[M2d]

You have two candidates. One has no experience in the field, and the other has loads plus an MBA (MBA does not apply to this field, but his undergraduate degree and career experience do).

You interview the second candidate and love him. You think that his personality fits in well with the whole team, and his experience and areas of expertise fill gaps in your department. Additionally, you department is structured such that it operates fine at the current company size, but is destined to break down if the company grows, and the company is projected to more than triple in the next ten years. The second candidate comes from a company that went through a similar growth, and he was a part of successfully changing the department to a more universal structure.

Why the hell, oh hiring manager, would you select the first candidate? Do you really think that "he has an MBA, so he's going to jump ship at the first opportunity" is what your department needs?

just venting

and, no, I don't think an MBA is the be all end all. it's kind of a curse in the sciences, to tell you the truth.