Writing MBA after your name.

I'd think it's situational and industry/profession based.

Business cards and I'm assuming e-mail as well denotes not my husband's degree but rather his licensing. A company is going to want to know that they are working with not only with someone who is has a P.E. license if they have one but also where they can work if a license is required on a personal level (so his business card denotes he has a license in X state).

But I know my husband's personal e-mail doesn't denote anything related to that.

I'd like to know that the accountant I'm working for has CPA license for example.

^^ This. I work for a medical accrediting organization and licenses/degrees are always listed. I use MA, CAE (Certified Association Executive) after my name in everything work-related. Frankly, never thought not to.
 
Clearly it's industry specific.
I can't think I've ever seen anyone list MBA in their email, although I have seen CPA. Like someone said upthread, the licensing can make an actual difference in what a person is allowed to do, so that sort of makes sense.

I work with a ton of PhDs (not in academia), and only one puts it in his signature block. It stands out and people definitely role their eyes at him.

-DopeyDame, B.S., M.A.
 
By having my degree and stating it when I give professional advice means that I am showing potential clients that I do know what I am talking about. Lets be honest here, if you were a business and looking to hire someone to run your company Facebook page and to manage your company website, most likely 9 out of 10 job applicants would not have a relevant academic qualification. By me having my BA in Online / Internet Marketing makes me more likely to get hired AND I can get higher pay packet than someone who does not have a relevant academic qualification.
But not having a degree doesn't mean someone DOESN'T know what they're talking about. Have clients told you you having the degree has made a difference?
 
Clearly it's industry specific.
I can't think I've ever seen anyone list MBA in their email, although I have seen CPA. Like someone said upthread, the licensing can make an actual difference in what a person is allowed to do, so that sort of makes sense.

I work with a ton of PhDs (not in academia), and only one puts it in his signature block. It stands out and people definitely role their eyes at him.

-DopeyDame, B.S., M.A.

CPA is a professional title though, similar to M.D. I was under the impression that it was illegal to professionally refer to oneself as an "M.D." unless currently licensed. I guess one of the oddball ones is "Esquire" for attorneys, although it sounds somewhat conceited to use that term. Most seem to prefer "Attorney at Law".

I've never seen someone in my industry use "M.S." on a business card. I work with a lot of Ph.d's, and I don't recall seeing that either.
 


Once I'm done with mine it will be on resumes but that is about it. My job title is in my professional email correspondence and that is all that is needed.

My wife's company adds it to the email automatically of anyone with an MBA along with some other credentials. It is all centrally managed and can't be edited by the user.
 
I guess one of the oddball ones is "Esquire" for attorneys, although it sounds somewhat conceited to use that term. Most seem to prefer "Attorney at Law".

I work with attorneys. Many use J.D. Very few use Esq.
 
I have CPA after my name for my professional signature. Would I sign something non-work related with wvjules, CPA? No. That's just silly. But at work, absolutely.

And I think that’s a perfect example of a case where CPA lends credibility to your situation. If the piece of paper lends credibility to your job, absolutely list it. If not, it doesn’t seem appropriate.
 


But not having a degree doesn't mean someone DOESN'T know what they're talking about. Have clients told you you having the degree has made a difference?

In an industry such as mine, where barriers to entry are low, having a degree gives me more credibility and reliability. It shows potential clients that I know the WHY behind the HOW and yes having the degree has made a difference with clients. People are more open to accepting my advice and solutions to problems.
 
I have a question about the attorneys. J.D. just means the degree right? It doesn't necessarily mean one has passed the bar, correct? What is the designation after the bar exam has been passed?
 
I have a question about the attorneys. J.D. just means the degree right? It doesn't necessarily mean one has passed the bar, correct? What is the designation after the bar exam has been passed?

I do believe that Esquire refers to someone with a law license (e.g. passed the bar) where as Juris Doctor (JD) is the law degree designation.
 
Making it obvious I have a BA degree relevant to the industry is a way of shaking down those fly by nights who promise everything but deliver nothing.

And in many fields, simply having a degree, whether it be a bachelor's or master's, doesn't necessarily mean the person is going to do a better job. Have worked with all sorts of people over the years, some with various fancy degrees have no common sense and can't manage their way out of a paper bag. I can see in certain fields, where you have to hold a specific degree (i.e. such as practicing medicine or be a financial advisor), it makes more sense. But a degree alone is no guarantee of performance and/or results.

