work experience - Advantage?

[fromIndia]

Hi, I currently have 3.5 years of professional exp. and i want to wait to get 5 years of experience before applying for a MBA.

Please let me know if more work ex will considered as an advantage or a disadvantage?

Thanks

[nishanthex1]

Hi PROF,

There cant be a 'yes' or 'no' answer to your question.
Workexp is not only about quantity but quality as well. A quality workexp of lesser number of years is better than dull work exp of more number of years.
work exp should give you leadership opportunities. if you are just coding at your job then it is 5 years or 2 years, i dont think so it would make much difference.
But yes with higher work exp it is not only easier to get an admit but to get a job offer after b school. so if u can add quality work exp and get into ivy league then it is worth waiting for year or 2.
all the best

[Pokhi_Fokhi]

Hi,

I think 3.5 yrs of work ex if enough before doing an MBA. You wont have any energy left after 2 more years...Anything above 2+ makes u eligible for laterals. Secondly, if u r considering of doing MBA outside india then you have an edge. And in india if u have 5+ exp then i would recommend 1 yr MBA offered by ISB,IIM A ,IIM C and others.

So take out ur armoury and start fighting..
All the Best!!

[konqueror_vivek]

Definately 3.5 years is a good work-exp, you would had got a deeper insight of the Industry in which you are working in.
Nothing can be termed as good or better, thequestions you need to ask to yourself could be
1. How well you understand the Industry you work for?
2. How well you understand your role?
3. Why you wish to go for a MBA course?

All the Best!

[anands_16]

Hi,
I have a Very basic Ques.. Which exp is taken into account by d admission committe? The yrs of exp while u r applying or yrs of exp u wud have got when u actually join the B-School?

[konqueror_vivek]

It is the work-exp you have with you when you are applying.

[manishnagpal]

I would add to what vivek has said. The work experience is counted till the beginning of session you are applying for.

[subodh_iit]

Originally Posted by fromIndia

Hi, I currently have 3.5 years of professional exp. and i want to wait to get 5 years of experience before applying for a MBA.

Please let me know if more work ex will considered as an advantage or a disadvantage?

Thanks

Well the answer to this question is quite subjective.. There are some schools which do have some upper cutoff limit on work-ex (in India only) above which they will select rare candidates only and then the majority o them gives more weight to the more numbers of work-ex.

However, under no circumstances will ur extra-workex count against you if u are able to project it well. In fact, post MBA package is always commensurate with the number of years of work-experience.

There is a caveat though. If u r inclined to do an MBA even now and do not have any problems in pursuing it, then u should do it asap. Otherwise u will be doing ur job half-hartedly. And that can be a dangerous thing.

But if u are enjoying ur work and do not have any prblem in working for a few more years then wait and look out for the best opportunities.

[inblue]

Originally Posted by fromIndia

Hi, I currently have 3.5 years of professional exp. and i want to wait to get 5 years of experience before applying for a MBA.

Please let me know if more work ex will considered as an advantage or a disadvantage?

Thanks

My take is as follows :
You and only You can decide and should decide Why you want an MBA and at what stage in your life.

ROI and Why MBA ?

If you feel you have reached a glass ceiling in your present career - read career and not job and you think you need extra skills at this moment to either jump up the ladder in your own career or switch to another career, then go ahead and go to school. Take in mind that you need to be very sure that the post MBA ROI / gain is much more than what you would expect to gain if you spent 2 years in your current position.

Again, the Why MBA answer is very important to determine when you would do your MBA. If you want to start up your own firm after MBA or want to be a VP straight out of school, then gaining work ex will be net postive.

If you are a market research analyst and want to switch to Finance, consider that you'd probably start at the bottom of the hierarchy in your new career no matter what Work ex. Recruiters will consider the work ex relavent to them while offering you a position as an intern or as an associate.

Making to a school

3.5 years is good number but again, its quality that matters. If you have helped overhaul the quailty process at your firm / helped execute a major project and have significant learnings from your time in your career , you're definitely good to go. 2 more years in this same carrer might add to hone your skills but might not be able to add diveristy in experience. In this case waiting 2 more years will be net negative.

If you think you have opportunity to really grow in 1.5 or two years in your present career, read promotions, diversity in experince ( read working in Libya or Peru) or will be able to pull of any personal endeavour ( read extra curric ) and you will be more comfortable with your own self, clearer about your future aspirations -personal and professional , then put in those 2 years, target the top 5 and enjoy.


To cut the long story short, go for your MBA when you feel you are personally and professionally ready for it and you can enjoy the 2 years of your life to its optimum. 2 years at school is not just about learning, its also about making friends, borrowing interests and challenging yourself. I'd suggest you draw a pros- con table, measure the ROI and enjoyment against your expectations and goals and you'd be able to figure out the 3.5 or 5 .

I know that was a lot of gyan. All the best !

[fromIndia]

Originally Posted by fromIndia

Hi, I currently have 3.5 years of professional exp. and i want to wait to get 5 years of experience before applying for a MBA.

Please let me know if more work ex will considered as an advantage or a disadvantage?

Thanks

Thanks for every one who replied. Out of these 3.5 years, i have one year of international exposure.
I want to wait for a year to apply for MBA bcoz
1. It will give me more leadership opportunity in my job and hence will give a push to my case for MBA.
2. Also i would like to use this 1.5 years to add few items to the list of extra cirricular activities
3. Also for MBA abroad and 1 year MBA, the average work ex is 5 year for almost all the institutes.

Please share your views on the above points.