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Q: I am an executive with 10 years of experience in Sales and Marketing (Telecom and IT industry). Currently, I am drawing a package of about 18 lakhs per annum. I wish to get into IIM PGPX or similar kind of course which can enhance my career profile. Please suggest whether it is the right time to take a plunge by writing GMAT? What are the pros and cons of this? Thank you sir
Thomas, (Bangalore)
A: Including the one-year salary & salary-raises that you would forgo, the true cost of the PGPEX to you would be closer to 30 lakhs, plus the hardship for relocating from home & family for a year. Assuming conservatively that you would like to recover this cost over 3 years, your placement at the end of the program should be at a salary of 28+ lakhs. Such salaries are not usual, and recruiters will include your pre-PGPEX experience and evidence-of-demonstrated-success (in addition to your PGPEX performance) before taking such high-valued decisions. Of course, it is not a matter of costs and salary alone, and some weightage should be given to the knowledge/insights you will acquire, and your future earning potential, but these are subjective issues. In my opinion a one-year full-time residential program should be done earlier than the experience and salary level that you have reached. In your case, you will have to evaluate the risks very carefully. Your other options are to pursue a shorter-duration Advanced Management Program, or enroll for a distance education program using synchronous or online learning.
(Answered by Dr Smarajit Dey, President of Strategic Initiatives at NIIT Ltd.)
Q: I have around 5 years of experience and want to do one year MBA. I have puzzle in front of me with these MBA & EMBA Programmes. Therefore, I request you to please help me out in deciding which one is the best option. I have done my Bachelor's in IT and I am Business Analyst with a leading firm. I am interested in MBA in Financial Management.
Sanjay C, (IPSWICH, United Kingdom)
A: I would recommend that you enrol for a formal residential 1-year MBA programme as early as you can, since you are seeking a career change in a specific direction after 5 years of unrelated experience. You need to join a programme with a focus on similar experience-levels and a strong Placement record. It is difficult to specify which one would be most appropriate for you.
(Answered by Dr Smarajit Dey, President of Strategic Initiatives at NIIT Ltd.)
Q: I am a sales and marketing personnel with 8 years experience in sales and business development in Dubai. I completed my PGDM (Marketing) from IMC in Delhi in 1999. I have passion for marketing and always look out for opportunities to enhance my skills in this field. My career objective is to be in sales or work as a consultant. As I want to further strengthen my profile. Should I do an MBA here in Dubai, a distance learning MBA from India or abroad or Phd in marketing or CMA etc which can help me to be a better sales and marketing professional / consultant in the near future.
J. Singh, (Dubai)
A: Dear J Singh, One observation before I respond to your question is that all forms or levels of Management Education are not designed to meet the same objectives – for example, a PhD is primarily meant to enhance your capability as a researcher (and teacher) in the area. Some programs may be designed to improve knowledge/skills in a specific area. It is important to remember that all forms are not designed to directly lead to better Placements or job or career changes.
You have 8 years’ experience, and already possess a Management qualification. When considering such candidates, employers give significant weightage to work-experience, often more than the degree and where it was obtained. An evaluation of how you have performed in your career so far and whether your experience is rich & relevant will continue to be key factors for job/salary, even if you acquire a second Management qualification. In fact, employers will thoroughly probe why you took up studies again.
I believe that you can adopt one of two approaches. One approach is to enroll for a top-grade 1-year Management qualification in an Institute that values work-experience – i.e. selection favours experienced candidates and immediate job-prospects after completion are better than your current prospects. The other approach is a combination of studies and planned career progression. Enroll for a program with the objective of acquiring skills/insights that enable you to do your current or similar job better (rather than Placement immediately after completion), ensuring that the program does not disrupt your work. Your growth within your current organization or industry is more likely with this approach, especially if you make one well-planned job-change at an appropriate time.
(Answered by Dr Smarajit Dey, President of Strategic Initiatives at NIIT Ltd.)
Q: Dear Dr Dey, I am 34 years old and run my business in trading and real estate which I inherited from my father. It’s doing well. I have done well to manage and grow it. In this process I could not do a management programme which I always wanted to do. Now I wish to do a good program. But I can not move out of my current occupation. Which programmes would fit into my needs? Also, what real benefits will I get from a management course. I am looking at enhancing my understanding to grow my current business to a new level. I feel India has so many opportunities today…yet I feel a little constrained and in doubt somewhere…. Will be grateful for your honest answer.