Social media is now used partly as a way to have paid advertisements. I personally don't see the need for it, but it is no more valid then paying someone else to do TV ads to endorse a product.
 
I work in the rehab world where PT's are now a doctorate degrees so there are many that will list themselves as Dr. Blah Blah in email, bus cards, etc and their voicemail messages at work refer to themselves as, "You've reached Dr. Blah Blah's office" and I chuckle because most of those doctorates have been through online schools (well before the degree was mandatory as in they were grandfathered in with their masters in PT) and they like their white coats our dept has them wear - i think it has gone to some of their heads and that is not to say they didn't work super hard for that degree its just some of them have blown up heads because of it while others are much more humble about it (the ones who had to get it as part of their PT degree) if that makes sense.

In my hospital world credentials are always listed in email at the signature line. Every credential they have. Even the ones that don't seem to apply to their position.
 
I put MOTUAAKAUPD behind my name. Master of the Universe and all known and unknown parallel dimensions.

See, even this person chooses to use credentials behind their name.:p
I am also in a field that uses credentials behind the names in professional instances, it is mandatory.

That said, IMO there is nothing wrong with using your credentials in the work situation. It sets a standard and shows recognized accomplishment. People work very hard to get their education and they should be proud of themselves; getting a college degree isn't easy (even online degrees are a lot of work).
I am certainly not saying that everyone with a degree does a better job, we have all seen that is not always the case.

They are not meaning to brag, not sure why someone would think that. They should be appreciated and respected for what they have accomplished.
If the degree designations do not mean anything and are a dime a dozen, why doesn't every one have one? :flower1:
 
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I work for a nonprofit, and as the years have passed it has become necessary for state and federal funding to have licensed and credentialed staff provide services. When I started I didn't bother with MA after my name. Now I add both that and my professional credential GPC. I wouldn't add it in a casual email, but it is in my email signature and on business cards or professional letters/documents. It's not a humble brag (although I worked hard for both), it's an assurance that I am a qualified professional. I've never seen citing for an undergraduate degree...
 
I used to get cranky when I saw it, but now I just try to laugh it off. Most of the teachers I know who insist on using it are the ones who earned their masters from some online school where you basically "buy" your degree. I worked really hard to earn mine, but don't feel the need to flaunt it.

Terri
 
I used to get cranky when I saw it, but now I just try to laugh it off. Most of the teachers I know who insist on using it are the ones who earned their masters from some online school where you basically "buy" your degree. I worked really hard to earn mine, but don't feel the need to flaunt it.

Terri

I do not know of any schools that let you buy a degree, but I am not in the education area. That is really too bad.
It is a personal choice whether a person chooses to use credentials behind their name, professionally.

IMO, it only appears as flaunting to someone who may have some envy, not to a peer who has accomplished the same thing. :flower1:
 
I used to get cranky when I saw it, but now I just try to laugh it off. Most of the teachers I know who insist on using it are the ones who earned their masters from some online school where you basically "buy" your degree. I worked really hard to earn mine, but don't feel the need to flaunt it.

Terri

If you're "laughing it off" and think people just "buy" their masters (or any other education) simply because they took courses online, sounds to me like you are still pretty cranky about it.
 
If you're "laughing it off" and think people just "buy" their masters (or any other education) simply because they took courses online, sounds to me like you are still pretty cranky about it.

Please don't get upset, Klayfish, some online programs are very reputable, but it's not a secret in the teacher trade, that there are online ones that require VERY little work. My state requires six credits every five years for recertification, and when my date approaches, I get deluged by emails from these types of places offering me the ability to "earn" these credits by sending in a check, reading a small amount of material, answering some questions in essay form, and that's about it. I don't blame them for being in the business of making money off a need, but it's not the same as the work I did to earn my original degree (from a brick and mortar university that does indeed offer online classes, as well, but reputable ones).

Phew, that got long, sorry!

Terri
 
If you're "laughing it off" and think people just "buy" their masters (or any other education) simply because they took courses online, sounds to me like you are still pretty cranky about it.

This makes me think of all the fancy school vs. non-fancy school debates. No one at the big state flagship school I went to ever withheld information from me because I wasn't paying Harvard prices, but maybe I was too dumb to even ask? That said, in my world, that fancy school would sure be a lot shinier on my resume. Conversely, in DH's industry the fancy schools (which he did) don't matter so much and the knowledge does. It's all just SO situationally dependent.
 

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