I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and wonder if others feel the same way. Getting an MBA seems like one of the most reliable ways to boost your income significantly, but I don’t hear people talking about it openly very often.
Sure, there’s lots of confusing info out there about different types of programs. Online degrees and lower-tier schools might help you move up in your current job, but they’re not great for switching careers completely. Many people make mistakes like choosing poorly ranked programs or applying right after college without any work experience first.
I think people get too focused on only the top 7 schools when actually the top 15 or even top 25 schools can be excellent too. The top 50 programs can still lead to great opportunities.
To put this in perspective, the average person in America makes about $40,000 per year. After college, I was earning $30,000 working for a nonprofit organization. My background was pretty modest - parents were divorced, mom taught school, we were lower middle class. The MBA gave me a chance to completely change my trajectory.
What’s interesting is that MBA programs now accept both GMAT and GRE scores equally, and the GRE is much more manageable than tests like the LSAT or MCAT. With reasonable effort and preparation, scoring well enough for a top 50 program isn’t unrealistic.
Yes, you need work experience before applying, unlike medical or law school. But getting 3-5 years of regular office work experience and earning a few promotions is totally doable for most people. Even the very top programs don’t require anything too crazy in terms of work background.
Even graduates from top 50 MBA programs regularly land six-figure starting salaries at regional companies and Fortune 500 firms. Leadership development programs, corporate finance roles, and consulting positions are all common outcomes. If you get into a top 25 or 30 program, you can access second-tier consulting firms that this community sometimes dismisses, even though they still pay around $200,000 right out of school.
I managed to get into a top 25 program after working hard, getting promoted at my nonprofit job, and doing well on the GRE. I landed a position at a second-tier consulting firm, which was exactly what I wanted. My starting salary jumped to nearly $200,000 from the $60,000 I was making after two promotions at my previous job. Most people I grew up with still earn between $40,000 and $60,000.
Here’s what surprised me most: the MBA coursework is actually much easier than law school, medical school, PhD programs, or even engineering master’s degrees. Classes are manageable, grading is generous, and many top schools don’t even let employers ask about your GPA. The real value comes from networking, building relationships, and recruiting activities rather than intense studying.
The summer internship is crucial because it lets you try out a completely new field. If you perform well, these internships often turn into full-time job offers. Students with return offers basically spent their entire second year traveling and enjoying themselves.
If you don’t get a return offer or didn’t enjoy your internship, you can recruit for full-time positions during your second year. You can pivot into technology, consulting, banking, brand management, consumer goods, entrepreneurship, marketing, operations, and tons of other industries even from a top 25 program. These roles typically pay at least $100,000 to $110,000, which is still a huge jump from earning $60,000 previously.
Six figures feels rich when you come from a lower middle class background. People say $110,000 isn’t much in San Francisco or New York, but most Americans don’t live in those cities, and that income goes far in lower cost areas.
Compare this to law school, where you basically need to attend a top 14 school to have a realistic shot at high-paying jobs. It’s three years, much more debt, and outcomes are very polarized. You either get a big law firm job paying $200,000 or you end up with something that pays very little. Everything depends on your first-year grades, which are usually based on one final exam per class with harsh grading curves.
There’s no bar exam for MBA graduates. No board certification. No required licensing. Most MBA jobs don’t even involve accounting unless you specifically choose that path. The MBA is basically a second chance if you didn’t nail it right after college.
Medical school is incredibly demanding academically. The board exams are brutal. Residency is exhausting. Being a doctor is stressful and draining work, even though the prestige is high. Meanwhile, I work about 40 hours per week in technology consulting with weekends and evenings free.
Sure, you still need to work hard, network effectively, prepare for interviews, and perform well in your internship and post-MBA role. But compared to what lawyers and doctors go through, it’s much more manageable.
MBA academics were honestly not very challenging. Nobody took them too seriously. If you can use Excel and PowerPoint, you’ll be fine. With AI tools now, it’s even easier.
Some people point to software engineering as an alternative, and those jobs do pay well with good work-life balance. But learning computer science is really tough and requires a very technical mindset that isn’t for everyone.
The two-year full-time MBA is the best option for career pivoting. People call it a “triple jump” - new industry, new role, new location - and it’s real. That summer internship gives you a legitimate chance to test a new path and secure a full-time offer.
So yeah, I feel a bit awkward saying it directly, but a solid MBA program, done correctly, is genuinely one of the easiest ways to access high-paying career paths with reasonable work-life balance. If you didn’t get it right the first time around, the MBA gives you another opportunity. It certainly worked for me.