Opinion required: HF career vs MBA

Hi all,

Happy new year to everyone!

During the holiday season I got to thinking about an issue that people in the IB-HF track might have faced - to do or not to do the MBA. Looking for further opinion/thoughts on this

Let me lay out my background and my though process

Background
- double degree in engineering and economics from a Tier 1 US university w excellent GPA
- 2yrs at a BB (across US and HK) specializing in M&A (Oil and Gas, Power)
- Recently started at a special sits fund

My thoughts
- Since I just started, not planning to leave for another 2-3 years at least. That said, I like to plan and start early
- There is no mandatory requirement for MBA here, so I can stay on w/o MBA as long as I want
- I feel there is a lot to learn in the HF space and the longer you stay the more you absorb
- If I do go to B-school it would have to be top 5 for the risk/reward to be worth it
- Finance knowledge: Don't need to go to a B-school to get finance knowledge - 2yrs rigorous BB experience/training + my current position has ensured that
- Networking: isn't it better to network as a market player rather than a student?
- Time: Is a 2yr break worth it? - especially at a time I would have picked up the necessary skills and be up to speed - i.e. is it better to stay on and keep learning the tricks of the HF trade
- Future opps: What if I get bored w the money management space say 10-15 yrs down the line and I want to switch lines but there is a requirement to have a MBA degree?. That said I will face the uncertainty of finding a good job post the MBA again
- Cost: c.US$250K (all in) at a top university + c.US$250K pa (Base case) of lost income for 2 yrs = US$750k total. I plan to fund my MBA with my own finances (no external support) so I will essentially be starting from 0 post the MBA with no certainty of a job - not to mention losing US$500K in income. Coming out of the MBA I would be looking at a similar salary level in the US I'm assuming?

is the right way to think about this? - My main concern is on the fture opps - what if I want to leave this space after X yrs. Appreciate thoughts from the community as well as MBA grads on the above