What Is MBA

If you go by the dictionary definition an MBA is a post graduate degree in business

administration. MBA or Masters in Business Administration is one of the most sought
after degrees among students the world over. The MBA program is recognized
worldwide and is considered as a major step towards a successful management career.

EssenceofMBA

But have you paused and thought what is MBA all about? Is it just a degree that helps
you add an extra column to your CV, or helps you climb up the ladder or helps you
increase your bank balance? Yes it does all the above and much beyond. MBA education
goes beyond classroom teaching and helps in the holistic development of an individual.
An MBA helps in building your network, skills and brand. Soft skills of leadership,
ethics, team work and communication become the driving force of your life. While you
will obviously use hard skills like theory knowledge of finance, marketing, accounting
and operations in your job, your soft skills will help you grow from just an individual to a
well-rounded individual.

NetworkingandMBA

If you are still in two minds what will MBA provide you with other than a degree and a
lucrative career, then let’s assure you that an MBA offers a valuable network which you
can cherish for life. A strong alumni, an excellent faculty, brilliant batch mates will help
you go places from any remote part of the country. Remember all global businesses need
local support. So even if you open a start-up and wish to be an entrepreneur, your right
contacts at the right places and at the right time will help you do just that.

LearningandApplication

MBA is not just about learning key concepts in the field of management. It is about how
you apply those concepts and become a successful manager. An MBA from one of the
top management institutes will help you develop application skills through several live
projects but you become a successful manager only when you are faced with real
problems and come out with real time solutions based on your MBA education.

MBATrueMeaning

As very rightly mentioned by somebody real management is developing people through

work and not getting work done through people. The right program for MBA will teach
you exactly this and help you become a manager in its true sense.

If you are an engineer and contemplating whether or not join MBA after Engineering,
then read our article on MBA After Engineering.
Is MBA necessary after Engineering?

Have you completed your engineering degree or will be appearing for your final year
exam? Have you decided what to do next? Do you wish to study further, take up a job or
a do MBA? Well these are some of the question that you must be facing now or will be
facing soon.

This article will take you through all the important issues you need to think before
making your decision of whether and when to obtain your MBA.

The most important question that most of you are facing is whether MBA a must after
engineering? Today we see that 70-80% of the students appearing for the Common
Admission Test (CAT) exam are engineers and in most of the cases it is not even a well
thought decision but an act of going with the flow. Today, MBA has carved a niche for
itself today in almost all the professions of the world. Doing MBA entirely depends upon
individuals their priorities in life. Ideally speaking it is always good to have master’s
degree because a single degree in today’s time of tough competitions is not enough.
Before choosing MBA as a career you should do an analysis that whether it is the career
for you or not? You can start by asking yourself questions like:

 Do you have the traits of leadership?

 Are you a team player?
 Do you have good communication skills?
 Do you have the ability to do multitasking independently?
 Do you have convincing powers?

If the answer to these questions is an emphatic ‘YES’, then MBA is definitely the career
for you.

StudyORWork?

You can start by considering the vital question – ‘Should you opt to study or work?’
Again if you are interested in studies and are financially well off with no responsibilities
then sure you can complete your studies. If the answer is YES, then the next obvious
thing is to decide whether to stick to your engineering stream, do MBA or look for other
career options.

If you choose to stick to your technical field then you can do you post graduation
(MTech/Msc. Engineering or Master of Science), develop your skills and then start
working. Again as discussed above if you are financially sound then you can also choose
to go abroad for your master’s degree. Obviously, after doing your masters from abroad
your chances in the job market will be brighter both career wise and financially. But if
your answer is ‘No’ then there many other options available to look out for and one of the
most obvious choice is doing MBA.

WhatisMBA?

It's a Master of Business Administration degree, granted after one to two years of
graduate-level university study that provides education in the theory and practice of
business management. The MBA degree is basically a document that certifies that you
have a general competency in all the major functional management roles you'll find in the
modern organization. An MBA is a career accelerator across a number of industries and
MBA graduates usually start with higher salaries.

WhyMBA?

What does an MBA provide? Is it just a degree that will help you get a promotion, a
chance to fly high in your career, or help you add some extra bucks in your pocket? An
MBA degree is much more than that. Besides, giving you a degree that will help you add
an extra column to your CV, an MBA helps you build on your skills, develop your brand
and network. An MBA degree goes beyond classroom learning. Soft skills like
teamwork, ethics, communication and leadership that an MBA teaches you helps you not
only in your career but also leads to a holistic development. An MBA degree also helps
you build a strong network with the elite alumni, faculty and community and industry
people.

