One of the most commonly asked questions regarding a future in business is whether taking their MBA is worth the trouble. For context, an MBA degree takes a minimum of two years in many countries, which is why people contemplate whether additional schooling is the right step.

For the record, many of us here at The Odyssey hold MBA titles—some in finance, some in marketing. And while our experiences vary, we've agreed on the points you'll read down below. The tl;dr version is that an MBA is worth the trouble if you have the right reasons.

Why You Shouldn't Get an MBA

The following list is far from examining all points of view of why an MBA degree isn't the right choice. You can do a quick Google search to find countless others, but the following are the points we think you shouldn't get an MBA.

Networking

Mr. Wonderful (Kevin O'Leary) stated in an interview with CNBC that getting an MBA degree helped him meet new people and build long-lasting relationships. However, times have changed since Mr. Wonderful was last in college. Today, we can hop on Facebook or LinkedIn to expand our networks.

In fact, like-minded business enthusiasts and entrepreneurs gather in online discussion forums all around the internet. It might take you a while to discover a group that caters to your specific ambitions and needs, but you will find it eventually. Plus, you won't have to spend an arm and a leg while scouring the internet for such a networking opportunity.

Learn about business

Hello, that's what the internet is for. The internet supplies us with a seemingly infinite pool of information. Granted, enrolling in a world-class MBA program can give you the unique opportunity to meet young, successful entrepreneurs, but you can just as easily find their videos on YouTube.

If you really feel the need to learn from those who have walked the path and succeeded, try to find online courses taught by such gurus. Online courses provided by Udemy or similar websites offer the same course materials you'd learn in an MBA classroom at reasonable and even discounted rates. For those who wish to start their own business, learning theories in class won't help very much. Listening to a professor droning on about business won't help you take the initiative to start your own business.

Increased salary

Getting an MBA degree to increase your salary is like getting your bachelor's to work at a company. There are no guarantees in either choice. Please note that MBA graduates earned a $120,000 bonus in 2018 on average, meaning that half of them fell south of that figure.

That's not to say MBA degree holders won't see a salary increase. However, this is only true if your employer promised a promotion in the first place. We'll expand on this point in the following section.

Why You Should Get an MBA

If you feel discouraged about getting an MBA, don't give up hope yet. Here are two reasons why you should consider chasing an MBA degree.

Change career paths

Let's say that you're an engineer who's bored of working with machines all day. After a year or two of getting your hands covered in much all day long, you want to switch career paths to a desk job. You want to get involved in the business side of your company.

You see, companies aren't designed to cater to each and every employee's career desires. If you're bored of one department, you can't just abandon ship and wave down the next vessel that comes your way. It takes years of hard work to transition from operations to business.

However, you can bypass much of the stresses associated with moving from one field to the business field by getting an MBA. With an MBA degree under your belt, employers will correctly assume that you have no issues dealing with the company's business and financial sides.

Prerequisite for a promotion

A good way to gauge whether an MBA can help you with a promotion is by checking out the C-suite execs' titles. If a majority of them hold an MBA, then the chances are that you, too, will require an MBA to climb up the corporate ladder and earn bigger bucks. Ideally, your employer will assist financially in your education, even if it's just a partial scholarship.