Kunal Kashyap, (Jaipur)
A: Dear Kunal, Congratulations for a very sincere and insightful question. At the very outset, I must say that the feeling of regret that I sense in your question is not warranted at all. You have joined a family-owned business and grown it. In the process, you have acquired a range of rich comprehensive experience that you may not have gained if you had completed a management program and taken up routine employment. In life, you gain some, lose some!
In your case, change of career, or faster career growth, are not the issues. You are contemplating doing a program in order to open up your mind to new opportunities, develop yourself to exploit them, and gather high-quality insights from your interactions with faculty and student colleagues. These objectives are best served by a program that is intended for an advanced or senior-level (unlike a general-purpose fresh MBA), preferably offered by a best-in-class Institute (better colleagues and quality of insights likely). If this advanced management program is tailored for family-owned businesses, it would be even better. You also have constraints and will not be able to take a long break from your responsibilities. In your case, a synchronous learning program that you can do at your location (advanced general management by best-in-class Institute, preferably for family-businesses) appears to be the best option. Alternatively, you could consider a short-duration (say 3 weeks to 3 months) residential Advanced Management Program that some Institutes in India (and many abroad) offer.
(Answered by Dr Smarajit Dey, President of Strategic Initiatives at NIIT Ltd.)
Q: I am a public relations professional with nine years of work experience in leading public relations agencies in India. I am currently working in the Corporate Communications team of a leading telecom corporate. Would it make sense for me to do a MBA for further career growth? If yes, with my work experience background, what kind of functional role can I aspire to after my MBA?
Ajay Kumar, (Delhi)
A: With your kind of experience, track record matters. However, if you want to pursue higher studies in management for a significant career break you should join one of the Executive PGDMs whether offered by Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, Indian Institute of Management (IIMs), or institutes like Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, International Management Institute, etc.
(Answered by Dr C S Venkata Ratnam, Director, IMI New Delhi)
Q: I am a hard-core technologist in Infrastructure arena past 7 years. I seem to struck with that role since I have started in the small company 5 years back. I want to change the roles, but opportunity here seems very scarce, since we don’t have sales/support for Indian Client. I want to make a career shift and was thinking in terms of ISB Hyderabad and IIM Ahmedabad for one-year course. Can you please advise if this a career shift in right direction, would a MBA degree from coveted institution help me break in big league?
Amit Shri
A: Since you have 7 years work experience one year program at ISB or IIM-A should help you to give the desired and deserved break. This is the best time to move because market is good and recruiters may give negative weight to experience around or more than 10 years at one level and in one company. Of course much depends on how best you make use of the opportunity and leverage your experience while choosing career options. For instance, if you want to move to a totally different sector recruiters may not give full weight to your past experience.
(Answered by Dr C S Venkata Ratnam, Director, IMI New Delhi)
Q: I am a 30 year old guy working with IBM as a Senior Strategy Consultant. I carry a work experience of over 7 years. I have recently enrolled myself for a "Distance Learning Program - Part-time Executive MBA with IIM Calcutta" through the Hughes Platform. This is a one year program covering 15 subjects including a one week campus visit component. I have 2 basic queries with respect to this program a) The Market value for this program post the completion of this certificate course for me as an individual & b) Recognition of this program in the Marketplace. Your views are solicited & would be of utmost help best regards, Shrinivas Shikaripurkar
Shrinivas Shikaripurkar, (Mumbai)
A: Recognition at the market place for part time and distance learning programs is still poor in India. But IIM brand equity may help. Since there will be no campus placement, you have to rely on head hunters or direct approach (responding to ads) if you are looking for a change after the program. The, in cases like yours, it will be a combination of your track record and performance at the interview. Recruiters look at what you know and how you apply than what you have (in terms of paper qualifications). Your focus should be learning from experience and study and convincing yourself and others how you are going to apply such knowledge and skill base.
(Answered by Dr C S Venkata Ratnam, Director, IMI New Delhi)
