Career Guidance .. please help all ya Gurus

Hi Guys as my subject hinted at … i need some guidance , i have reached a point in my life when i know what i want but i dont knoe the path … i am working here in the US of A for the past year , completed my MS and all that … with good G…

Hi Guys
as my subject hinted at .. i need some guidance , i have reached a point in my life when i know what i want but i dont knoe the path ...
i am working here in the US of A for the past year , completed my MS and all that .. with good GPA , some international exposure , abt an year or more in USA , like 4 months in Korea et all

I wanna do my MBA but i dont know where to do it from and what field to persue .. all i know is i wanna settle in "Amchi Mumbai" with a really good pay package ..i was thinking along the lines of doing MBA prob from a good indian B school like ISB , IIM , etc ... that does increase my chances of a shot at a good job in Bombay ..

or should i do my MBA from a B school in USA and then move to bombay ,,

wat schools can i look at if i wanna do it from India ... maybe good in marketing ??

i know thats a lot of ques but like i said i am really confused and would really appreciate all the help from yall..

thanks

tc
S

If u want to settle in Mumbai/India post MBA u have 3 options(i hope u hv 2yrs+ exp):

1. MBA from US top 20 or top european schools like IMD/London etc. will cost in range of 60-70 lacs INR. ROI 1-2 years if u work in US/Europe. preferably in Invstmt bnkng or consulting. entry much easier than top Indian schools. later shift to Mumbai in a similar hi-paying role after you get ur ROI abt 2-3 yrs later.
2. MBA from IIM A/B/C/L only. highly compititive entry. costs abt 5 lacs total. starting sal 12-20 lacs depending on your profile in India job. US/UK jobs may fetch 75k USD to 150KUSD. u need to come out top 5% in class.
3. ISB or Asian schools like NUS-Singapore, CHKU/HKUST, AIM-Manila. cost wise 1/4th of US approx. ISB abt 16 lacs. exposure better than IIM's in NUS or AIM. GMAT based, easier than IIM's to enter. ROI depends.
An investment banking or consulting job will pay well. marketing may/may not.

GMAT prep, references, essays will play key roles in US/ISB/Asian schools. For IIM's CAT suffices.choice will be yours. take a decision based on your finances, career goals, personal issues, past work-exp.

Bizskool thanks for the advice ... i would have 2+ yrs exp but in wireless area .. i am a network engineer , so i dont have any finance or accounting background thats why i was hesitant on pursuing a career in investment or private banking , though i did think abt it :)

Can you or anyone who is alrady in a Bschool or graduated from one tell me if i should take some basic accouting , economics , etc classes to have some fundamentals before starting my MBA

Since i plan to start applying only by Oct 2007 , i have sufficient time to do all thats required to get into a good schools plus have some fundas cleared as well.

Also any idea of how one can get into Media line (Movies , TV , etc) .. any good school offering MBA In media management ??

Thanks once again for ur help

tc
S

1. your current pure tech background has no impact on your future career. u can go for Invst banking anyway as long as u do your MBA courses with rigor and dedication. most of the IIM toppers going to Lehman, Goldman etc were techies/MS in their previous avatars with pure tech exp.
2. Once u get admission in a school u get some time for basics. its better to have a basics overview of accounting, statistics. also brush up basic calculus for economics. dont spend more than a month or 2, 1-2 hrs a day. anyway b-schools conduct immersion sessions pre-course. this is not mandatory and up to you. as of now focus on CAT/GMAT etc.
what is supremely imp is to read bizworld/BT, eco times etc regularly. watch cnbc TV-18 and so on. also some basic fin mags like outlook money to get a hang of terms etc. visit WSJ site to get a hang of wall str.
3.Media line has two career paths...creative and client mgmt. creative parts they prefer non-MBA's. For client mgmt MICA, IIMC, SIMC and similar gets preference. however many media co.s recruit from IIM's and other schools for functions--HR, Fin and so on. starting salaries are usually low in media. chk the link...
http://www.iijnm.org/businessworld.htm

Thanks a lot for all that info ,i can prob think more clearly now :)

Hi !!!!

