<p>Whether it’s free or not… there is an opportunity cost to a young person to spending however many months or years out of the workplace while in graduate school. When there’s a clear path (I worked in finance for three years after undergrad but now I’d like to refocus on marketing so I’m getting an MBA) then the missed wages, all the other professional opportunities are possibly worth it. When there’s no clear path (I majored in accounting but hated it and don’t want to sit for the CPA and take more courses for a field I loathe so maybe an MBA can help me figure it out) it seems like a very dumb plan.</p>