Masters Degree - Buyer's remorse?

It has been a busy and difficult past few months with the pandemic going on and I am balancing my (1) work duties with (2) trading in the local stock exchange and forex market and with (3) life. Eek! :scream_cat:

But silly old me wanted an MBA! Meowohoho… my fellow traders have advised me not to take the MBA as they cautioned it’s not worth the cost and effort for the benefits. :sweat_smile:

(A) The kitty trader in me says focus on tradin’ and get rid of the day job ASAP!
(B) The kitty worker in me says trade but keep the job and advance your professional goals too with an MBA!

At the same time that tasks on my day job became more demanding, I did not expect the MBA to be a hassle with all the requirements they ask of us. These past days, my free time has become scant and with all the combined effort and stress, I may be feeling a bit of buyer’s remorse with the MBA!

Any word of advice from the old geezers in here with more years n wisdom? Much appreciated. :smile_cat:

If you trade end of day I think it’s always worth developing yourself - you have time.

Maybe not so much if you day trade - for me I’d be too engrossed in the trading screen.

I think getting your head away from trading can actually enhance trading performance. With other interests you don’t feel compelled to trade.

As for whether the pay off from an MBA is worth the expense I can’t say - but learning for learning sake is a great pay off in itself.

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Yessir! :smirk_cat:

You are kitty right! This could be interesting. I guess it’s just a rough start and soon i’ll get used to this and (hopefully) enjoy the journey! :cat:

I see your kitty point. Learning for learning’s sake. I will try my best to shift my perspective to that one! :heart_eyes_cat:

Now I’m older (and wiser??) I only regard a degree as good value as a passport, not as a licence. I used to think of a degree in subject X as the only way to get a job in sector X. So if you want to be an engineer, you get a degree in engineering.

Which was a great policy if you knew at 16 that you wanted to be an engineer when you were 21 and you could also be pretty sure you would still want to be doing it at 31 and 41 and 51. But this is not the case for most people. In any case, there are more jobs without a subject-specific degree requirement than with one.

Now I regard a degree as a passport into the interview room. All I ever knew was I wanted a job where I did not have to work hard physically and which paid enough for a car, a house and an annual foreign holiday. Any job demanding a degree level education would do that, the degree subject is not so important.

Yess!

Oh yes. This is why I took an MBA (more general) rather than an MSAC (specific path) so this kitty can move both vertically and horizontally in the broader organization.
For me, it’s the catfight between the trader me and the worker me vying for dominance in the path I’m gonna take. To be kitty honest I’m torn a bit on where the road branches and where I cutoff one path or the other. :sweat_smile:

When I originally set my plans, my original idea was when Plan B (trading) starts, Plan A (working) dies. But they seem to have coalesced into a (sometimes) coherent plan. That’s where the dilemma starts as there are compromises with this mixing.
I guess sometimes I’ll shoot from the hip, hope it works, adjust as needed and figure it out! :smirk_cat:

Amen to dat! :heart_eyes_cat:

Thanks for the insight! This kitty appreciates your input! :heart_eyes_cat:

The answer to that question is - “It depends”

You are abviously young and I’m thinking probably male.

However the answer depends on where exactly society sees you on the “Intersectionality scale” - You only have a duty to advance YOURSELF and that seems to be the mindset you have at the moment. The coursework of an MBA or any other “Non-stem” “Degree” is likely to come with a huge dose of “White male guilt” indoctrination, which will only serve to detract and deflect your mind Away from that mindset.

Furthermore IF you fall into the “Guilty” category, you can cnfidenty expect to be actively discriminated Against in any occupation for which your MBA would seem to be an advantage.

I have done a number of threads around this subject - here is one ;
.

.
Please do feel free to comment, ask questions or tell me to “Go away”

one thing I wouod strngly consider is "How much does your MBA cost " ?

[Edit - PS - I like your “life plan thoughts” ]

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I’m aware of the indoctrination that goes on at Uni but I had not realised it has filtered into MBA programs too - that is unless your doing one in gender studies - is that even possible ?

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Every Corporation has it’s “Diversity Officers” and “HR” depts are infested with “Woke” - I’m convinced that NO course at uni can avoid having it’s students subjected to a constant “drip-drip” of “rightthink” - but more to my point is the blatant discrimination AGAINST men and specifically White men in every institution and even enshrined in law, which leads one to seek perhaps an alternative way to excercise Competence and even Excellence, which cannot become victim to this suicidal mindset.
.

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I have a bit of a height complex I’m only 5’7.

I’m sure I’ve been looked over for high power jobs, I’m sure woman have refused to date me, and according to statistics I will die younger, be less happy and be in a low income bracket than men over six foot

I’ve been overlooked for sports teams too

Can’t wait till the left take up my cause.

And I’m awarded jobs and put on boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies because of my lack of height.

I wonder if I identify as a tall guy will I get to date a supermodel - and if she refuses can I take legal action?

