How do you know if MBA is right for you?
Go through the vision, mission of colleges along with their courses listed on their website. Talk to people who have been there as well as who chose not to after getting admission. MBA is, as mentioned in college websites, not about moulding managers, but future leaders. The first year you will get exposure to a plethora of courses from diverse streams. In the second year, it is your prerogative completely on what all course you want to do. Even environment, public policy etc.. Most importantly, life at MBA helps you build a character which is helpful in your profession. MBA is quite competitive when it comes to placements. It depends on what your objectives are for doing an MBA. If you join MBA with placement as your main objective, expect a rat race. If you want to gain a broader perspective about different aspects of business, then you will learn a lot of things in MBA.
MBA also helps a lot in networking. Coming to deciding if MBA is right for a person, I would suggest you think why do you want to do an MBA. Networking, learning and placement are the most common answers which people have. As long as you are clear about your goal, MBA allows you an opportunity for it. B-School is an experience. It helps you be ready for a certain life. There are project submissions, case competitions, club activities. Most of which are in a group. Also, many courses are though via cases, hence class participation becomes important. Most of the colleges are also student run with faculty acting only as guidance. Hence, it is important to display qualities of a manager: Motivating with positive feedback and recognition. A good manager must be always on the toes and keep his/her wits at the highest level at all times.
Why a Fresher must avoid MBA
I have an integrated dual degree. What should be my rationale for doing an MBA?
There are several students who have a dual degree and do MBA. There is nothing like an ideal answer. You should be able to link it with your interests and career aspirations. Some of the common answers are to understand various aspects of business, quicker career progression, being able to start own venture in future, etc.
I have an experience of 30 months and I am working as a software developer in a job that demands time/I have a start up and I want to acquire business skills, but I do not get much time to prep. What do I do ?
With you being involved in so much of hectic work, it would be hard to crack the top IIMs (not impossible, though. I personally know people who have done it). You need to ask what is the rationale for doing an MBA. If it is to gain managerial posts in IT industry itself, there is no necessity to get a seat at top IIMs. A good enough college such as NMIT, Symbiosis, XIMB would do. A top IIM tag is always helpful, so is the networks you develop there. But the pedagogy is more or less same across all top B-Schools. So for an entrepreneur, it is about weighing between urgency and importance. An important part of being a manager is developing the vision and setting benchmarks, not just short term, but for the ensuing future. The job requires developing a roadmap and setting milestones that will lead to long-term objectives while keeping short-term goals in mind.
What does an MBA offer?
The close community, the unique geographical location and the strong emphasis the MBA program has on team players and teamwork create a special atmosphere. Its vast network allows one to easily open up and express opinions or risk making a mistake. As an MBA student, one acquires great networking opportunities. Through this type of study, you get to know and interact in a relevant manner with great on-field experience. Last but not the least, you gain access to the extensive alumni network of that particular MBA programme and of others (professionals with key positions to whom you already have a direct link through the MBA education you possess).
---------------
About the Author:
Niteen is a second-year student at IIM Calcutta and is a native of Karnataka. He has been in boarding school since the age of six. He believes his puns are PUNgent. Dil toh toota hain, ladoo kabhi nahin. He also strongly believes in Batman coz 'believe in yourself'. He is part of InsideIIM student team.