An MBA is what you make of it. For some people, seeking to transition between industries, an MBA can be very helpful. If you are working as a marketing person

An MBA is what you make of it. For some people, seeking to transition between industries, an MBA can be very helpful. If you are working as a marketing person for General Mills and then decide that you want to break into ibanking, an MBA is great. It allows you to re-enter a very standardized recruiting process versus having to haplessly apply to random jobs. The same goes for people who work in fields where hiring and promoting is very standardized. At certain F500 companies/investment banks/PE firms it is expected that after 2-4 years of working you'll go back and get your MBA (if you want to be promoted). It's pretty dumb, but that's the way it works. Certain star performers can sidestep that but it tends to occur less frequently. At the same time, for certain careers which are based more on merit (trading, entrepreneurship) an MBA might be less helpful. At best, for a non-business person, you will learn some basic skills and gain a good network. But it's a pretty high cost.