy MBA seats for future years, lets take the year 2010 as an example. If an MBA at one of those schools cost 15K today, the large organization buying many seats in advance all together can get a price per seat of 10 or 12K for the year 2010. These “Futures” can be then assigned to a number of new or existing employees as perks (like the Bupa healthcare or the pension). The employees will see the price of their MBA Future increase or decrease according to the business school's reputation and the education market in 2010. When the 2010 comes, after 3-4 years working with the same consultancy, the MBA Future can be disposed by the employee and either used, or sold in the MBA Futures market. Could this work? Benefit for the Business schools is to get cash for investments now and create a bigger market for themselves, for the consultancies (intensive knowledge users) it is a strategic investment into the education market, for the employees it would be good to see there is going to be a prize for loyalty.

Interesting idea re: the MBA Futures. However I can confirm that it is possible to arrange at (near final) interview stage for your prospective employer to commit to paying for a distance/executive MBA - I am nearing completion of my own MBA through exactly this type of arrangement. In short, an MBA as sign-on bonus. There is however a 1 year tie-in period after graduation, and if I were to leave before comlpetion, I have to reimburse my education costs - and I also pay for any resits etc (though none so far, touch wood).