How is your preparation going for the CAT?? Stop watching the TV and also stop playing games on that computer.. Aren’t you aware that the entrances are nearing??? Make sure you clear atleast one amongst the many you attempt every year… Well this is the type of conversation parents now-a-days have with their children. The pressure I believe is tremendous on the students and I am not talking about the pressure due to the competition but the one brought on by the parents. Having mentioned about pressure, before I talk on MBA, let me share some of the pressure instances and the possible reasons that can be attributed to this.
The pressure begins from the school days where the point of pressure originates probably from the kitty parties or small gatherings that the moms usually have wherein the report card of their wards are the point of discussion amongst many other important issues. Well if this pressure is to satisfy ones ego, it changes as the child climbs the ladder. On the next stop are the board exams. Not that the kitty parties are over but the stakes have just increased. Getting admission into a reputed college give a lot for the parents to talk about. Well going back there was a time when children taking commerce and arts were considered to be having less grey matter between their ears compared to their counterparts opting for science. I do not know the logic behind this though!
MBA – Mera Baccha Ameer (for the parents)
MBA – Main Bhi Ameer (for the student)
Well this is what I feel is today’s interpretation of Masters in Business Administration. The reason is very simple ‘the packages’. Well I do not have the figures, but I can say that not all who do an MBA get the hefty packages. Even though there is a growing belief among students that MBA is a prerequisite for hefty salaries.
There are reasons why the parents think in the above mentioned manner. In India unlike the US and the other western countries children and parents are dependent on each other at some or the other stages of their life. The huge sum of fees are either provided from the hard earned savings or are in the form of loans with the parents as the guarantees. So the expectations and stakes are very high.
Today one finds almost every student is preparing for the many entrance tests required to get into MBA. One cannot say that it is a fad because it has practically become a necessity. What has led to such a situation? A growing economy can be attributed as a major reason for this. I also believe that with the growing economy the stagnant graduate level courses are also one of the major reason for students opting for an MBA. Today a graduation degree (unless a professional course) has little value in India. Looking at the job market and the kinds of job available, a fresh graduate has very few avenues to go unless he has some additional qualifications. Today the jobs not only require technical expertise but also some knowledge about how business functions. There is nothing wrong about this requirement as with changing times the requirements changes.
This is where I feel the system has not caught up with the changing needs. Its high time there are courses introduced at the graduation level which gives the student a fair idea of the business needs. I feel a serious thought needs to be given to this. This would make the students more confident and also give the recruiters something that they are looking for.
Its not that a fresher having done his MBA becomes a finance manager / marketing manager and so forth after completion of the 2 yrs of MBA or for that matter starts working on mergers & acquisitions. There are always things that one learns from experience and no classroom teaching would help it. Especially in India, even after completion of MBA one is taken in as a Management trainee. Having said this I am in no way talking down upon MBA, its only that who is doing it, when is one doing it and where is one doing it needs to looked into.
Its my personal view that doing an MBA after one has some work experience would add more value than otherwise. This however is debatable.
The pressure begins from the school days where the point of pressure originates probably from the kitty parties or small gatherings that the moms usually have wherein the report card of their wards are the point of discussion amongst many other important issues. Well if this pressure is to satisfy ones ego, it changes as the child climbs the ladder. On the next stop are the board exams. Not that the kitty parties are over but the stakes have just increased. Getting admission into a reputed college give a lot for the parents to talk about. Well going back there was a time when children taking commerce and arts were considered to be having less grey matter between their ears compared to their counterparts opting for science. I do not know the logic behind this though!
MBA – Mera Baccha Ameer (for the parents)
MBA – Main Bhi Ameer (for the student)
Well this is what I feel is today’s interpretation of Masters in Business Administration. The reason is very simple ‘the packages’. Well I do not have the figures, but I can say that not all who do an MBA get the hefty packages. Even though there is a growing belief among students that MBA is a prerequisite for hefty salaries.
There are reasons why the parents think in the above mentioned manner. In India unlike the US and the other western countries children and parents are dependent on each other at some or the other stages of their life. The huge sum of fees are either provided from the hard earned savings or are in the form of loans with the parents as the guarantees. So the expectations and stakes are very high.
Today one finds almost every student is preparing for the many entrance tests required to get into MBA. One cannot say that it is a fad because it has practically become a necessity. What has led to such a situation? A growing economy can be attributed as a major reason for this. I also believe that with the growing economy the stagnant graduate level courses are also one of the major reason for students opting for an MBA. Today a graduation degree (unless a professional course) has little value in India. Looking at the job market and the kinds of job available, a fresh graduate has very few avenues to go unless he has some additional qualifications. Today the jobs not only require technical expertise but also some knowledge about how business functions. There is nothing wrong about this requirement as with changing times the requirements changes.
This is where I feel the system has not caught up with the changing needs. Its high time there are courses introduced at the graduation level which gives the student a fair idea of the business needs. I feel a serious thought needs to be given to this. This would make the students more confident and also give the recruiters something that they are looking for.
Its not that a fresher having done his MBA becomes a finance manager / marketing manager and so forth after completion of the 2 yrs of MBA or for that matter starts working on mergers & acquisitions. There are always things that one learns from experience and no classroom teaching would help it. Especially in India, even after completion of MBA one is taken in as a Management trainee. Having said this I am in no way talking down upon MBA, its only that who is doing it, when is one doing it and where is one doing it needs to looked into.
Its my personal view that doing an MBA after one has some work experience would add more value than otherwise. This however is debatable.
yes i too believe that work experince really adds value than otherwise because you already worked on projects and met with a snapshot of a stringent schedule while working and in MBA we got to see that all over agin and makes the picture more clear.
ReplyDeleteMoreover one has the mature mind after a work ex and thats like qualifier for an MBA.