Career After MBA: If you go back ten years in past, you will easily agree to the fact that back then, society evaluated your market value based on the number of degrees you owned, your grades and the college you went to. Fortunately, with the influence of the digital age, these stereotypes are now finding an exit route.
In the present scenario, your grades don’t matter as much as they did in the past given you are extremely talented and capable of finding an incredible job with basic qualifications. So, Those planning to take their careers to the next level must take some time to understand the pros and cons of an MBA.
For few of us, MBA is nothing but a platform to increase our business acumen while for many others it is more like a feather in the cap to show off to the world.
Career Post MBA – What do you pay, what do you get?
When you enroll yourself for an MBA programme abroad, it can cost you anything between 40 to 70 lacs whereas if you do MBA in India, it may cost you somewhere around 10 to 25 lacs. When in India, you’ll get to do a job or an internship which would pay you somewhere around 25,000 per month when the fees that you pay go up to be around 15 lacs. So, you’ll have about 5 years to recover the money you invested in your education. Also, you cannot forget the other expenses be it the cost of living or the other miscellaneous cost. That would probably mean another two years. In other words, MBA does seem a dicey choice right now.
10 Career decisions that you can make over MBA
True that you’ll earn way more from it in the future but what are the stakes of it? Given all these points of consideration, here are few more career choices that would cost you less than an MBA but will certainly ensure an advance in your career.
Volunteer for that NGO or a cause you always wanted:
When you volunteer for something, it naturally makes you feel good. This helps you learn about other people. It will give you experience, exposure, creativity and improve you as an individual. It also helps you connect with more congenial people and as a result of it, you’ll see a growth in yourself as an individual. This is the best way to develop and hone your social skills.
Start your own business
What better feeling than being your own boss? Having your own business will help you boost your morale and give you the requisite confidence and experience. This indeed is the best option for a mid career turbo charge. Plus, the only worst case scenario that you may experience is having to shut down the business. But, the up side is, you’ll gain more credibility and it will give you an idea on the things that you’ll have to work on to improve in the future.
Pursue a certification course
There is a plethora of certification courses available both in India and abroad. Some of these can be extremely relevant for your career. You can even think of pursuing an MS or MA over an MBA since it will offer a greater niche in the subject opted by you. For instance, you can consider pursuing, MA in entrepreneurship or MA in organizational leadership. These are crucial master’s program which have a direct and a more meaningful connection especially for small business incubators or venture capitalists.
Make a plan for yourself and execute it
A solid plan is necessary to help you move forward. You must plan in a manner that you are clear about what you need to do. It must include a mission, a to do list, all the possible business alternatives and the time you need for execution. No matter, what you intend to do, you must research well, do your homework and analyze all possibilities. Assess the market, understand your potential, analyze the scope in the chosen sphere and jump in.
Join a startup
When you join a startup, you get to experience it all in one go. Right from handling front end to back end, from marketing to advertising and promotion, you would get to experience it all. Moreover, you’ll feel good about being directly responsible for contributing to the success and growth of a company. There’s no better person to learn from than an entrepreneur. People working in a startup tend to have a distinct professional and mental frame of mind. They run via their own own original and innovating ideas. This will not only help you gain knowledge but you’ll also learn the key aspects of time and team management.
Home-tutor yourself
Doing an MBA demands you to cover a number of topics, whether you like it or not. On the other hand, when you home tutor yourself, you can work on the areas that cater to your interests. You can structure your own curriculum depending upon the requirement and cover a variety of topics according to your liking.
Write a book
Writing a book doesn’t mean you have to be a best seller. You just need to pen down your life and interests in a book. You can write, publish and promote the book on your own. The idea is to focus more on the journey than the outcome. A published book is certainly the most effective business card that you can ever own. You can send the book to your clients as a gift. It can open way more doors than owning an MBA degree.
Learn a new language
Getting to know a new language is not just exciting but also happens to be extremely beneficial in the long run. You can either learn any regional Indian language or opt for a foreign language that you have always been interested in. For learning a new language, you can either join an online course or attend classes. Irrespective of the language you learn, being bilingual definitely has its own set of advantages especially in the current society. If you know a foreign language, it adds to the competitive edge while you go out hunting for a job. You not just become smarter but your creativity amplifies by multiple levels.
Freelance to explore your skills
Freelancing can be a good idea if you want to work without having an obligation, a boss or a company. With this, you can opt for your own timings and the rates at which you work. It can be the perfect way to earn some money when you are studying or doing a job. Some of the freelancing skills that you can experiment include – writing, web development, translating, coding, designing, accounting, etc. You can start with whatever skills you have.
Apply for fellowships programmes
When you apply for a fellowship program you understand the realities of your country. It will help you feel more connected to the rural and urban India. What better thing than feeling better about doing something for the country? It will give you an experience of a lifetime. These programs are structured to offer you the requisite work experience and make you responsible. Some of the programs that you can apply for include – Teach for India, Gandhi, LAMP, etc.
Final Word
Having an MBA degree is one of the best professional tools if you know what you wish to do with it. However, there are things better than that. The idea is to do something and get off your butt to do something big in life. It is just as simple as that. Many have ideas but there are just a handful of people who can do something about it. You don’t have to wait for next month, next week, tomorrow. You need to act today! Be a doer and not just a dreamer.
Also Read: Careers in the Solar Energy Sector
