On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 20:22:04 -0800 (PST), Varun Chawla
<varunc_iim@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> hi ajay.....
>
> why mba?...hmmmm.interesting question.....here are some possible answers :
>
> 1) my dad told me to do so (papa ne kaha tha)
> 2) had spare 1100 bucks
> 3) i am not good at tech
> 4) ROI(return of investment) after MBA is good
> 5) everyone seems to be doing mba ....so i also joined the race
> 6) u ask me why ....and i ask u why not
>
> on a more serious note...see its all a question of where you see yourself
> say 5-10 years from now (although very few of us think that long
> term)......if your a 'techie' at heart you would probably be quite happy to
> be working on the tech side of things and you can make a great career that
> way as well.....but if you want any of the following things then an mba
> probably makes sense -
>
> (1) a career move to an entriely different domain say finance or
> consulting.....it could be done the without an mba as well but then the
> struggle is a lot harder
>
> (2) a fast foreward button for your career.....in the corporate world degree
> holders from top b-schools are given positions of responsibilty and
> authority very quickly considered to those without an mba irrespective of
> any amount of 'mangerial' acumen you may show
>
> (3) money.....lots of it ...at the end of the day there's no denying the
> fact that this plays a very important role besides your work...infact for
> many it's the sole reason for many who pursue an mba.....the hard fact is
> that those who do the actual work get paid far less than those who 'manage'
> them
>
> have a look at the following statement :
>
> There are 2 extremes in the work arena. On the left side you have the most
> productive people (who actually do the work). For eg. a junior programmer
> spends every second that he is working producing actual code. On the far
> side you have the non-producers ie. people who produce nothing tangible. At
> the end of the day they don't grow food, they don't help sick people, they
> don't write code etc. These are CEOs, lawyers, management partners, program
> managers etc. But the kick is - the left side gets paid the least and the
> right side gets paid the most so if you plot $ on the y axis its a 45 degree
> line.
>
> Almost everyone spend their time trying to traverse that line so the further
> to the right side you begin the sooner you get where you want to go. Trust
> me - I still am a big geek - but I want money - so I can buy all the cool
> stuff I want. That is why I moved from the software service industry to
> technology consulting space.
>
> MBA is going to help me traverse that line faster. The most direct benefit I
> see out of an MBA is that an opportunity of a dream career with a wonderful
> employer, one who likely would have filed any previous resume submissions
> from me in the circular file. Save a remarkable stroke of luck, there is no
> way I can land this dream position without an MBA. With my BSc. MCA degrees,
> the pigeonhole is simply too deep. An MBA is one of the few reliable routes
> to a career change.
>
> i agree a 100% with what this guy says.
>
> i hope ive managed to throw some light on that haunted question...why an
> mba? ...i decided a very long time ago to pursue an mba from an
> iim.....unfortunately though ive worked like mad things have not worked out
> (ive manged to screw up cat again)....but that hasnt lessened my
> resolve...maybe some day i'll be lucky enough to actually get into an iim
> and see whether all ive written so far is actually true
.....
>
> all the views expressed above are purely my own personal opinion so standard
> disclaimers apply.....oh and if anyone needs advice for cat prep and the
> like then feel free to ask..after all thats what ive been doing for 2 years
> now.....(on second thoughts perhaps you should ask one of us whos already at
> an iim/fms/xlri etc)
>
> bottomline - an mba from a top b-school can propel you to a career beyond
> your wildest dreams..
>
> Varun
>
> PS (the words in italics are not my own kahin se ctrl-c ctrl-v kiya hai)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
now Asif writes :---
DISCLAIMER: This is going to be a very caustic [sharp/bitter] mail.
Under my new fitness regimen, after a morning jog, I massaged my
super-ego, and it has suddenly decided to spew it venom on lesser
mortals. So for all of those who may possibly feel offended at
stinging remarks, and insulting statements, PLEASE DONT READ AHEAD.
If He had read this mail, Jesus would have remarked, "Forgive him
Lord, coz he doesnt know what he is saying".