An MBA will surely help you analyze the balance sheet, solve complicated problems,
and help you research and explore new opportunities for your company but at the
backdrop an MBA provides something deeper, something life-altering. An MBA is not
just Management in Business Administration but as much a business event as well.

WhentojoinMBA?

One of the most important questions is whether to join MBA immediately after
engineering or to work and then join. Well, some of the major institutes do prefer people
with some work experience and many of the courses during the MBA program revolve
around concepts and principles that one would get exposed to only at work. In such cases
work experience becomes the distinguishing factor. The ability of the person with some
work experience to interact, discuss and handle a particular situation will always have a
more practical approach than a fresher.

It is significant that engineers widen their knowledge and skills in the management area if
they wish to become senior managers in an organization. Having already obtained a
technical degree, an MBA expands the horizon of their education in the wider areas of
management. The role of the engineer is changing rapidly within an industrial
organization. The engineer is likely to be the manager that has to implement new
practices and new technology.

MBA gives you the confidence to pursue your dreams and gives you a force to innovate
and experiment. A management degree polishes your managerial skills making you to
work towards the goal of the application with greater productivity and lesser cost. The
course makes you acquainted with all the aspects of running a company. It grooms the
person to serve the best to oneself – only then can he be an asset to an organization.

MBA course prepares you to face the realities of life while you are still in the process of
shaping your dreams. The management course gives you a chance to figure out your
strengths, weaknesses, passions and harness them.

TypesofMBA

MBA courses had always been full time courses, but in the last few years there has been
an introduction of many types of MBA programs based on their structure. So now there
are part time MBA courses, modular programs, international programs, distance learning
programs, and even online MBA programs.
Many schools offer MBA programs along with other academic majors, and some focus
only on business degrees.

Choose the MBA Program you want:

 Two-Year, Full-Time MBA

 One-Year, Full-Time MBA
 Part-Time MBA
 Executive MBA

Major Streams of MBA

 Information Technology
 Human Resource
 Sales
 Marketing
 Finance
 Systems
 Operations

Is MBA the right choice

The purpose behind any degree is to enhance your career prospects and job opportunities.
The same is the case with an MBA degree. The only difference that sets it apart from
others is that an MBA is recognized as the most valuable post graduate degree in the
world. With an MBA degree under your belt, you have the whole new world open to you.
An MBA qualification presents a successful career and provides you wings to fly in the
glory of success.

But before carving a niche in the field of management, there are some pertinent questions
need to be analyzed like a frog on a dissecting table with the logic of a lawyer, precision
of a surgeon and pragmatics of a scientist.

• Do you understand management field?

• Does it interest you?
• Have you identified the areas you like to work?
• Can you explain the reason behind choosing an MBA?
• Where do you want to see yourself in future?
• Do you know your weakness and strength (academic, personal and professional?)
• Are you clear about the personal factor that must be considered in making your
decision?

All these answers will help you identify the field you like to work in, area of interest,
your goal, your strength and weakness. All these are very important and need to be
considered in a balanced way while taking a decision to make a career. The field you like
to work creates curiosity, the area of interest gives you satisfaction, your goal motivates
you, your strength gives you power and weakness makes you cautious. In addition to it,
an MBA requires some basic attributes in his attitude like the curiosity of a cat, the
courage of a soldier and the perseverance of a disease.

Apart from all these basic elements, you need to have below mentioned skills that are
pretty much required for an MBA. If you do not possess it, this is not the right field for
you.

Do you derive pleasure romancing with numbers?

If numbers scare you or create phobia then MBA will not be your destination because
mathematics is said to be the language of business. You need to have a sound knowledge
of statistics, a regular practice of calculus and familiarity with algebra. But the actual
level of mathematical knowledge will vary from program to program. The knowledge of
mathematics help students understand the economic and financial theory in a better way
Economic concepts provide powerful tools to understand everyday business issues.
Statistics makes them enable to understand the market and sensex. These all are
correlated and intertwined with each other. You need not be an expert but the basic
knowledge of these subjects are important for an MBA.

Do you enjoy playing with words?

