How This MBA Got Job Offers From Apple, EY & HP

How This MBA Got Job Offers From Apple, EY and HP

Getting an MBA from a top business school is a dream for many.

With MBA grads averaging six-figure debt, price is becoming as important for many as prestige nowadays.

For Lisa Andrea, who paid $20,000 for her degree at San Diego State, the cost-benefit analysis of earning an MBA part-time paid off. Andrea graduated with job offers from Apple, Ernst & Young, and Hewlett-Packard. Business Insider recently spoke to Andrea on why the part-time degree was worth it.

“I had talked with many C-suite executives of different corporations before applying to grad programs to get their advice on the type of school to go to, “Andrea tells Business Insider. “Unanimously, every person I spoke with said not to spend the money on an expensive university, unless it was a top-10 program like Yale, Harvard, etc.”

CAREER SWITCH

Andrea’s dream was to become a Certified Public Accountant. But she also knew that she didn’t want to shell out thousands in order to do it.

She spent two years working in marketing post-undergrad before deciding to pursue a part-time MBA at San Diego State in accounting in order to make a career switch.

“Since I was very diligent about not wasting any money, I planned my entire schedule for the two years before I started the program,” Andrea tells Business Insider. “I wanted to make sure I didn’t waste any time or money. So I made sure to plan my schedule so that my classes could be taken at the proper times to stay on track.”

VALUE OF HARD WORK  

With student loans to pay back, Andrea knew she had to work full-time while earning her degree. On top of working full-time, she studied twice a week at night for four hours.

“This showed them how strong my work ethic is since I was working full time and going to school at night,” she tells Business Insider.

While challenging, the hard work paid off in the end.

“Employers saw me differently from the undergraduates I was up against,” she said. “Getting a graduate degree has an unsaid connotation behind it. It says to the employer that you’re a go-getter who wants to expand your horizons and learn.”

Sources: Business Insider, P&Q

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