How doing an MBA can boost your career

By Prof Kamal Kishore

Most graduates either take up a job after completing the degree or go for higher education. Some decide to be an entrepreneur. Although, jobs after graduation are plenty in Government departments, Public Sector Undertakings and Private Sector, most of them are relatively low paid jobs. Career progression is also very slow which may cause frustration in the individual.

Graduation degree equips one with theoretical knowledge only. There is no scope of training for competencies, particularly soft skills and professional skills that provide you the cutting edge for higher progression. The domain knowledge of graduate courses is limited and practical skills are inadequate for today’s competitive world. Graduates are not completely job ready.

Here remember an important thing: your degree will not get you a job. It is your knowledge, skill, capability to perform which will help you in securing one.

 

So, why not consider pursuing a post-graduation degree? Two extra year’s investment, effort and time will fetch you rich dividends over long period.

In my opinion, one must pursue a post graduate course. One can pursue a post graduate course in any subject but the most preferred option is management.

So, what are these management programmes? What additional advantages they have? Do they equip students for better employment offers? Let us see that.

First of all, management programmes are available in the nomenclature of Master of Business Administration (MBA) or Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM). The former is offered by universities and the latter by autonomous institutions. Management education in our country is regulated by All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) and the aspirants are advised to look for a programme duly approved by AICTE. Many institutes offer management programmes which may not be recognized by AICTE. In that case, carefully examine the programme, infrastructure, government recognition etc. before considering it for admission. Foreign universities are also a good option to study management, though their fees is higher.

Generally, students from all disciplines are eligible for MBA/PGDM and most universities have their own competitive entrance test, besides minimum score limit at graduation level. For many institutes, a good score in one of the management admission test like CAT, MAT, CMAT, XAT, GMAT, ATMA etc is a pre-requisite.

Most institutes evaluate candidates on various parameters including Class X and XII scores, marks in written test, group discussion and personal interview. Students must check the admission criteria of each institution before applying for the course.

Features of a good MBA/PGDM programme an aspirant must know:

• These are two year programmes with either semester or trimester systems of education.
• Students are offered summer internships of two months in companies between first and second year to get a first-hand experience of how businesses work.
• Students are assigned a project in a company to complete in the given duration and learn in a real business environment.
• A management program is different in many aspects from a conventional programme. It combines theoretical knowledge with practical orientation, the latter being delivered through case studies, corporate lectures by industry leaders, industry visits, summer internships, research projects, specialization electives, role plays, alumni interface etc.
• Focus in a management programme is much wider and it aims at holistic development of students.
• There is considerable emphasis on sharpening of soft skills through a variety of interventions that make students “industry ready” to take up challenging positions in the corporate world.
• Management course in fact equips you with knowledge and skills that can be applied to wide variety of real life situations.

 

However, it needs to be noted that management course is demanding. Not only, the admission process is competitive, the programme also requires hard work as one has to undergo the tough rigors of a stream of home and class assignments, a multitude of pedagogic interventions, series of assessments, case discussions, project work, and leadership roles in various activities.

As I mentioned in the beginning, a successful completion of management programme, will offer you better job opportunities because you will be polished into an individual, who is groomed and developed as a professional ready for challenges of business world. Management institutes have placement units that help their students get their first job. Companies are invited to the campus to select students for various job profiles in their organisations. Not only management graduates are offered higher salaries, their career progression is also faster. Many reach at top positions in the industry within a few years and earn a name for themselves. If one looks at the names of top 10% of senior management in any company, most of them would be possessing management degree or diploma, regardless of the nature of industry. Another aspect is that management graduate is able to get jobs in multiple areas across industry. The openings are vast and career advancement is attractive. There is no area in which management graduates cannot find a job -- sales and marketing, retail, finance, operations, HR, information system, production, research, governance; the entire spectrum of an industry is there to welcome management professionals.

A management programme is an experience of life time. It not only gives you a lot of prestige in the society but also expands your professional network vastly. At the same time, it also requires you to keep learning and constantly updating your knowledge as complexities and dimensions of business are always changing.

In the end, I will once again, emphasis that a management course after graduation is surely be a highly recommended option which students should seriously consider. This will facilitate a wide range of openings before them.

About the Author:

Prof Kamal Kishore is Dean, Apeejay School of Management, Dwarka, New Delhi. His academic qualifications include LLB (Delhi University), MBA, PGDPM (FMS, Delhi University), CAIIB (Indian Institute of Banking and Finance, Mumbai), and Associate of Development Bank Management (ADFIAP, Manila). Besides having rich experience in academic teaching, Prof Kamal Kishore has been with the corporate sector for 29 years in areas of banking and finance. Had been a Director in more than 30 large companies and also Chairman of two companies.