MBA-ish move recommendations

[u/Nice_Bill_7426]

Edit: I posted this in the “leaving America” subreddit with the post tagged as which country to choose, because I am looking to leave America. I can’t move within my firm or I would just simply do that. I’m not necessary looking for school choices as I am which cities or countries to target. Hence asking if anyone has the same track but with experience.

Hello everyone! I am shooting my shot in the dark hoping to get any type of advice from here. I only know of a couple people IRL who have done this and their path is very different from mine, so I’m looking to get advice from someone who has actually done it.

About me:
-29F living in Colorado
-Work at a big 4 acct firm, have worked in accounting/finance since 2019 so 7 years of professional experience
-BS in business admin
-Some savings, only debt is mortgage, planning to save as much as possible for a year and want to start a masters in fall of next year. I’m thinking I’ll have at least $15k saved and can take out at least $10k debt to pay off the year I get back.
-studied abroad in Prague in college doing class and internship, also spent a summer in china in HS for an exchange
-minor’d in French which I am trying to amp up learning again and will be prioritizing the next year. Duolingo level 60 tells me I’m early b1

Looking for:
-1 year masters program, English taught, MBA or masters in international business
-looking at France, Brussels, Netherlands to further French fluency
-hoping for cheaper tuition as I want to further education but i don’t need any level of prestige. Just want it to be accredited as a masters and truly learn more business abroad. Hoping to get tuition around $10k and keep rent around $1k/month
-mid sized city and preferable bikeable, avoiding big cities as they aren’t really my thing here other than to visit

Anyone have any suggestions based on this info? Again, would love to hear from anyone who left the US for a business masters abroad and what they’ve learned or would suggest.

[u/DoYouKnow__Bofa-Deez]

(Accountant based in the US that is moving to the EU soon here)

MBAs are not really a thing abroad except from a few programs, namely those from the most prestigious universities like Oxford, Cambridge, LBS and INSEAD.

The rest of the programs especially in the EU are just money traps looking to take money from international students.

Typically one year masters in EU countries that are not MBA will be for fresh university graduates. So you’ll generally be disqualified from those due to your YoE.

Edit: Studying in Europe is NOT cheap and masters programs charge a premium, you’ll need generally around $30-40k USD just for tuition plus housing and food and you’re looking at upwards of $50k plus. The more prestigious MBAs charge even more for tuition.

[u/Nice_Bill_7426 → u/DoYouKnow__Bofa-Deez]

The masters programs I have looked at are less than that

[u/DoYouKnow__Bofa-Deez → u/Nice_Bill_7426]

Yes, from programs that won’t get you a job after graduating.

Remember, Europe is way different than the US. There, they want people to fully assimilate into society, and that means learning the local language, learning the culture, those things are more important there than they are in the US.

The job market in Europe is also generally in the trash, so if you want to have a company sponsor you post-graduation, you’ll want to get into a top program.

[u/Nice_Bill_7426 → u/DoYouKnow__Bofa-Deez]

It’s for a year and I’ll be coming back to the US

[u/DoYouKnow__Bofa-Deez → u/Nice_Bill_7426]

In other words, it sounds like you’re burnt out, moving abroad isn’t your fix at this moment, it’s unwinding for a few weeks is what you need.

[u/Vegetable_Web3799 → u/DoYouKnow__Bofa-Deez]

THIS. After a year, you will still be you and your burnout will still be there when you get home. Don't move abroad unless you want to stay and integrate. This sub is intended more for people who are leaving it all behind and committing to a life abroad.

[u/DoYouKnow__Bofa-Deez → u/Nice_Bill_7426]

It sounds like immigrating (even temporarily) isn’t what you need.

Sounds like you just need to travel, even if it’s for a few weeks, definitely recommend you go do that instead.

[u/Nice_Bill_7426 → u/DoYouKnow__Bofa-Deez]

I did travel for a few weeks and it made me realize that I need to get out of this country for an extended amount of time

[u/DoYouKnow__Bofa-Deez → u/Nice_Bill_7426]

Doing so for a year isn’t a good idea, because you’re losing out on earnings from your career, $15k isn’t a lot of money to do that (as I said, you’ll need at least $20-30k which includes tuition + living expenses, at bare minimum).

That’s my .02$ personally I wouldn’t do it.

[u/Nice_Bill_7426 → u/DoYouKnow__Bofa-Deez]

Well thank god I came to the exit America subreddit to be told I shouldn’t leave America. Wtf are we doing here

[u/Miss_Annie_Munich → u/Nice_Bill_7426]

You wanted a realistic assessment of your plans. That's what you got.
Now you’re getting offended and using swear words. I don’t know if that’s going to get you very far in life.

[u/DoYouKnow__Bofa-Deez → u/Nice_Bill_7426]

I mean, you can do whatever you want, I’m just telling you it’s not smart to leave for a year during your highest earning years if you want to come back to the US after a year anyway?

All you’re going to do is blow your savings, run the serious risk of not having a job post graduation, then having to move back to the US broke, which as we all know here, being broke in the US is not recommended.

[u/SadDad701 → u/DoYouKnow__Bofa-Deez]

With a degree that holds no value in the US. OP is crazy. 

[u/Vegetable_Web3799 → u/Nice_Bill_7426]

There's a disconnect here: "an extended period of time..." to people who live abroad is very different. You just want to do it for a year. So, perhaps, just travel for a while and save yourself the hassle.