Just need to vent - the MBA pressure is real
Had another 'chat' with my parents last night. It's always the same topic lately: M7 MBA.
Look, I get it. They're doctors, super accomplished, and they just want the 'best' for me. In their world, that means a top-tier degree, the kind with brand recognition that opens any door. They see an MBA from Harvard or Stanford or Wharton as the ultimate stamp of success.
And yeah, maybe I could do it. I work hard, my GMAT practice scores are decent, I know how to package myself for applications. That's almost the frustrating part. It feels achievable, technically.
But I just don't want to? Like, at all? I'm 26, earning 25 LPA in a job I actually find interesting most days. It's challenging, I'm learning, I have a good work-life balance for the most part. Why would I throw that away right now, spend an insane amount of money (and take on debt), and basically pause my life for two years to get a degree I have zero passion for?
It feels like it's purely for their bragging rights, not for me. Every conversation ends with them saying it's an investment, it'll pay off, think of the network... I know all that. But my gut just screams no. It feels like chasing a definition of success that isn't mine.
It's exhausting trying to make them understand that being content and earning well now isn't settling. It's just... living my life? They think I'm being shortsighted or unambitious. I think I just want something different than the path they envision.
Anyone else deal with this? This constant pressure to follow a specific, pre-approved elite track, even when you're actually doing alright on your own? Feels like I'm disappointing them by just... being okay with my current reality.
Needed to get that off my chest. Back to pretending to look up M7 application deadlines I guess.
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9 min AI interview5 questions
Soon tech jobs will go extinct and mba will lead the world and universe. If u r a real man, crack cat and get into iim..
25 years ago I was where you are. Only that I was already in the US and very willing to do MBA. Fast forward, on my analysis at that time I was already making 100k USD pa and an MBA would not add anything much then for me. I continued. I realised after 20 yrs, I should and must have done MBA, because being in Cutting edge tech all the time, I stayed there and never could break the glass ceiling. Even now do coding and fairly good with my job and OK salary
Compare with my Colleague back then, who decided to invest 2 yrs and take a break to study. He went on to Booth school and jumped into becoming a director long ago and then VP-finance of an entertainment multinational. His and my salaries in last 5 yrs are 5 times apart.
So listen to your Parents and do what the elders say. Don't listen to all the folks areound here telling you to prioritise yourself. Your parents may get bragging rights , but they also want you to be super successful. Good luck.
Anyways times were different then and now. But the basics will be same and strong. If you find a way to reach me for more personal help/advise, try to connect for better clarity. Best wishes
MBA 25 years ago was like MBA in 2000. It was just after the Y2K era It was the way to go. Finance/investment banking/Trading/Marketing were picking up. China had just joined the WTO. H1B visa wait list was non-existent.
Things have changed in 2025. There are already too many MBAs now. Middle management is not a breakout career path.
@DeadFilter76 If you are happy in what you are doing and earning 25L which is pretty decent (w/o the comfort zone trap), don't try to get out of it. Aai-Baba are well wishers, not career experts. You don't have to agree with them.
Super accomplished parents cannot pay for your mba? Then they should not ask you to do it. Also I can understand your job being interesting but is it balanced? Can you continue in that track and in future look after other responsibilities like kids and family?
Start a startup, it will teach you more than any MBA can, as you said it's just bragging rights and filtering for MNCs. It's a true social mobility vehicle for the poor but if you are already making 26 lakhs and love what you do, I do not see a reason why you should do an MBA.
I have recently done an MBA,but whenever I reach out job market,,,,feel the scam behind master degree of business schools.university didn't make me teach crucial skills whatever demand in market now a day's.🥲
Sadly doing an MBA still help bypass tag based HRs who filter candidates based on university instead of raw problem solving talent. Im also in the same confusion as OP.
if your parents see that as a passport like thing after which you can do anything then it is not true.
at the same time, if your parents have a budget for this and if you’re not getting drowned in loans then go for it. you’ll have a lot of fun.
Go for the MBA FROM US OR UK.
Most of folks go there to build connections. Also you sometimes get to jump the career ladder by 2-3 steps. You might even end up opening your own company. Keep your interest in tech and build the bridge to the gap for the domain you are interested.
God same! I am in an identical position to yours but i guess my parents are not as pushy as yours. They just think for me, btech is a sub optimal degree and MBA will open more opportunities. But i dont see any values when i do the pros to cons list
Go for it bro. If you have an option to go for an MBA in any big university. Don't regret it later. I wanted to go for an MBA. My parents were not that financially strong I left my education after my graduation I still regret it now that I never got an opportunity to go abroad and complete my masters.
Agreed, having rich parents already qualifies/entitles you to elite degrees. This helps you stand out from the rat race in which folks from many other universities are competing with for jobs.