John Kalusa ⋅ Alpharetta, GA Profisee Group ⋅ 10 years experience

This is a great question and all of the answers were spot on..... Some things to consider. If your job in the military is a direct correlation to a civilian position, you may be able to leverage your experience very easily, get into the workforce and get "grounded".

If on the other hand, you were, say an artillery officer, but your undergrad degree was in finance and you aspire to be an senior executive in a mid to large company, then the MBA route may be the right path as typically the big 4 and major corporations make regular recruiting trips to universities and your past military experience will be a huge plus.

There's really no generic answer and really starts with answer this question, with as much clarity, commitment and vision that you can.

What do you want to do? Might be simple for some and very difficult for others, but once you answer that, the road appears.

Morgan Lerette ⋅ Glendale, AZ AAA ⋅ 6 years experience

I transitioned to school and was able to get a better job than had I simply gotten a job out of the Army. However, that is not why I recommend it. It is the intangibles that I found most helpful.

The direct contrast to the Army is what took me to grad school: slow pace of life, relaxed atmosphere, and the ability to work my own schedule. I knew I needed the contrast to understand how to be a "civilian" again.

As an added bonus, it allowed me see different ideas, perspectives, and how think in business terms. I was able to learn corporate accounting and budgeting. Campare this to the Army's idea of budgeting: "Spend every penny and fire every round so we get more next year". Big difference.

More importantly, it taught me how "civilians" think. Some want to save the world and never worry about costs. Some would be willing fire their grandmother to add a dollar to the bottom line. Then there was everything in the middle. Had I transitioned straight to Corporate America, I think this would have come as a bit of a shock

Mostly, it taught me how to motivate my peers and future employees. Everyone is motivated differently. You learn this when your group can't agree on how to complete an assignment. Getting everyone to contribute to the same goal is quite a bit different when there is no rank structure backing up your decisions.

All that is wonderful but not all grad schools are not created equal. If a JMO gets out and gets an MBA outside of the top 10-20, their job prospects may be no better than if they decided to jump into the work force. So you have to weigh the costs of getting to "civilianize" for a few years vs. the benefits of the job you anticipate getting upon graduation.

MCL

Chuck Beretz ⋅ Carlsbad, CA Cloudforia ⋅ 20 years experience

I agree -- get the job first, decide on the MBA later. Most MBAs will tell you that they believe they got a lot more out of their graduate degree with real-world business experience under their belt. During an MBA program you will be required to draw on that experience to develop case studies. Moreover, many employers -- especially large ones -- offer tuition assistance for continuing education. Getting your MBA part-time (subsidized by your employer) while working will keep you very VERY busy but for many it is an economically viable way to go.

Bill Nobles ⋅ Basking Ridge, NJ Exxon ⋅ 30 years experience

For what it is worth the online Wall Street Journal offered an opinion on this topic on March 1, 2013 "A Smart Investor Would Skip the M.B.A."
Bill Nobles

Nicholas Garner ⋅ El Paso, TX ADP ⋅ 5 years experience

I am interested to read opinions on this subject as well, I opted for both. I retired from the Army and began working. Going to school full time instead of working was not an option for me. I continued my education, completed my Bachelors degree in Business Administration and I graduate in June 2014 with my MBA from Texas A&M Commerce all while working full time in a leadership/management position.