I read the thread, I am also in somewhat, similar confused position. I am finishing my graduation in Engineering. I hoped that doing an MS followed my and MBA would complete me. But here the case diferent. It seems that a masters degree looks lees of use for an MBA. Throw some light on this query please? Am really confused....?

Thanks
Vignan

Hi !!!!

I read the thread, I am also in somewhat, similar confused position. I am finishing my graduation in Engineering. I hoped that doing an MS followed my and MBA would complete me. But here the case diferent. It seems that a masters degree looks lees of use for an MBA. Throw some light on this query please? Am really confused....?

Thanks
Vignan

It all boils down to what you wish to persue , i wanted to c the american education system , get some opppurtunity conduct some research , teach undergrads , travel , etc .. and get some exposure to the international scene before getting back to india ...
Its just that i realized that after a while ur work in a technical field kinda becomes a plateau , u dont grow that fast .. thats why i decided to persue an MBA .. prob even change tracks .. switch to maybe finance or marketing .. and finally settle in bombay with a good high paying job ....

so think abt wat ur ultimate goals are ... if u already know that u dont wish to remain a technical person then i would suggest u try ur hand at an MBA ... however a couple of work ex always always helps .. and frankly doing an MBA just after school doesnt make much sense to me ...

would be grt if some of the more experienced guys comment on this as well

tc and all the best
S

ditto underemployed. decide what u want to do. i suggest work for 2-3 years. then decide on MS or MBA. if u want to go innovative nd like technical challenges etc in tech go for MS. pref from US or europe.
if u feel u are more of a ppl person, go for MBA afte 2-3 yrs. anyway u need time for CAT prep.

Hi....!!

Thanks bizskool and underemployed !!! That helped !!!

I am not genius at techical side, but am interested in both tech and MBA. If Doing MS and then going for MBA will help me, then I can go ahead with what i planned.

What say about Masters in Australia? Since the crowd goes to US of A, I don't want to be amongst them, still I have more contacts in Aus than in US, so is the prospect of doing it in Aus good enough? Any other nation is also welcome.....except US like I said, I don't like US.

Thanks in advance,

vignan(Pillagadu)

guys need ur help......

i m an engineerfrom mumbai university's somaiya coll....work ex of 1 year 4 months in cisco networks...as a presales guy in an indian ISP.....planning 4 my MBA....dat too in finance...(obsessed with equity market from last 6-7 years.....)

now i have got a call from J P morgan chase....in equity research\invst banking..shud i change my stream i.e IT(riet now) at this point in time..or continue with this....n later opt for equity\i.banking once thru with my MBA....gurus plz help...

how much can i grow in equity or invs banking...with out any finance backgrnd.i.e before MBA..though my concepts of stock market are good.....

guys need ur help......

i m an engineerfrom mumbai university's somaiya coll....work ex of 1 year 4 months in cisco networks...as a presales guy in an indian ISP.....planning 4 my MBA....dat too in finance...(obsessed with equity market from last 6-7 years.....)

now i have got a call from J P morgan chase....in equity research\invst banking..shud i change my stream i.e IT(riet now) at this point in time..or continue with this....n later opt for equity\i.banking once thru with my MBA....gurus plz help...

how much can i grow in equity or invs banking...with out any finance backgrnd.i.e before MBA..though my concepts of stock market are good.....


go imm for JPMC, work for a year or two. by that time u get a gud hang of invst-bankng industry. meanwhile keep preparing for CAT/XAT etc. am very sure if u get in to top IIM's or so, nd work hrd u get placed in invstmnt banks later with dollar sals. alternatively look at ISB/AIM-manila/NUS or top-20 US/EU colleges after 2 yrs of workexp in JPMC.
ensure u keep in touch with all finance mags and sites like CFO, WSJ etc. read ET daily. also some gud books by graham, soros, on buffett etc.

hi..thanks for reply...wud just like to know frm some1 who is working in i-banking.....that wat is d possany 1 who for an engineer to grow in the field of i bankin BEFORE doin MBA...

