is a top MBA worth it just for the prestige?

Right now, I'm mostly content with life. It's chill and laid back. I worked in tech sales for four years, and am now doing marketing. I'm making around 68k a year working only 40 hours a week. I'm enjoying life, not super stressed. I'm in my 20s.

Having said that, I have an opportunity to attend a t15 MBA program (either duke fuqua or yale som, and i was thinking abt pursuing consulting), and got a 760 on my GMAT. You see, I'm Indian-American, and I get constant shit from my family, parents, and peers for not holding a "prestigious" or "high-paying" job. Many of the people in my community went to top undergrads, are in t14 law schools, m7 MBA programs, top med schools, top engineers, etc., and I'm just doing "marketing and sales" at a "no-name company," making ppl in my community go meh. They publicly praise the other ppl with prestigious careers and assume they're very smart, good role models, etc. I crave that...I want others to look up to me and beam with pride.

But I work like half the amount my Indian peers in MBB consulting or biglaw do. Yeah, I'm making 65k a year, not 200k or w.e., but I also only have to work 40 hours a week, and if I get promoted to marketing manager or director, I could make like 80k with only 45 hours. But as an Indian, I do value that "prestige," and do crave other people to think I'm "smart" and "successful" in life. If I was randomly offered a Goldman Sachs job, I'd probably jump on it immediately, just so others praise me, even though the hours would be ridiculous.

But I don't know. Is there really anything wrong with holding a "mediocre" job, or living a "simple" life? I do love all the free time I get from only working 40 hours though. But I hate it when others don't assume I'm smart or don't think highly of me. It's pretty shallow, but I am jealous when other people get praise and recognition and both professional and lay prestige for saying "I went to wharton" or "i'm a corporate lawyer, etc."

I'm viewed as the "failure" in my community, and that gets to me, how every one else 200k and I'm stuck with this. if i block out everyone else, then i'm fine with where i'm at in life, but when i'm forced to confront how others judge me, and how my society views me, and compares me to others, i crave the prestige a top 15 MBA could confer onto me.

I wish i could just not care what others think about me, but it's hard to get out that mentality in the overachieving Asian-American and Indian-American communities, with the "tiger parents" at whatnot, where you're always being compared to others. It's nearly impossible to escape unless you completely disavow yourself from them. I can't just sever myself from them though, which sucks :/ i'm always talked down to BC the median indian-american household income is 90k a year, (and usually only the male spouse is the caregiver in them).

 
isitworthit20202002:
...I do value that "prestige," and do crave other people to think I'm "smart" and "successful" in life... But I hate it when others don't assume I'm smart or don't think highly of me. It's pretty shallow, but I am jealous when other people get praise and recognition and both professional and lay prestige for saying "I went to wharton" or "i'm a corporate lawyer, etc."I'm viewed as the "failure" in my community, and that gets to me, how every one else 200k and I'm stuck with this.... if i block out everyone else, then i'm fine with where i'm at in life...It's nearly impossible to escape unless you completely disavow yourself from them. I can't just sever myself from them though, which sucks :/ i'm always talked down to BC the median indian-american household income is 90k a year, (and usually only the male spouse is the caregiver in them).

I think you've pretty much answered your question.

 
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