As I mentioned in my previous comments “MBA – More supply OR less demand“, I am eager to answer this question, “Aji, should I go for MBA?“. In last few years I had opportunity to work with various team members with and without MBA and from good B-school to average ones. I was a part of 2 year fully residential MBA from NIMC/AIMK. I have seen and worked with over 6 MBA batches myself. MBA is a course that can really fine tune but you need to do it REALLY RIGHT.

2 reasons why MBAs are were preferred:

1. Brilliant minds were entering it. People’s first choice was top MBA institutes. Companies visits such institute to get the top brains not the MBA students. All the students were brilliant and MBA is just collecting them at one place. Some of the best minds I worked owned a MBA degree from good B-schools.
2. For their existing educational background: Every time a company visited us they preferred a combination like “BCom+MBA”, “Engg+MBA” or “BCA+MBA(HR)” etc. Same happened with MCA, “Maths+MCA” or “PHY+MCA” were preferred over all other combinations. The three or four years of your graduation/engg is where you build some strong and basic foundations (Your thinking process and analytical skills are developed during the graduation phase). I never preferred BCA+MCA or BBA+MBA combination for that reason.

What MBA is (in general)?

1. It is not about piling knowledge but about actions and approaches. (For MBA knowledge you can read some 20 to 30 books and get everything better than what is taught. You can try these books as well.)
2. It is not about efficiency but effectiveness. (It sharpens your mind to be quick and to focus. How to work and think in a systematic way. It increases the output with the same level of efficiency.)
3. It is not about syllabus but about out of syllabus activities (Read the interview with NITISH JAIN, President, S.P. Jain Centre of Management, where he talks about exposure and other activities) .
4. It is not about work (or Net work) but about network (You can do that outside/without the campus as well but the college network is vast and fast).
5. It is not about degree but about confidence and attitude (Be aware of the thin line between confidence and arrogance, almost everyone complains about it.).
6. It is not 2 years of daylight classes but about 2 years of sleepless but full of masti nights (It makes you really bold, you can’t achieve this outside.).
7. It is not about books and semesters but about people (wearing almost nothing at night) and team (well dressed in borrowed tie, stolen trousers and proudly owned jockey). (Different team tasks with varied team members teaches you more.)
8. It is not about the classes by management teachers/gurus but about classes by management student (who happens to own companies and still learning the latest). (I always liked entrepreneurs/industry people teaching us than qualified professors.)
9. It is not about CV but about first placement (Trust me, first placement sets the benchmark for many and a good institute can give you the best start but later its upt o you).
10. It is not about preparing a secure career but about preparing you for risky decisions. (Confidence in you helps you take bigger decisions)

When to do MBA?

I am running my hands really quick on the keyboard to summarize my thoughts.

1. For a better job: Indian Industry works on degrees for promotions/jobs (Sometimes it helps in getting shortlisted). I have some of my friends doing MBA just to fulfill their criteria for further promotions. Still there is no mantra for success so there is nothing to follow except “Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite“. MBA can put you in a well planned career stream with a better cash flow.
2. If you are not a self motivator: If you are a self motivator (with enough confidence) then you can read the books and understand most of it in less than an year. If you lack self motivation then it is good to read the needed subject forcefully (as the classes and exams will force you to learn atleast some part of it).
3. If you don’t know what MBAs actually study: What to study is 90% of the task. MBA curriculum are designed to give you (a quick) direction in a very systematic way.
4. Not enough exposure/platforms: I been very lucky. When I was 19 I got a regional team of young people to lead. Even from very early I had opportunity to lead different sports team, school houses (school as vice-captain). It is not about your ability but about the opportunity that is available for you (There is another thought that you can make opportunity for yourself). If you don’t have enough exposure to team work, public speaking, presentations, paper presentation, documentation etc then MBA can act as a great platform to start with. I got enough exposure at NIMC.
5. Continuation of your studies: If you are continuing your student life, MBA can do wonders (giving you an initial break and a network to float).

When not to do MBA

1. Everyone is doing it: Don’t follow the crowd as most of them might not know what they do.
2. When you want to learn something magical or at concrete/core level for success.
3. When you don’t want a monotonous job.
4. When you want to try something new.
5. When you want to start a company of your own. (MBA is not needed to start a company, all you need is an attitude to fail and fight, MBA can just help you connect to a network of people with like minds..)

Related Posts:

• Steve Jobs at Stanford
• Indra Nooyi at B-School Graduation
• Is MBA waste of money and time?
• MBA curriculum – Books for Techno-Managers.

Oh Aji! Why! Why do you break rules? You are not suppose to come to office late! You were suppose to join %$%% (designing compilers) not Grmtech (getting links and cheapo work) ! You are not suppose to put such a crappy title for your blog post “MBA is not about $%$%$% but about ^%^%^^“! (thats my next post) You are suppose to put the books in the library not in your cabin! You are suppose to sleep at 12 why you wake up till 4! and so on and on. I keep asking myself, “Why do I break rules so often?“.