Apart from mathematical approaches, the gift of the gab can excel themselves in the
management field because the soft areas like communication and interpersonal skills
have been gaining currency of late. Communication is the makers of the material reality
of our world. Without communication, it is impossible to imagine the highly specialized
organizations of today. Communication is sine- qua-non to leave a footmark in the age of
globalization. But most importantly a communication must be effective and authentic. An
authentic communication demands oneness of content and intent, synchronicity of speech
and thought and simultaneous awareness of both sound and silence. Because its gap or
silence that makes language meaningful. The content of our communication comes from
WHAT we say and the intent comes from WHY we say it. Effective communication has
a certain correlation with silence and economy of speech.

Are you Tech-Savvy?

If ‘yes’ then go ahead, you have treasure that awaits you. If you are not tech- savvy then
MBA is not for you. In an ongoing effort to adapt to technological change, almost all the
business schools have integrated computers into their Programmes because computer has
become the sole of every other technology in the world. You need to have familiar at
least with word processing, spreadsheets, databases and internet. The implementation of
slideshows, computer research and the involvement of latest gadgets and devices prepare
the students for the upcoming challenges of the modern world. Many schools will require
you to have your own laptops. The use of the technology is highly encouraged for a better
understanding and wider approach of the students. So familiarity with the technology is a
must to rise in the horizon of MBA.

Are you a team player?

A good part of management education involves teamwork. If you are not a team player
and instead, believe in individualism then MBA does not deem fit to your needs and
requirements. Getting success will be a difficult task. You have to work on different team
projects. MBA Programmes have converted an increased share of course work from
individual work to team work. Many programs now incorporate training in team building
somewhere in the program — either as part of new student orientation, in team building
workshops, or as a topic in organizational behavior courses.

Teams may be formed for the purpose of one project in one course or they may remain
together for months, working on multiple courses.

Have the traits of leadership?

In today’s ultra-competitive business environment, the quality of leadership is very

important to achieve something beyond the normal expectations. Leadership is about
doing things that management does not define. The essence of leadership is that you have
to have vision. Good leaders are made not born. If you have desire and will power, you
can become a good leader. Good leaders develop through a never ending process of self
study, education, training and experience. To inspire people into higher levels of
teamwork requires the qualities of leadership. Leadership is a quality by which a person
influences others to accomplish a mission, task or objective and directs the organization
in a way that makes it more cohesive and logical.

If you think, you possess all the above mentioned traits in you then, MBA is perfect for
you to make a career. All the qualities are basic in nature that will provide you platform
to take off the flight of career in the horizon of success.

Management Career Options - Overview

The Indian job scene is thriving. And in the age of pre-placement offers setting in, the day has
come when you can get a high paying job even before you step out of college.

Money control gives you a lowdown on the career options that'll pay you the best.

The most sought after career is MBA, one of the top-paying careers today. And if you're a
student from an top institution such as the Indian Institutes of Management, easily expect Rs
7.5- 8lac per annum as a fresher.

The entry-level salary is expected to go up even more. Also salaries differ according to the
industry. "Today, the finance sector offers huge sums and has crossed the earlier darling of
MBAs - the FMCG sector.

Though salary matters but do not give more importance to compensation than your interest.
Know your strengths and capability before deciding to work. Also, while the salary may not be
attractive today but it could reach a new height tomorrow.

"For instance if you are employed in the hospitality industry the starting salary is no doubt low
but in the long term it may grow three levels higher compared to anywhere else. Higher level
of respect and designation are two other important things, you need to look for."

So what are the factors to consider?

Before you make a choice analyze what is it that you would like to do?

According to our experts the choice of career should be on the basis of the following:

Step 1: Assess your capability, interest and personality either yourself or by visiting a career-
counselor.

Step 2: Based on your interests make a list of careers keeping in mind your personality and
abilities.

Step 3: Explore all the careers in your list. Do a detailed research on the job profiles,
requirements, prospects, how to develop your career, a typical day in the life of the
professional etc.

Step 4: Once you're done with the above, pick the one that suits you the most.

Below is the list of available career option.

 Accounting Management
 Biotech Management
 Business Management
 Cooperative Management
 Dairy Technology and Management
 Event Management
 Export Management
 Financial Management
 Foreign Trade
 Hotel Management
 Hospital Management
 Hospitality Management
 Human Resource Management
 Industrial Management
 Modern Office Management
 Personnel Management
 Retail Management
 Rural Management
 Sales & Marketing Management
 Tea Management
 Textile Management