First of all, very good question Uppal..... coz nobody ever asks it,
and its so fundamental to 85% of Indian graduates?
Brilliant pro-MBA reply by Varun......u got your heart in the right
place. Dont worry about the hiccups, you ll be right there at the top
B-school soon.
But I would like to present a different side of the picture..... after
all, where's the fun in the discussion if everyone speaks pro-MBA
(which they' ll have to do, coz almost everyone has given CAT, or is
doing an MBA, and speaking against it would be kinda embarrassing for
them, wont it?)
Although Varun was joking about these answers, the sad fact is that a
lot of ppl attempt CAT because of them. So first, a critical look at
these reasons
(1) "my dad told me to do so (papa ne kaha tha)"
: and then think that they ll manage big organizations, though they
cant manage their own lives and take their own decisions
(2) "had spare 1100 bucks"
: good one, probably closest to my reason for temporarily planning to
give CAT last year, but then realized that a lot of chocolates (even
vodka) can be bought with 1100 bucks.
(3) "i am not good at tech"
: so what makes you think that not being good at tech, naturally
qualifies you to be good at management?
(4) "ROI(return of investment) after MBA is good"
: potentially good ROI after an MBA. the avg salary in best of IIMs is
6 lacs CTC, which isnt that great coz after 2 yrs in a good company
(compared to 2 yrs of MBA), your salary can be 10 lacs (obviously you
have to excel in your work for that, but dont expect MBA and
thereafter to be a cakewalk)
ROI in the share market, and in any business is much higher. Actually
if ROI is all you care about, start a garbage collection and disposal
company. You ll break even in 2 yrs, then add a garbage recycling
unit. You ll be a crorepati in 5 years. I am not joking, I know
someone who did the above in 4 years total, I am sure all of you can
do it in 7 definitely.
(5) "everyone seems to be doing mba ....so i also joined the race"
: What would you call this - peer pressure, or crab mentality? But
before you snicker and laugh at the rest of the world who does this
(and you dont), just pause to remember your admission into college.
Why did you put Computers as your no. 1 choice? Did you actually like
the field? How much experience did you have in the field? How many of
you chose it, even though you didnt have any real affection towards
it? Would you have chosen it, if the computer industry crash
(temporary though it was) had happened 2-3 years earlier i.e. just
before your decision making time came?
So whats the difference between doing an MBA coz your friends are
doing it, and the above?
(6) "u ask me why ....and i ask u why not"
: You ask me why I should not be insulting other humans, and I ask
you....... why not?
[ All those who are already fuming, my sincerest apologies, please
remember the disclaimer at the beginning, forgive me for inciting your
fury, and close your browser ]
Ok now I ll take the "serious" reasons (wish all people did MBAs
because of them, coz there would be 50% less CAT aspirants
"a career move to an entirely different domain say finance or
consulting.....it could be done the without an mba as well but then
the struggle is a lot harder"
So why did you become an engineer again......oh now i remember, coz
everyone was doing it? And why do you want to join finance or....... ?
"a fast foreward button for your career.....in the corporate world
degree holders from top b-schools are given positions of responsibilty
and authority very quickly considered to those without an mba
irrespective of any amount of 'mangerial' acumen you may show"
In most companies, I will whole-heartedly (though some people do
suspect that I dont really have a hear) concede that Varun's point
does have some credibility. However, there's one important thing.
While an MBA might initially make it easier to get into corporate
management, the only thing that will take you ahead is your own acumen
(3) money.....lots of it ...at the end of the day there's no denying
the fact that this plays a very important role besides your work...in
fact for many it's the sole reason for many who pursue an mba.....the
hard fact is that those who do the actual work get paid far less than
those who 'manage' them
The highest paying job (after an MBA, and maybe after anything else as
well) is in the field of Investment Banking. You work 20hrs a day, 7
days a week, sleep during flights, and earn crazy amounts of money.
