I’m 30 and my career is at a crossroads. I am contemplating doing an MBA but horrified by the cost (£42,000 at one school) and no one has been able to explain exactly what it is you learn. The reason I would do one is for the connections I would make. Instead, I am contemplating learning Mandarin as it would look better on my CV. I think I could get to an advanced level of oral fluency within a year for £5,000. Which would be the better investment?
我今年30岁，职业生涯正处于一个十字路口。我在考虑攻读一个MBA学位，但被天价学费（某个学校竟然达到4.2万英镑）吓坏了，而且没有人能够解释你究竟将学到什么。如果我去读这样的课程，我的动机将是拓展人脉。另外一个选择是：我在考虑学习中文，因为这会让我的简历更加漂亮。我相信，我能在一年内达到口语流利的高级水平，而学费为5000英镑。哪一种投资更好？
Property executive, male, 30
房地产主管，男，30岁
Lucy’s answer
露西的回答
The short answer is do the MBA. It pains me to offer this advice, as no one has been able to explain to me exactly what it is you learn either. So to spend so much acquiring information that is neither obviously interesting nor useful might seem pretty silly.
简单的答案是攻读MBA。提供这个建议让我痛苦，因为也没有人能向我解释你究竟将学到什么。因此，要砸这么多钱获取既不明显有趣、也未必有用的信息可能貌似很蠢。
You say the point would be the connections, but that’s only part of the story. The true point of an MBA is to ally yourself to a brand that will look pretty on your CV. The more exclusive (and expensive) the brand, the prettier.
你说关键将是人脉，但那只是故事的一部分。MBA学位的真正意义是让自己加盟一个品牌，这个品牌在简历上会很漂亮。品牌越是独家（而且昂贵），就越漂亮。
Last month the FT published data showing that if you go to a top business school you are likely to double your salary within three years of graduation. So if you go to Harvard or Stanford – whose two-year MBAs cost almost twice as much as the £42,000 you quote – you stand to earn about $180,000 a year on average three years after leaving, which will repay your loans quickly.
上月英国《金融时报》发表的数据显示，如果你去一所顶级商学院，你在毕业后的三年内有望实现薪资翻番。所以，如果你去哈佛(Harvard)或斯坦福(Stanford)的商学院——其两年制MBA课程的成本几乎两倍于你提到的4.2万英镑——你在毕业3年后有望赚取每年大约18万美元的薪资，这样你很快就能偿还贷款。
By comparison, learning Mandarin is one of the worst investment ideas I’ve ever heard. It is hellishly difficult. Despite your flair for languages you won’t get anywhere near fluent in a year,
相比之下，学习中文是我听过的最糟糕的投资主意之一。中文难学得要命。即使你有语言天赋，你也不会在一年里达到接近流利的水平，3、4年后，你仍然会挣扎。好消息是，你已经拥有了在中国工作的语言资本：英语仍然是全球商业语言。
and after three or four years you will still be struggling. The good news is that you already have the linguistic wherewithal to work in China: English remains the language of global business.
学习中文的唯一意义将是出于一般兴趣。如果你打算在什么地方生活，能说当地语言意味着你将活得更精彩。掌握极难学会的东西也可能带来成就感。只是不要指望这能带来更好的工作。
The only point of learning Mandarin would be out of general interest. If you plan to live somewhere, speaking the language means you have a richer time. There might also be the satisfaction that comes from mastering something really hard. What there would not be is a ticket to a better job.
你说你的职业生涯正处在一个十字路口。听起来却好像是在一个死胡同，你正在四处打探，希望找到一个不同的方向。在你打定主意之前，你可能想知道，自己的跃跃欲试可不可以用一些更简单、更便宜的方式来解决？找一份不同的工作怎么样？如果你真的一筹莫展，去商学院将提供两年时间，让你遇见不同背景的人，或许有助于你决定自己下一步最想征服哪一个行业和哪一个国家。