I too know that rules are for better manageability and scalability but still it is not what defines success and happiness (or the purpose). IF THERE WAS A MANTRA OF SUCCESS THROUGH CONVENTIONAL WISDOM THEN EVERYBODY WOULD HAVE FOLLOWED IT.

The latest to my crime is opening a library in my cabin

(Prabhat and Anirudh, early birds to the cabinet book stall)

(Zooooooooomm in)

Do I really break rules?
No, I don’t. I really don’t! I follow them more than others as I follow the purpose and sometimes follow the theme closer than others. People do break rules but I really don’t :), I redefine (fine tune) it. Let’s take the above example that why I didn’t break the rule here.

Rule: “All books should be bought through library process and kept in library”.
Broken: “Bought it myself, kept in cabin, did not make an entry in library and became librarian myself”.
Purpose of a library:

• People should read books, thats the only purpose. TRUST ME, thats the only purpose.

Purpose of a rule:

• When we lost some books, when there were too many books and when it became unmanageable we made the above said rules. It wasn’t needed initially but later it was introduced.

Purpose of redefining/breaking rule:

• People should read books, thats the only purpose. TRUST ME.

What about manageability?

• Let the problem arise but before that let’s focus on purpose :). Once the problem arises (a good problem to have) we will make a rule and later will break it again.

I think more purpose oriented than rule oriented and believe that rules are made for us not we for rules, break it (oops i mean redefine) more often so that the purpose is fulfilled. There are many examples where breaking the rules helped, just search around and you will get many many examples.

In recent times I have seen more companies developing a bad taste for MBAs. I have personally advised few of my friends not to enroll for MBA programs (correspondence mainly) as they could go with more inline courses. MBA is (or was) a buzz degree.

Here are some of the thoughts at Bnet about MBA programs:

• Five Hard Truths About the MBA:
  1. Hard Truth No. 1: The ROI isn’t what it used to be.
  2. Hard Truth No. 2: The training has become too theoretical.
  3. Hard Truth No. 3: Some of the people skills needed to be a manager today can’t be taught in the business school environment.
  4. Hard Truth No. 4: MBA programs propagate management fads.
  5. Hard Truth No. 5: The pressure to succeed inside MBA programs has weakened safeguards against cheating.
• The Secret Guide to the MBA Curriculum:
• What Executives Really Think of MBAs:
  1. Value the Program, Not the Degree
  2. Hard-Working, High-Maintenance
  3. Dropouts Make Better Entrepreneurs
  4. Practical Experience Is a Necessary Foundation for Theory
  5. Salespeople Don’t Need MBAs
  6. MBAs in IT

  “You Harvard guys don’t know crap about the way businesses really run.” – Howard Woolf, then a director of marketing at DEC, to a trio of consultants with Harvard MBAs as overheard by the author. Woolf is now president of the Converged Billing Solution Group at Comverse, a $1 billion-a-year provider of multimedia services.

• Three New Year’s Resolutions for MBA Students:
  1. Get (more) comfortable with public speaking.
  2. Dial back on the procrastination.
  3. Stop relying on school for the easy excuse.
• Three Things I Wish I’d Known Before Starting Grad School:
  1. Don’t stress over not having a business background.
  2. Three hours of class time at the end of a workday isn’t as bad as it sounds.
  3. Earning an MBA means more than mastering the coursework.
• Finding the Value in Wasted Time:

I call it restart option. It is such a wonderful day where you get a feel of restart. From your messy last month, last year you can give your life a restart. You can buy a new book for your finances, a new work report, a new way to start your love life, a better plan for your spiritual activities. All happens on the very first day.

Happy New Year!

I wish you and your family members a very happy new year. Last year was full of challenges and a lot of important devisions made. I have a lot to that. I take this opportunity to thank all of you for your support and love. Also I thank God Almighty for His presence in my life.

Resolutions
Everyone is suppose to take these and here I follow:

1. Will plan my finances better. Every morning I will add it to my budgeting section.
2. Will write 2 books: 1) Blogging – Anonymity to Identity 2) (name hidden) A book on Online marketing, covering almost all aspects of online marketing.
3. Will start a blog on spiritual experiences.

I want to make this year, year of Love, year of organizing and year of earning.

Afraid of making resolution?
As many, do you think resolutions are useless? Its a personal stuff then why do you say it in public? I can take these decisions anytime, why wait for the start of an year? What if I don’t make these resolutions happen?

Oh Man! Don’t worry! It’s the time to restart, you can do it anytime but its a mind game where you feel ITS REALLY A RESTART TIME (making it a little easier). When you make resolutions in public it helps you as a forced motivator. It helps you force yourself. You have personal commitments and the success of your decisions is completely personal but still a public resolution helps you put a little force on yourself. It also works as a reminder. So enjoy resolutions and have a very happy new year. May God bless you with all great things this year!

What is your resolution this year?