I'm currently on the fence regarding a future career in pension plan consulting and I'm trying to decide between going for an MBA (and potentially choosing a different career) or going through all the certifications required for a CPC designation from ASPPA.

I guess this is more or less just a general question, but as far as the ASPPA designations go, how useful are they in landing a job/preparing for a future career?

As always, I appreciate any and all feedback. Thanks guys.

The ASPPA CPC designation will help you learn about the intricacies of the US Retirement Plan Industry, various types of plans, their requirements, etc. and it will help you get a job working with retirement plans.

In my opinion the MBA will help you get a job anywhere as it will make you more marketable to all kinds of companies not just those in the retirement plan industry.

Perhaps you can get the MBA first and if you decide thatyou wnat o make a career in Retirement Plans then go for the ASPPA designation.

I'm told by people in the education field that MBAs are a dime a dozen these days. Not sure exactly what that means for job opportunities, but it doesn't sound real positive.

It has been my experience that a QPA is a good way to get a foot in the door in the retirement business and possibly also a higher salary. But it's quite a bit of work and if you're not sure about staying in the field it might not be worth it.

A lot of MBA programs offer classes in employee benefits, especially if the school also offers a Masters in Accounting or a certificate in Employee Benefits. You could also work on an ASPPA designation at the same time that you work on a Masters, so you would have both.