“If he were a welder or a carpenter or a machinist he could get a job. No sweat. MBA? Ha. Not so much. “
Years ago I had a neighbor who had an engineering degree and an MBA. Could not get a job if his life depended on it. Then someone told him to remove the MBA from his resume, and he was immediately hired.
I have heard that too. Luckily I only got my MBA after I landed my final job (of 28 years).
Bingo.
They want skilled work. An MBA says you don’t want to do the actual work, just manage everything - of which there are far fewer jobs. If you don’t already have extensive management experience an MBA isn’t a plus. If you do, you’ll be looking for more rare openings for higher level positions.
It’s similar to having a PhD, for most good jobs you’re overqualified and it is a negative. You need to fill a very specific role.
A STEM masters degree is a sweet spot.