MBA Gateway to a Great Career

This is the time when lot of students will contemplate on the most crucial decision of their career. Which B School should I join?

Drawing from my experience of over 20 years in training students for CAT \ XAT\GMAT and having done my MBA from one of the most reputed B Schools in India, I would like to share my thoughts with you.

As a trainer, I often see students joining B Schools, for the following reasons:

• My friends are joining there, so I will have company and feel comfortable
• I better take admission in my state itself. I do not want problems of relocation
• I got a call from this B School (mostly third tier) which clearly proves that I am excellent
• I have gone through the ratings given in so and so magazine
• I had a look at the website. It is superb
• I have seen regular advertisements in news papers and magazines
• My family members and relatives have identified this B School for me

Choosing your B School is going to determine the direction of your entire career. Before I come to the points you should keep in mind before joining a B School, I would like to share my personal experience with you. After my graduation, I started working. I did an honest introspection of my skill sets, and then identified the function, where I could make a mark.

I joined for the MBA program only after working for five years with a reputed organization. I consulted senior professionals from the industry and then narrowed down on the B Schools. It was a well thought of and conscious decision.

I still clearly recollect those times in the early 90's when becoming a Chartered Accountant\Cost Accountant\Company Secretary was the ‘in thing'

I noticed every Tom Dick and Harry, joining coaching classes for CA\CS\ICWA

It boosted their ego when people asked them what they were doing. These very people took a hard beating when they could not clear the exams after repeated attempts. They dropped the program, and then enrolled for a computer programming course, because the IT industry was expected to boom in the near future. All computer institutes came up with aggressive advertisements and marketing, quoting surveys and statistical figures. Students joined in hordes and the institutes minted money. These people somehow got a foothold, but found it very difficult to perform. The reason was simple. They were not cut out for that line or function.

I recollect the words of Osho Rajneesh who put it beautifully. He said, "In our country there is so much of unintelligence. This is because everybody is in somebody else's place. One who has to become a doctor has become a carpenter and vice versa"

When I joined the program subsequently, I realized the huge leverage you get, when you do your MBA, after gaining work experience. I was able to relate with and understand all concepts from a practical angle. It also made me more level headed and mature.

My advice to all aspirants who want to acquire a professional degree would be to take a well informed decision. You can study at any age. Taking an impulsive decision because of social pressure will end up wrecking your career. You have to do an honest SWOT analysis of yourself. Get an honest feedback from your close circle of friends and relatives. Gather as much information as you can about programs, which matches your skill sets. Consult professionals working in that line or function and get to know the growth pattern. After this exercise, you can narrow down on the program and the institution from where you want to pursue the program. It need not necessarily be an MBA Program.

Candidates who have decided to opt for an MBA Program need to exercise lot of care and caution.

It has become a fashion for all magazines to do a rating of B Schools in India and term it as unbiased. Never take a decision based on the rankings which you see. It is totally superficial and does not give you the true picture.

From my observation, the ‘Business World' magazine gives unbiased rankings of B Schools in India, which can be relied on.

I often see students opting to write MAT instead of CAT, because MAT is less tough. MAT will get you admission only in the two and three tier B Schools. Coming to CAT, there is no rocket science, nor is it so monstrous, as it is made out to be. From my perspective, there is absolutely no need to enroll for a coaching class, if you are disciplined. Even if you put in two hours of focused study every day, for anywhere between four to five months, you can easily crack CAT, with a high percentile. You should also look at XAT, MH - CET, SNAP, FMS, SPJIMR and NMAT which will get you into reputed B Schools. Never compromise on the quality of the B School just because you did not get the required percentile.

Do not get attracted by advertisements that you see in newspapers and magazines.

In India every nook and corner has got a B School. Ironically AICTE, the main governing body to give accreditation to start a B School, is itself mired in controversies. Never be under the wrong notion, that if any B School has got an AICTE accreditation, it is good. Similarly, lots of advertisements are misleading by talking about affiliations and tie ups with foreign universities.

The common features that you notice in every B School advertisement are more or less the same:

• Wi Fi Connectivity (Give Me A Break!!!!!!!!!)
• Free Laptop (Cost of the Laptop Is Included In the Fees)
• Excellent Faculty (It Is a Prerequisite)
• Eminent Guest Lecturers (They Come Once In A Month, Boast About Their Achievements and Give You Some Stupid Gyan)
• 100% Placements for the Last Ten Years (God Knows Better)
• List Of Companies Who Come For Campus Placements (Do Not Get Lured By Big Names. They Might Have Taken 1 Or 2 Students, A Few Years Back)
• Well Researched Pedagogy (We Are Not Coming For a Beauty Pageant)
• Air Conditioned Classrooms (Cost Included In the Fees)
• Yoga Classes, Aerobics and Fully Equipped Gymnasium (Have a Spa and Beauty Parlour Also)
• Tie Up With X Bank For Loans (Unique Selling Proposition!!!)

As I have mentioned earlier, the best decision is to work for 4-5 years and then enroll for an MBA Program. If you are not able to make it to the TOP 100 B Schools, drop the idea of doing an MBA program. If you still go ahead and join the herd, you are not only wasting your parents' hard earned money, but also digging your own grave. Your degree will be a worthless piece of paper.

If you closely have a look at the advertisements of late in newspapers, given by reputed companies, they clearly specify that your MBA should be from a reputed B School.

Once you get selected during the campus placements, you need to survive on the job. Your clock will start ticking, the moment you join. This is because you have not exactly beaten the competition and come in. All placements happen because of relationships. You need to hone your soft skills. If you have excellent technical skills, but lack soft skills, you are in deep trouble.

I will list down qualities which come under Soft Skills:

• Integrity
• Sound Character
• Loyalty
• Time Management
• Ability to work comfortably in teams
• Willingness to take responsibilities and be accountable
• Ability to appreciate constructive criticism
• Excellent Oral Communication and Listening Skills
• Emotional Stability
• Calm and Composed Temperament
• Trustworthiness
• Punctuality
• Energetic
• Open Mindedness
• Humility
• Ability to multi task
• Personal Hygiene
• Well Dressed
• Perseverance
• Strictly adhering to organizational decorum
• Decision Making
• Analytical bend of mind

Before I sign off, I wish all you a great career.

Source: Girish Seshamani (Chief Advisor at Shiksha.com)