Why to go for an MBA course?

What do students expect of an MBA? What does industry expect of an MBA? What happens or may happen after an MBA?

Let us take it one by one.

What do students expect of an MBA?

MBA is a dream degree to many students around the globe. Let us analyze why is it so? Is it because people primarily expect of nice packages after the course? Well, let us agree that to some extent it is true that people get a good recognition in the industry and in society with money. Then there could be other important reasons like students looking for diverse roles (like consultations etc.), new domains of job (moving to finance, marketing etc.), new responsibilities (like a growing up in a managerial path), entrepreneurship etc. or combination of all these.

Based on the above expectations, by and large most students (be it a fresher or an experienced professional) feel that on the last day of their campus they should all have the solution with the above mentioned benefits or a crystal clear direction to get those benefits in a short run (within maximum 1-2 years). That means, a fantastic campus job and/or a great package and/or a good role give a clear future prospect and these are the easiest solution to these expectations. If they don’t get the solution, then probably the college is not good, campus placement is not good or the course is not worthwhile.

But, my question is, if that is so Easy, then do we see every MBA becoming a CXO or VP or a successful entrepreneur at the end of their career? I am sure people would agree that it does not happen even to everyone who passes out of Stanford or Harvard or Kellog’s or IIMs business schools. I am also sure that there are plenty of examples of successful CXOs or top management executives or brilliant managers or entrepreneurs who are not an MBA. There are also a good number of examples where people got a posh campus job on the last day, but somehow did not flourish enough after that.

So, it all boils down to the definition of Success and what should we expect from any MBA course.

What does industry expect of an MBA?

Industry usually pays a good package to an MBA. Of course they do not pay to the degree certificate rather they pay to the person who is expected to take them out of the problems. In other words, if a system is rosy and smooth, the business growth is perfect, the product or service is a perfect one, the teams performing under a manager is a brilliant team, no company would require a manager who is passed out of IIMs or Standfords; if I look one step ahead, they may not even need managers also if everything is going alright.

So, they expect MBAs to take pressure, deal with complicated problems, take proactive actions to grow business in segments where they were unable to do earlier, plan to bring in new product and services that will have $ value in the market and many other things to help them stay ahead of competition. So, in a nutshell, a good aggressive company will give all possible sleepless nights to its brilliant MBA hires and whoever sustains that pressure, will actually do a justice to his MBA degree.

I see it this way, if a company is not giving enough critical problems to its brilliant MBA students they hired from the campus, then the company is too big to care for its employees and which in turn means it values less about its own money and strategic vision. And if that is the case, then it is sure that the organization will never do well in the long run or remain stagnant in its current business segment. The same would happen to its MBA employees, how much ever big packages they got in the campus interview.

Now, tell me, is this a problem of the MBA course or the college’s pedigree or Full-time/Part-time concept of the college or what else? I don’t think the college or the course has any influence here.

In other words, a good MBA student can only flourish when he takes up challenges and dirt his hand in the problems and not just dream of good money and a Mercedes Benz in his house garage. This means, the more you grow up the ladder, the more you draw in your pay-cheque, the more you bring in worries and tension for yourself. Being an MBA, you need to accept this too.

I somehow feel that students don’t have this part of the sacrifice in their expectations when they think of an MBA course. They only think of good money, good career, good roles, good domain change, good blah blah..,

What happens or may happen after an MBA?

As I said above, let us assume you got a brilliant compensation, brilliant job role etc. when you leave the college campus. Then after a year,
- the organization does not do well in the market and it collapses
- or recession happens and business becomes stagnant
- or some other organization acquires it
- or you get laid off,
Then would you blame the college or the course or the full time/part time concepts?

At that point, you won’t have any placement services from the college. Yes, good colleges have great alumni network to support you to get a good job again. But, that job also might not be as per your expectation. Then how long will this cycle go on?

So, it is all about learning that matters in the end of the day. Any professional, whatever college he may have come from, be it part time or full time course, be it A-grade college or B-grade college, it has no meaning when you actually get into the industry and start performing. That is when the experience of handling pressure and the positive mindset matter the most. It may so happen that a Stanford Full time MBA graduate got a job with nice cushion in the placement with big package in hand just manages/handles an existing system of a big MNC, while an MBA graduate from XYZ college did not get such a big package in a startup company but got a chance to face challenges in professional life. Take my word; 5-10 years down the line, the 2nd person is more valuable in the industry than the first one.

- So, before you join any MBA course, ask yourself, are you ready to take the pains throughout your career?
- Are you ready to sacrifice when chips are down?
- Are you ready to rebuild your career when you don’t get any support from the system around you? Because MBA is all about dealing with problems.
- If all of these are “YES” in your heart in true/honest sense, then money and status will keep coming on the way.

MBA is all about handling negative situations in life. So, if your placement is not good or if you are not getting promoted in your job after MBA or if you get laid off, then it is a tailor-made situation for you to prove yourself that you deserve to hold an MBA degree. Because, then you should use the learnings and your mindset to turn the table for you. You can think of any other problems in your life to add to this list.