When you are preparing for the MBA interviews the question that you spend the most time on is definitely “Why MBA?” and everyone comes up with his/her version of the politically correct answer but all of them are on similar lines – knowledge, networking, career opportunities, brand etc. But when you finally make it to one of the top B-schools of the country, you realise that you were not alone in not knowing a thing about the fancy terms you said in the interview. People may have their own reasons for doing MBA but everyone one truly deserve it because an important thing in MBA is to throw a lot of fancy terms and jargons so that you sound learned. I will try and list the politically incorrect but real reasons which people can’t give in their interviews.
So here are the 8 ACTUAL reasons why people do MBA:
1 Everybody is doing it! – This is the top reason why people do MBA. The seniors, friends, juniors everyone is either doing it or preparing for it. If you are working, your colleagues are doing it maybe even your manager is preparing for it. So in a nation where we do everything in a herd, it’s hard to resist the pressure.
2 $Money$ - Politically incorrect but very obvious, MBA is all about money. This is everywhere in the pre-admission rhetoric - ROI, Average package, median package etc. Even during your MBA although you learn many decision making frameworks but at the most crucial time (read: placements) you’ll choose the oldest and mostly commonly used one (read: money).
3 Didn’t get a good job after graduation - Your passion for moving in herds took you towards a graduation stream that you weren’t suited for, at all. This meant that you ended up being a bad engineer or doctor and hence getting a good job was very difficult. So now you want to make it all up and without even knowing what an MBA really means you join the herd again.
4 Your job sucks!! – One of the top reason among the people with wok ex. After having worked for a while, you realise that you have gotten yourself into a job that really sucks. Your manager is a devil, team mates are boring, the location is 20 kms away from civilisation and your growth is in decimals. In this situation MBA is your escape, if nothing it provides a two years moratorium.
5 Inspired by books or movies – Celluloid has done its fair share in bringing glamour to MBA. The suits, the six figure pay packages, the game changing trades, million dollar deals, 100 crore portfolios make for a very exciting life and this is the image that you come to a top college with. You want to be this man (like Hrithik or Gordon Gekko) with sexy life and MBA is your license to extravagant lifestyle (so you believe).
6 For your Love – A very under-rated but a significant reason for doing MBA is that your GF/BF has already got admission into a top B-school and you are insecure about your future. Many relationships have had a sad end because the guy wasn’t good at probability (couldn’t clear quants cut-off). If you don’t have a GF/BF this is your ticket to getting one.
7 A break from marriage threat – More popular reason among girls but not exclusively limited to them. If you are 24-25 years old single and have recently made a trip back home, you’ll get what I am saying. The pressure of marriage in India can be frustrating and if you are a girl with a younger or a same age BF then going for a two year MBA is a tried and tested method to buy some time.
8 For Parents – You have never taken any decision in your life. You are the ideal child who does whatever his/her parents suggest. They made you an engineer and now they want you to be an MBA because well that’s what Sharma ji’s son did and Sharma ji made a killing in the marriage marketplace. Now it’s your turn to live up to the competition. So this is exactly what you do.
If these are the reasons for joining a b-school then more often than not your MBA life could be a disaster. MBA is much more than this. It is a beautiful journey. It is an experience!!
So here are the 8 reasons why you should join a b-school:
1 Two years of college life....Again!! – The best thing about MBA is that it gives you an opportunity to go back to college. There is no place in this world that can create more lifetime memories. These two years would be a time to cherish for your entire life. Join to explore, learn, unlearn and make some amazing friends.
2 Parties – B-school parties are something that you’ll miss decades after passing out. These will also be some of the best, the worst and also the ugliest of your memories from college. It is an experience which definitely money can’t buy. Especially in IIFT we have an amazing culture, perfect settings and most importantly awesome people who make these events unforgettable.
3 Amazing people – In a b-school you’ll meet amazing people. There is so much diversity and talent around that it is hard not to get intimidated. There is so much you learn from people around you, not just academically but culturally, that it helps you become a better human being. In our batch we have a few doctors, a gymnast, an international level debater, national level players, dancers and people from the length and breadth of the country.
4 Confidence – An MBA will instil in you the confidence to speak about anything, at any time and to anyone even if you don’t know a thing about it. You can go through an entire presentation explaining the business strategy of Bajaj without knowing who Rahul Bajaj is. But this is an important skill to have, something that’ll serve you for life.
5 Foreign Exchange – An MBA from a top b-school gives you the opportunity to experience education in some of the best university of the world. The whole experience of travelling on your own in foreign land, making new friends, adapting to new culture and managing this drastic change is capable of teaching you more than your two years in classroom.
6 Sports – It is probably the last time in your life that you’ll get to be competitive in a tournament representing your college. This part of you will die a silent death when you enter the business world. College rivalries can be intense and experiencing it is an indescribable thrill.
7 Culturals - If you are a singer, dancer, dramatist, guitarist, drummer or any artist it is the last opportunity to find a loving crowd and talented people around. Once you enter corporate life there would be little time and little respect for art forms.
8 Night life – B-school students live a nocturnal life. The place is more buzzing at three in the morning than in the afternoon. At 1 a.m., you could see people playing in the court or listening to their favourite band (LOUD). There will be more people having slept after breakfast than people waking up for breakfast. So if you’re the one for the nights, this is your mecca.
PS: The post tries to be brutally truthful (with a humorous undertone). These are my personal views and people could have differing opinion. This is NOT an exhaustive list.
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Ishan Arora is a student from IIFT who has had a very regular life- an engineer, an IT professional and now an MBA student. He is very passionate about writing and writes on a personal blog
A Vent in the Delirium. He is also in love with music and plays on internet radio in his college.