Hi Puys,
I'm in a big dilemma and feel experienced heads at PG might be able to soothe my anxieties.
I'm currently studying for my M.A. in English from Delhi University. I appeared for CAT in 2010 and scored a 99.27 percentile with calls from IIM-L, FMS and a MDI convert. Didn't join MBA then because I felt I was young, and studying English has always been a passion. Plus, I didn't feel like shelling out the 15 lakh for an MBA and doing a 9 to 5 job.
Now, I'm in my final year of Master's and am working as a freelance writer. The pay is really good - I almost make an MBA's salary working part-time - and I can work according to my own schedule.
At the moment, most of my energies are dedicated towards writing a novel.
After Master's, I plan to support myself with freelance writing while I work on the novel. If (and that's a HUGE if), I manage to make a living as anovelist (which will be a childhood dream come true), we can close this chapter and call it a happily ever after ending.
But if I don't succeed as a writer, I need some financial security for the rest of my life. Hence, if all else fails, I'll look to do an MBA.
And this is where I need your help.
How bad does an year's "break" with only freelancing as your work-ex look on a resume to a business school (or later, a would be employer)? How badly will my chances to get into a top-tier school be hampered when they find out that I did nothing but write for an year (with, or without success)?
I've tackled the CAT before and feel I can crack the exam again to score a few calls from top colleges. The only thing I fear is being kicked in the teeth because of my rather out of the ordinary background.
I realize I'm not the average candidate, and that my plans may sound too "out there" to you guys (trust me, they sound out there to me as well), but as a writer looking for an out in the form of an MBA, what would be a sound path to follow without screwing up my career for good?
P.S.: I'm disinclined to get a regular job because my freelancing work pays me upwards of a thousand bucks an hour, which no regular job would pay, at least not without much experience and education.
