Although I had been a big proponent of learning on the job, certain events in life convinced me to pursue an MBA. And it has been one of the greatest decisions in my life. Even prior to MBA, I had managed to make a comparatively exemplary career, which served as a platform. However, this also threatened me with complacence that would keep me within the established comfort zone. Luckily or unluckily, certain events triggered a chain of realisations that led me to the MBA.
Now that it has been half way in to my One-year full-time MBA at IIM Bangalore, the Top Management Institute in India as per QS Global and FT Rankings, I thought of sharing my experience and realisation through a series of blogs. The first one being, the top 3 reasons why young professionals should pursue an MBA. It was quite tempting to make the last sentence a clickbait title; however, I chose consistency over content marketing.
Shattering the Glass Ceilings
Assuming that you’re unfamiliar with the term Glass Ceilings, it is a point in life when you see people no smarter than you get promoted to positions with far greater responsibilities and pay. You see through but somehow cannot make it through. It is not unfair or unjust, it is just the way world works. And today, being an outlier is just not sufficient as exceptions are only reserved for outlier of outliers like Jack Ma.
The career market works on PQC (Pre Qualification Criteria) used to screen out the incompetent. You may possess the talent as well as competence but without the PQC, the interviewer might be unable to judge. Moreover, even if you succeed to convince the interviewer, in absence of signalling (PQC sufficiency) interviewer would be unwilling to bet his/her job security on a dicey candidature.
In simple words, MBA from a premier institute opens doors that were previously off limits as inaccessible would be mild term. Disregard to the fact whether you’re a manager or an entrepreneur. Merely, the perception of such a degree greatly elevates you perceived value. After all, you managed to be one of the few who managed to get in!
One Year of Compressed Learnings
Despite being among the numerous paddlers of e-learning courses, I have to admit that nothing substitutes for the structures learning at any of the degree programs. E-learning helps to bridge skill gaps on your resume and professional certifications such as CFA, PMP, RICS, etc.. qualify you for the job. However, neither shifts your orbit.
Learning on the job is perhaps the best way to learn practical skills, but it does NOT give a structured learning. Also, that learning serves as a competitive advantage while pursuing an MBA. But it is by no means a substitute to your learning. The structured curriculum at an MBA program not only helps you connect the dots but also helps you relate theory to your on-job experiences.
And for those who argue that all such content is available over the internet. Unless you have invested money and are provided with a conducive environment accompanied by deadlines, all that course material will be left for that someday when you get free!
Perspectives and Personal Development
Once you are a few years into your job or professional career, you start to live inside your own cocoon. This often leads to development of self serving and confirmation biases, further aggravated by positive feedback loop or group think amongst peers. Usually, an MBA class consists of people from diverse backgrounds and life experiences, adding perspectives and challenging your world view. If approached in the right spirit, this can lead to significant intangible learnings.
Furthermore, too long into your professional career you might become comfortably uncomfortable in your comfort zone. The mere change in your environment and living a student life shatters such routines and helps you start afresh.
And finally, the competition! A premier MBA class brings together the top quartile performers under one roof. Once you are surrounded by people smarter, you will challenge yourself either to be better than others or merely to satisfy your ego. Disregard to reasons, you will push your limits, unlocking your new potential.
And if you want to test your interest in Business, you can take our highly rated Business Management course on Udemy.
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*Location: IIM Bangalore Library
Savvy Munshi 