Saturday, June 27, 2009

Management Part 2

*Continued from Previous Post

They choose engineering as everyone around them is doing so, and then shift to management, apparently for the same reason. But the truth is that, there is not much in common between the two streams. Management is more apt for B.Com, Economics Honours or BBA students, than engineering students. They have many subjects in common as well. Those who have a natural inclination towards business will like MBA as well. But how much does engineering and management have in common? Apart from say, Mathematics, I would say, hardly anything.


One of the arguments (or reasons) stated by a few engineers on why they want to shift to management, is that they are bored of their subjects, fed up of the technical aspect, and find no scope in the present scenario with just an engineering degree. Now come on. Why did you take up Engineering in the first place, if you hate your subjects so much?

India is currently facing an acute shortage of capable, skillful engineers. Mainly cause all the best engineers, say from IIT’s and NIT’s, are shifting into management for more profitable careers. True, they may earn millions, and fill up their own pockets by getting into the corporate world, but very few of them ever utilize their engineering skills. Honestly I really see no other reason for a IITian to get into management other than the lust for money (and more money, cause they can still earn a significant amount with just their engineering degree, but prefer not to). If you think otherwise, ask yourself this question. ‘Would you have preferred to do a MBA , if you could have earned much higher pursuing some other degree?’

One of the professors in an IIM rightly commented during an interview, ‘If all engineers want to become managers, then who will do the engineering jobs?’ Even the guys who do go for engineering jobs, almost always choose IT jobs as the first priority. This is also another reason why India has such a serious shortage of talented chemical, mechanical, instrumentation(and other core branches) engineers, as all of them are either working in an IT job(never mind that they don’t have any base in IT, as the IT companies don’t bother about that), or are currently pursuing a MBA.

And I don’t see the situation improving any time soon. Not until say a third degree comes up, and displaces MBA from the top slot.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmm....Your article potrays a grim picture of the current scenario.In my opinion,engineers will make good managers provided they have the innate ability and inherent interest in business.The fact that the fields are a world apart doesn't matter because as engineers they have been trained to think in a highly analytical manner to solve complex problems,they've been through competitive exams and internships.many opt for engg oriented MBAs too like the one offered by NITIE,Mumbai wherein they can combine their knowledge in both and excel in their career.All b schools also prefer engineers to graduates from other disciplines at the time of admission for the same reason.So it's no wonder if u find engineers dominating the MBA scene.Besides the research and other engg related professions are by no means under threat.Even today you will find a major chunk of guys heading for MS or M.Tech after their GREs and GATEs.It's all a matter of individual interest and inclination.The only reason why grads fresh out of a B school may be incapable would be because of the quality of the b school he/she studied in taking into perspective the mushrooming of so many unrecognised,unknown ones today.

Prajeesh Jayaram L said...

I am sorry to read this post.
Statements like
"no other reason for a IITian to get into management other than the lust for money" are totally wrong.
Engineers go for an MBA for varied reasons which I can't elaborate here. And time and again they have made great managers!
And regarding the little overlap between engineering and business studies
it is specifically due to this reason that engineers do a course in management. They have no idea of how business works, so this course is necessary for them (I feel more than that of a B.Com grad.).

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