# hubby wants a career change but i disagree



## bunnybear (Jan 13, 2011)

Hubby's a teacher but he wants a career change. He wants to get his MBA meaning having to get a loan of 80,000$ just for a tuition fee. We're gonna need more than that as his f/t shift became part time recently only working 18 hrs/wk and we need to pay rent,bills,food (family of 4- an infant and a 3yr old),etc. He thinks that he can work while studying. We were staying at my dad's for free with no bills which was a perfect opportunity to go back to school but unfortunately we had to leave as he was disrespectful t my dad coz my dad can be mean to our little daughter sometimes coz he wants to discipline her "properly":scratchhead:. Anyways, we were living abroad for 3 yrs and we came back 7 mo's ago while he was finishing his Masters Degree.We put most of ur savings towards his Masters Degree and he just recently finished it and now he's already thinking of a career change. I told him that I'm not in favour of him getting an MBA. He told me that he's so sick of teaching that he doesn't wanna do this anymore. I told him that he should have told me this to begin with so we didn't have to put most of our savings towards his tuition fee. We have no savings now and by him telling me that makes me soo mad! Our plan was for him to finish his MA and then go back abroad for a better paying wage. He's not doing well wage wise here. Don't u guys think that I have a point to disagree? He keeps bothering me to take the course even though I told him many times no! I told him that he's being selfish but he said that he's thinking of a better future for his family.How can I convince him to stop thinking of a career change and be realistic? Or do u guys think that I should let him do this? Thanks.


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## moonangel (Jan 19, 2011)

Since he recently got his MA, he really should work on using that to get a better job and better pay. There's really no sense in getting an MBA since it will just be more debt and there's the possibility that he will change his mind again.

When you two set this goal for his MA, what was the end goal for this? Was it to get an MBA next? If not, don't add it in. 

Also, I know people who've gotten MBA's and don't have a better job (or a job at all) and have debt. I used to be a student finance advisor for a college (both grad and undergrad) and it was pretty sad to see so many graduate with $50, $80+ debt and jobless. The ones who had family was heartbreaking...one reason why I resigned.


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## greenpearl (Sep 3, 2010)

I am not a fan of high high education. I am not a fan of deep debt. 

Spending most of their life at school and still don't know much about how to live.

Some people graduate from high school, find a job, get a skill, become carpenters, chefs, beauticians, mechanics, etc etc etc, they make good money and their life is settled, they are content, they are happy. 

Some people never want to settle, they keep on wanting this and that, if they are not married, fine, pursue their dreams. If they are married, they really bring pressure and stress to their spouses. 

Stop chasing the wind, be more practical and more responsible.


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## greeneyeddolphin (May 31, 2010)

I can kind of see both sides here. 

If he hates teaching, he's going to be miserable doing it. And frankly, as a parent, I wouldn't want my kid being taught by someone who hates what he's doing. So, I can understand why he wants to change. 

At the same time, I can see your concerns as well. That is a lot of debt to get into, and especially right now when (at least here in the states) the economy is so bad that even people with college degrees can't find jobs. 

Have you asked him to lay out his plan for you? If his plan is nothing more than to go back to school and get his MBA, what's the point? Have him think further than that. What's he going to do with the MBA? Where does he want to work? What does he want to do exactly? How much does he expect to make to start with? How much does he expect to make in the long term? First by answering those questions, he can reassure you. And if he can't answer those questions, maybe it will make him reconsider the idea of doing it. Or, in the process of researching the answers, he might decide that it's not such a great idea after all.


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## bunnybear (Jan 13, 2011)

atruckersgirl said:


> I can kind of see both sides here.
> 
> If he hates teaching, he's going to be miserable doing it. And frankly, as a parent, I wouldn't want my kid being taught by someone who hates what he's doing. So, I can understand why he wants to change.
> 
> ...



