Hello Akshay,
I tend to see it this way, where there are two sets of engineers who pursue an MBA after engineering:
The 1st category of people aren’t actually doing the right thing; i.e., pursuing a Management degree in close succession to an Engineering.
Management degrees ideally augment one’s career & professional growth prospects, only when they are learned in an experiential way. So if an Engineer with 5 years of work-ex looks for an MBA, his learning outcome would be much higher than a fresher, as his 5 years would’ve given him a roundabout perspective of business, leadership & management.
People choose to do MBA post engineering primarily because of peer pressure, when they compete for growth in a Pyramid shaped org structure where, as you approach the top you have limited seats!
The notion is, with an MBA degree, you can now outweigh (or compete in equal standing) with peers for the next level.
It’s also a notion that with an MBA degree, managerial opportunities (people management) comes your way as some sort of qualification.
While these sort of thinking aren’t wrong, in my view, aiming for a management program should be done with a long term view instead of getting the next promotion or getting to manage junior engineers (which one would anyway attain if he’s good at his job).
What I mean by the long term is - the real value created for oneself in the next 10 - 15 years horizon. What are these values? Let’s see some of them with examples:
However, I feel it’s not just about getting lucrative campus offers with great companies that should motivate you in pursuing an MBA.
I clearly am gonna suggest a third alternative here, doing Executive Programs based on Immersion/Experiential learning mode.
Usually, these programs focus on Leadership & General Management, instead of functionally oriented MBA. That’s what can put you in a never-ending trajectory in the long run as companies eventually want Leaders with hands-on perspectives than management grads.
Also, another great advantage with these programs is that you are part of a class that represents diverse background & experience, that collective learning is so rich for self-development & contribution.
And the real value, in the long run, is the power of your network. An executive program gets you sitting next to a CXO level guy, that can go beyond opening doors! Opening a whole new world of opportunities!
Colleges such as INSEAD (Instead Leadership Programme for Senior Indian Executives), Harvard, Wharton, etc., are queuing up on Indian shores for filling up their Leadership programs. That also lets you to simultaneously continue with your current job!
There’s no disadvantage of doing a management degree, hence not covering it in my answer!
Hope you found my perspective useful?
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