I’m back to my favorite topics. I see that the MBA topics, and my views on India created quite a fair bit of comments, and i enjoyed writing on them most too! So I thought I’d write something after a long time.

This ones on what an MBA is?

Most people including me thought that MBA stands for Master of Business Administration.Well it does mean literally, but too deep to analyse. hehe We could debate on this topic for hours, days, months and years! Because theres no correct answers to such topics. It varies from individuals based on each ones perception of their situations. I know this is a old and boring topic, but somehow i find it interesting.

MBA is a masters degree. It is a post graduate course work which refines your management skills or specializes you in a particular field like finance, marketing or accounting. It is a highly recognized course in the job market, even though 8 out of 10 people are doing it. A masters course is a lot more than it just appears superficially. Theres no doubt about the fact that the general awareness of people towards education has enhanced and a bachelors is not considered as the end of education for most people these days. But doing masters is not just another degree. I feel one should choose this carefully, and not just follow the herd or the trend which is existant. Your interest and your skills are a vital factor in deciding your future course.

Alright coming back to MBA, it is the masters of business administration. Its a wonderful course and intrigues you internally to think as managers, or as businessmen, or entrepreneurs (depends on which one you choose! ). An MBA does not actually make you the ‘master’ of business. It doesnt even get you near it. The degree just opens to you a gateway to the basic foundation, from where you have to walk ahead, and all alone!

Lets say it builds an infra-structure in you, and teaches you the way things “should” be done. But the way things “are” done and handled, is not taught in any B-School, not even in the best ones like IIMs,(I cant comment about Harvard,Stanford,etc. coz i dono about their course structure and approach). Its not uncommon to read different articles on many sites saying what they dont teach you at B-schools. MBA provides you an overview, fills you with a lot of enthusiasm to do something, when you set your foot out in the corporate environment. If you’d like to be a businessman, or an entrepreneur, you’ll probably be enthusiatic of tapping some opprtnity somewhere, maybe your country or elsewhere. If you are looking to work for the big companies, you might want to make it to the middle or senior level management and prove your worth (depending on how much experience you have).

Now, coming to the experience factor. It is indeed the most questionable and debatable topic in considering a masters degree. I could not find anyone yet who has a strong answer to this question. Is work experience more relevant than anything else. If you pass that question and think you’re really smart and wise, I have another one for you. Which experience counts more,  pre or post? Or both are important? There are endless questions in my mind at least! I have answers to all of them, still they exist as questions. I could write about them here, but it would be off track .

Coming back, MBA is a masters degree which is supposed to give you an overall efficiency in the handling and operation of a situation or an environment. That is the reason you are offered different electives and specialisations to choose from a vast list. However most students choose either a finance or a marketing specialisation. I fail to understand that if they just want to specialise in that degree then why dont they take a masters in finance or a masters in marketing? Why MBA?? Is it just because the “MBA” degree is “in” or is it unawareness.Too many questions..

When i chose my options, i tried picking a balance of my electives. I had no concrete reasoning behind my choice, but just on gut-feel and my interest. I chose finance to have fair basic knowledge of it and management skills, which looks at the pshycological aspect of the work and personal life situations. Till now I found my choices to be upto my expectations, but still of somone asks me why did i take management skills? I have a blank look!

(Note: All my views are based on the course structure of an MBA desgined in Australia, so it may differ to the views of students in India as their structure is very different with trimesters and innumerous subjects! Remember in India, you need to get the best out of your money! Kidding, No sarcasm intended, everyone knows the quality of (top) indian b-schools.)