He told me all his plans after getting an MBA such as working in a business company and that the average people that graduated getting the MBA managed to pay their debts in 3 yrs,etc. He did go to this MBA seminar to get lots of info about finance,etc and he told me everything about it. I just can't gamble that huge amount of money coz we're gonna be screwed for the really long time paying this debt. He just won't listen to me. 

ps. Thanks for all the replies by the way, really appreciate it. I'll show the replies to my hubby


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## Blanca (Jul 25, 2008)

I sort of see your H's side of things. Ive had some jobs that I hated and I cant imagine being stuck in them. Although I can see your side since the debt would be awful. Its a little idealistic to think debts will all be taken care of in three years, especially in this economy. The thing schools never teach you is to be realistic. they want you to take their courses so they pump up the earning potential, job market, and job satisfaction. Its something I had to explain to my H, too. He didnt believe me when i told him that ALL jobs are boring and monotonous. Its just the nature of work.


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## less_disgruntled (Oct 16, 2010)

MBAs are simple. Only the best MBA schools are worth attending. Literally. Makes very little impact on lifetime income to get an MBA from a second or third tier MBA program.

Get into a top program and do whatever you need to get the degree, or just don't go.


And if he just finished an MA and wants to go back to school, I have to ask, does your sex life involve a lot of you holding a whip? B/c he must really love pain.


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## moonangel (Jan 19, 2011)

He can work in the business field without an MBA. Seriously, you will regret...he will regret just because he thinks an MBA will get him far. The way to do it is for him to get into a business job where he can move up (and he could very likely get a good position with his MA). Once he's there and if the company will pay or reimburse him to advance his education then he should get his MBA at that time. From my experience the students that had done it this way...where their company paid, were the most successful. 

Now, if he wanted to become a physician then yes, do have him go. The debt will be crazy but so will the income...in a good way.


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## mc75 (Jan 23, 2011)

I am in the middle of career exploration and it sounds to me like yr husband may not have explored or really planned what he wants. If he says things like once you have an MBA, you can pay yr debt in 3 years, I wonder if yr husband has actually thought about what he would really do with an MBA day to day, week to week, or if he simply imagines having a highly paid "business job" of some kind. Does he want to do marketing, sales, bean counting, management, entrepreneurship? Perhaps he's thought this thru, but I don't hear that.

As a teacher, does he have summers off? (Believe me, I am envious). Or, if he works 18 hrs a week now - perhaps he could take some business courses thru a local public college or community college, or online, or visit the local small business development center, or find a part-time business job to supplement his teaching? Perhaps he could use his summer to create a business plan, do job exploration, even "intern." My point is, given time there are many ways to explore business that don't involve $80,000 in debt and giving two years of your life to professors. My student debt is clsoe to $60,000 and I am thankful I was able to refinance it at a very low rate, otherwise it would be dogging me for a long time.

Perhaps there are ways he can use his teaching skills to further his interest in business - after taking a business course, can he convince his school to let him offer a business course for students? Or get a job with a local business development center that teaches business skills, does market research, or helps people create business plans?

My advice to anyone is do career exploration before jumping right from an MA into a high-priced MBA. Books such as What Color is Your Parachute, Do What You Are, Pathfinder, etc. might be a place to start.


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## swedish (Mar 6, 2008)

moonangel said:


> He can work in the business field without an MBA. Seriously, you will regret...he will regret just because he thinks an MBA will get him far. The way to do it is for him to get into a business job where he can move up (and he could very likely get a good position with his MA). Once he's there and if the company will pay or reimburse him to advance his education then he should get his MBA at that time. From my experience the students that had done it this way...where their company paid, were the most successful.
> 
> Now, if he wanted to become a physician then yes, do have him go. The debt will be crazy but so will the income...in a good way.


:iagree:

The MBA is no where near a pass to a great job in the business world. I would highly recommend he find a job with a corporation prior to pursuing higher education. Many companies prefer but do not require a college education and with the current economy it is more competitive, but with his current MA adding an MBA probably won't secure a dream job out of the gate. What would be more important for him would be to get into a company to get a feel for whether this is really what he wants to pursue before shelling out $$$ for an MBA degree.


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