Progressing from BSBA to MBA

© J. Francois Barnard - January 28, 2021

With my BSBA (Bachelor in Science, Business Administration) behind me, I gave myself a three-semester break and registered at UoPeople for my MBA (Masters in Business Administration). This news triggered an array of reactions.

"Do it!" my wife said. My son agreed. My daughter contemplated doing the same, "but," she said, "MBAs are costly!"

At UoPeople, the costs are higher now than when I did my BSBA. The assessment fee (exam fee) was $100 for undergraduate studies and $200 per exam for graduate students. The registration fee is still $60, and the assessment fee of $200 increased to $240 per exam. You pay for twelve assessments, making the total cost $60 + (12 x $240) = $2940 for an MBA. (Undergraduate fees increased from $100 to $120 per assessment. I.e., $60 + (40 x $120) = $4860 for a bachelor's degree.) And there is no reason to complain about the 20% increase in fees. Not if that is the first increase in eleven years.

In South African Rand at today's rates, the MBA costs R45,000, not including the processing fees from PayPal.

R45k is still not that expensive.

In 2019, the Southern California Marshall School of Business charged $62,140 for the first year and $58,316 for the second year. That is $120,456 in total. In South African Rand, the Marshall School of Business's MBA translates to more than R1.8 million. For that money, I can buy a three-bedroom townhouse in an upmarket suburb of Pretoria.

I know some people question the sense of me doing an MBA at this stage of my life and career. I turn 57 in May, and I have 34 fruitful years behind me, mostly in the IT industry. An MBA will not make a difference to my employer - so why do it now?

Many of you have read Why did I start studying at 53? at the beginning of this category in the blog, and all of those reasons are still valid. However, there is more to it. The BSBA and MBA are necessary building blocks in self-development. The best I can do for myself and those around me is to become the best version of Francois Barnard that I can be. Not that degrees are the only way to better yourself. I have to love myself enough to improve my self-worth, take responsibility for my flaws and shortcomings, and change my attitude where it needs to change.

One of the strongest motivators is that I love studying. I love learning new things, and doing so in a structured manner, as you do in the academic environment, appeals to me.

Studying more is not a prerequisite to being more successful. I had a mildly successful IT business between 1992 and 2006, with very little tertiary education behind my name. However, the difference education makes in self-esteem may change your business behaviour, giving you that little boost in boldness to take on projects and ventures that you might not have done.

So, here we go! MBA it is, and having fun doing so is a prerequisite.