I want to do marketing, especially in my core sector field(Electrical and electronics). How are the opportunities?

Also what do you suggest?
1. Do MS in my core sector and then get some experiance, then go for MBA?
2. Get a core sector job right now(despite the low salaries and longer bond duration), get experiance and then go for MBA?

The fact is I am lured by the s/w jobs' salaries. So you think getting into a core-sector firm even after having s/w experience is possible? My final goal is to settle in a Electrical or Electronics related firm in a Sr.managerial position. So....what say guys?

Thanxs in advance!!!

I want to do marketing, especially in my core sector field(Electrical and electronics). How are the opportunities?

Also what do you suggest?
1. Do MS in my core sector and then get some experiance, then go for MBA?


If you want to get into marketing you don't need to be a tech guru on that subject. You just need to be smart enough to understand the basic stuff. You should do good with an BE for that.


2. Get a core sector job right now(despite the low salaries and longer bond duration), get experiance and then go for MBA?

What do you mean by a "core sector job" ? Which role are you looking at ? Sales ? Shop floor ?

If you are looking at shop-floor work i.e. actually working in a manufacturing unit, it will stand you in good stead in your future career in sales. Especially when you are going for corporate sales pitch.

If you get an opportunity to get into sales in some electrical goods then jump into it. Low pay and bonds (hopefully not more than 2 years) not withstanding.

I am saying the above because its hard to get an admit to a top bschool - but if you get through say a IIM-A or the like, scrap the above plan immediately and jump on the opportunity to do an MBA fast and dirty.



The fact is I am lured by the s/w jobs' salaries. So you think getting into a core-sector firm even after having s/w experience is possible? My final goal is to settle in a Electrical or Electronics related firm in a Sr.managerial position. So....what say guys?
Thanxs in advance!!!
I know you might lured by the fancy jobs but if you are so passionate about what you called "core-sector" there is no reason why you should land up in another TCS/Infy/Wipro. The pays and the foreign junkets might not be at par in the manufacturing sector but if thats your true calling you needn't worry about anything else.

Just one note - reading your mail I see that you are pretty confused as well as disturbed regarding what you should be doing in life and career. See if you want to meet a career counsellor, who can help you talk through your ideas and plans. Believe me - it helps !


Arun
tirthankshah_99 Says
hi..thanks for reply...wud just like to know frm some1 who is working in i-banking.....that wat is d possany 1 who for an engineer to grow in the field of i bankin BEFORE doin MBA...


Firstly please stop using SMS lingo in posts

Think about your own question "an engineer to grow in ibanking before an MBA". For starters what makes you think an ibank would even recruit you in the first place ?

But lets look at a scenario that they did (they usually recruit engineers for the mathematical modelling work or some back-end processing stuff) then usually people hit a road block in getting into the "steamier" side of things i.e. actually doing the trade rather than just helping out the traders. So many people want to do an MBA to make this transition and work as a trader.

Arun

Hi,

I have a work exp of 2 years in Telecom switching with clients like Nortel and Motorola.
Now i am looking to do my MBA so that i can land up in a service provider as a manager. The reason is that i have been eyeing for AIRTEL.

In order to get there, what sort of colleges should i look forward?

Thanks everyone in advance......................

An IT+Mktg MBA from any decent school will get u a job with Airtel. u need to post your detailed background and current position/co. etc for a better advise.
better to look for top tier schools and land in jr/mid mgmt level.

Thanxs Arun...I'll try to go to a career counsellor.....Thanx again....!!!! 😃

Thanks Bizkool................i was working in TCS for an year and 11 months and recently i have moved into sasken to provide exposure in the field of telecom services. I have always worked on the switching centre as a system test engineer.

I was really impressed by Airtel's growth story and a year back i decided to join airtel, but now if i do so, i will have to join in as a service engineer...........so i need to enter that firm as a middle/junior manager.

Can you provide me tips as to which B-schools i have to target.