u/RedditUser3668

I'm a 25F working in FAANG as a Senior PM. TC is ~$300K.

I climbed up to senior pretty quickly and organically, but now, I feel stuck. My next IC promo probably won't be for another ~5 years. There doesn't seem to be clear leads for me to enter management/leadership anytime soon (which is what I eventually want).

I am contemplating pursuing an MBA at Harvard. I just got in.

Would I be making the wrong choice if I gave up two years of salary and tuition (~$850,000) to get a Harvard MBA?

Reasons I Want To Do It:

1. I could use a 'socially acceptable' break. I burnt myself out getting 3 promotions in 4 years. Even 'easier' work at smaller jobs is tiring now. I've had to take FMLA twice.
2. I'm tired of working with people (mainly dudes) >20 years older. I know I'm lucky to be in the room, but it's exhausting. I spent two years being called 'little girl' and many other things. HR claimed they couldn't do anything about it because the Age Discrimination Act only applies to employees 40 years and older (search it up, it's true). I wouldn't mind taking a step back for 2 years and coming back a little older.
3. I had a difficult childhood where my abuser did some messed-up things that prevented me from going to Harvard for undergrad. I know this seems small, but as a big nerd, it'd be so cool to give myself that childhood dream back. I always hated how much they took from me.

Reasons I'm Scared To Do It:

1. I already make more than the post-MBA salary. It won't give me a salary bump in the short term. Maybe in the long-term, but I don't know if an MBA (even one from Harvard) carries weight for future leadership. That's uncertain.
2. If I put the $250K tuition into VTI and let it sit for 40 years, it would be $2.5M (6% return rate) or even $1.1M (4% return rate). This doesn't even include the investments I could make if I had a salary.