And get burnt out in 6 years max. Thats what a high up guy in Lehmann
Brothers told Neha Singh, when she got through for internship. The guy
said that he has worked for 6 years, hasnt met his wife for a while
even though they live together, and is planning to quit soon. So if
its money that drives you, remember to be in the top 5 in IIM-A,B,C
and also be prepared for the above.
Ok, enough vicious debating. I have been caustic intentionally, so
that sleeping dogs may wake up to bark (they never bite anyways).
My softer, more mature perspective decides to wake up, and try to save
my friends who hate me by now, and so it speaks:
[ I tend to blabber a bit when I get philosophical, please dont start
tearing your hair for that. Its not your fault really that I was born
in your lifetime]
Dudes, dont be duds. Realize that the only thing that matters in life
is to achieve something that you actually desire (that sounds
sooooooooooo cliche). So try and be honest with yourself. Ask yourself
whether you enjoyed solving technical challenges. Ask yourself whether
your dreams and hopes about engineering (before you joined it) had
anything to do with science (and not about engineers getting good
jobs). Most of you might not be technically inclined, and thats
absolutely fine (it reduces competition for me as well).
Now ask yourself whether the MBA is what you really want. Does
finance, economics, accounts, HR etc (sorry MBA folks, I couldnt
remember any other subjects) excite you? Do you feel positive thinking
about them?
Next, review your own personality and inclinations. Do you prefer
being the worksman as long as you have the freedom to choose your
tools and your work, or do you love playing supervisor?
If you feel inclined or biased towards any of the above two sides,
congratulations. You will do well in life, skip the rest of this
paragraph. For the rest, you better start exploring yourself. Life's
too short anyways. By the time you realize what you want from it, it
might have slipped away.
If you want to do an MBA, best of luck, I sincerely wich you to do
well. Prepare hard (you know that already, why doesnt anyone ask me to
shut up). Prepare smart (now whats that? Critically review yourself,
and water the roots. Work on improving speaking, reading and writing
skills if thats where you lack. blah blah blah.... I think most good
institutes would be doing this so for purposes of brevity, I ll leave
it for them to continue). Also keep in touch, I ll like to offer you
to join me when I start my own company.
If you are technically inclined, read the following very carefully.
(you can even try printing out the next paragraph in bold, large font
size and stick it all over your walls, but I wont really insist on
that)
You might be working in a company in which you may not be getting a
chance to enhance (or even use) your talents. DONT lose heart. Its
only a while before your projects will become better. The initial year
can be a very big disappointment, coz thats when you go through bench
rotations, maintenance work etc. But things become dramatically better
afterwards. Use your extra time to prepare your technical skills
outside of your current work area, and after a year you will be able
to leverage that knowledge to join a better company. There are a lot
of good companies who do really high-quality work, and a little
sustained effort will get you there. One of the most amazing things
about the technical field is that its a pure meritocracy, atleast in
good companies. Many companies (I can vouch for Trilogy atleast) have
a technical career ladder as well in which you can reach the very top
and still stay tech. Your job takes on architectural, not managerial
roles. You lead the company in its technical innovation endeavours.
What more do u want? (You also earn a lot of money, but I wont dwell
on that, coz money matters much less than impact and power to pure
tech lovers like me). And you can do stuff like SK in Swades
To end with(coz your company pays you to work, not read
techno-political propaganda), I ll simply repeat a very cliche
statement :
"Just follow your heart"
The rat race for money wont ever end, even when you become Bill Gates.
The only things that will make you feel satisfied and happy are your
family, and the sense of achievement that your work gives you.
Wishing everyone all the very best in their life,
Merry Christmas,
Happy New Year,
Asif
Notes:
1. Even though I might have attempted to tear Varun apart, he is
actually a very good friend of mine, and I like him thoroughly.
There's literally "no love lost" between us.
2. "an MBA" is absolutely correct English. Find out why before writing
SOPs for the various B-schools.
3. ALL percentage statistics are entirely by estimate, so I cant
corroborate my claims with some more reliable source of info
Do you think ppl outsource managerial stuff too...if so please lemme know..... 
Will be a fight for that also I guess......
Linear Mode