Lol

This woke stuff is getting far too silly - but I actually believe there is a slow recognition of how silly it really is (IMO)

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You are kitty right! :smile_cat:

Yess! This cat mainly considers this point of personal n professional growth that’s why I took the kitty jump! :heart_eyes_cat:

Yes, that’s what’s happening right now! My focus is bein’ taken from its benefits!

Very interesting read. I guess this dilemma I’m having is sort of a universal one for fellow market enthusiasts. :thinking:
Yeah, when you come to think about it, it does feel like the ‘system’ is rigged when you look at it that way.

You have a good point in that post there. :heart_eyes_cat:

One of my main concerns too but as this year has been very good to me, I am able to offset trading gains with tuition and miscellaneous fees.

Pawesome! Hihi… :heart_eyes_cat:

For trading, a degree doesn’t do much. For regular day jobs, maybe.
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I’d say, if you want to succeed at making trading your profession and the main source of your income then you’ve got to “Burn your ships”.

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Ee - That brings back memories !

Tony Robbins - Burn Boats

20 odd years ago - I was dragged to one of Robbins’ Seminars in an Auditorium in London by a guy who used to be in the same “Share-club” as me

All Positive thinking, NLP, singing and hugging each other as I remember !

  • However, the 2 of us changed each other’s lives completely after that seminar !

On the way home he said he’d be glad to get home so he could find out “If I’m still in” ! - turned out he had a Spreadbet running on the DOW - £20 a point and 100 points stoploss ! - “Are you doing any good then ?” I asked when he explained Spreadbetting to me in outline !
"I’m £40,000" up says he ! :face_with_monocle:

So now here I am on Babypips ! - but he also introduced me some time later to the guy who became my accountant and is now a close friend - AND the “Super-Salesman” whose wedding I went to in Poland years later.

And I introduced him to the Housing market which was incredibly undervalued at that time !

He made a LOT of money on that and eventually emigrated to New-Zealand - on the proceeds.

Did the "Robbins seminar " work ? - Dunno ! :rofl:

All too “NLP” and “brainwashy” for me !

But thanks @QuadPip for bringing back that memory ! :sunglasses:

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LOL. You’ve left an open loop here with your story. So, did you burn your ships or did you add to your fleet? :grinning:

Well after that meet - I started Spreadbetting the DOW ! - I didn’t know anything really - just looked at how it was moving on Bloomberg and rang my bets in ! started at £5 a point and won some lost some. After about 4 months I was pretty even so I jacked in the job, bought some books (a LOT of books), and employed a woman to keep my place and my files tidy - and went “Full-time” - on the basis that the more I’d learn the better I would become !

I did make some money after a while - but my all-consuming passion dampened and I developed a system which was pretty infallible - but only gave me 1-2 bets a YEAR ! if that - but each time I could get a BIG return - so I thought I could work and just “keep an eye” on the charts - take the bets when they came up !

Then I kept getting better and better “Contracts” - and Women kept popping up all over the place and demanding my attention :slightly_smiling_face: - I felt like 40++ teenager ! - so life got pretty hectic and I was loving it all ! - Completely forgot about the charts - and started Learning other stuff (mainly psychology stuff - I love learning stuff)

Ha ha! So, not only did you not burn the boats but you created entirely new fleets. Tsk, tsk. :rofl:

Thank you for the awesome advice! I read this story before but with Alexander the great. To be honest, about a year ago, I actually thought of resigning and focusing on trading. But my own buddies talked me out of burning my ship. They were right. hehe… (Im a pretty extravagant kitty so my trading income is still below my spendin’ level)

But I know all this is me trying to find excuses to stay in the safety of my ship. I know in my soul I am meant to burn my ships and take the island. I can feel it’s close. :smiley_cat:
My journey has been slow and cumbersome but I know in my kitty heart there will be day when I MUST do it! To elevate my trading game level, I’ll need to ride without the training wheels. :smirk_cat:

One day I will burn my ships and take the island and Imma celebrate when that day comes! You will be among the first to know when I finally do it! :heart_eyes_cat:

Wise buddies! I should be careful how I put things. I was talking in context of your MBA, in that you should not add to your fleet. But you should prepare for your transition by ensuring that you have sufficient capital to survive any drought periods. Take your time but don’t waver from your goal of becoming a professional trader.

I thought I did ! (“Jacked in the job” in Uk is a synonym for “resigning” or “Walking out on” …)

Whether @Imperator_Cat should “jack it in” or not - is a matter for him to decide - at the end of the day - he is a young man - obviously bright and says he is already trading positive ! - What a superb place to be in ! :sunglasses:

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Oh yess. That’s why I havent burned the ship just yet. When I’m ready, I mean really ready, I shall! :smirk_cat:
Some setbacks caused this adjustment in plans hence the MBA. But as they say, change the plan, not the goal. Plan B is still the goal. :heart_eyes_cat:

I will jack in the job as well soon! The goal’s timeline has been adjusted but the goal remains the same - whatever it takes! :heart_eyes_cat: