What is the perceived importance of these skills?

The utility of the MBA degree for respondents in this sample was measured in terms of its importance for overall career success and its importance for specific types of career advancement. While the degree was seen as important for both of these outcomes, it was not seen as having as much career mobility utility for self-employed respondents in comparison to the rest of the sample.

It is unlikely that self-employed students would be willing to sacrifice their perceived independence to enter the hierarchies necessary for advancement. Overall, the MBA degree was seen as highly useful for career success and progression, supporting similar findings in other research (Zhao et al., 2000).