5 Reasons on 'Why to do an MBA'

Okay, back after a while with a very important post, especially for all future MBA aspirants. Earlier I had written about 5 reasons for not doing an MBA. Naturally that led to many people asking me, ‘Why then should one do an MBA?’ Here is my answer- 5 valid reasons for doing an MBA.

1) To reach/work upon one’s Goals: Yes, you guessed it. Goal with a capital G. Football lovers, I mean your aims and ambitions, sorry. I know the following statement sounds really clichéd but I will say it anyway- ‘A person without a goal is like a ship without a rudder-ie he keeps moving aimlessly from one point to the other without achieving anything definite and failing to reach his destination.’ So if you have already made some real career goals, and are confident that an MBA degree will help you in reaching new heights, as well as fulfilling your goals, then by all means go for it. And if you haven’t made any goals yet, there is no time like the present. Let those grey cells work, or rot. Your choice, Mon Ami.

2) To enhance your Managerial Skills: You desire to be a successful manager and leader. And you feel an MBA degree will make you one. You want to learn how to manage a team, or run a company efficiently. You already have some innate leadership skills. And you want to develop them or ameliorate them further. Doing an MBA will certainly help you in this regard. Especially in polishing your skills. Note that you need to have some amount of Managerial talent and leadership skills. If you are totally blank, and expect that an MBA will insert such skills within you, as in magic, then you are totally mistaken.

3) You want to become an Entrepreneur: Don’t get me wrong. It’s not mandatory for a person who wants to be an entrepreneur to do an MBA. Far from it. But it will certainly help you in the long run. After all an Entrepreneur should be a good leader and manager as well. He should have the risk taking ability and the ‘Dare’ inside him/her to do something different. Moreover, if you want to become an entrepreneur, you should have a clear vision of your ideas. Do not be tempted by money and try to curb your greed. Make definite plans and put them into action after assembling a team of able persons who share your vision.

4) You have Genuine interest in Business: You are a person who loves reading Business news, and business magazines. You keep a hawk’s eye on the Stock Market. You love watching Business rivals battle it out. You also like working with numbers, as in Finance, and you like comparing different types of advertisements and promotions, suitable for Marketing. Or you like analyzing people and their ability for working in a particular line. You can identify who is suitable to become a manager, as in HR. Similarly so on and so forth. If you are really such a type of a guy/gal, then I am sure that an MBA will help you enhance your career prospects.

5) To make it big in the Corporate World: Just like the world of Fashion, the Corporate World has its own glamour or charm. If you are a person who feels magnetized by that charm or attracted to the Corporate World like a guy who has his first crush, then I believe an MBA degree will certainly help you. You are probably a type of person who wants to make it big in life. But remember by big, I do not mean someone who just blindly rushes after money and fame. In that case, he/she is likely to get neither. But also make sure that you have good communication and managerial skills.

These were the few reasons I had in mind. Of course, there can be many others. But I decided to restrict them to 5. If one or more of the above reasons apply to you, then surely go for an MBA. With hard work, dedication and persistence, success will surely come up to shake your hands. But unfortunately, the current trend of engineers pursuing MBA only for the greed of money, largely persists. Something needs to be done about this, and fast.

Take care. All comments welcome as usual. Adios.

The Dragon Breathes Fire

Okay, this is not really an article. Just something I would like to express my views on.
Recently, India and China have been locked in a vortex of verbal wars or conflicts. China expresses its discontent on some issues and India on others. Let us look into what has got China aggravated.

First of all, the Dalai Lama issue is always ubiquitous. Whenever he makes a statement or visits Arunachal Pradesh, China always has something negative to say about it. I really do not see the point. The war with Tibet is long over (though the belligerent feelings remain). Yet, every move the Dalai Lama makes is closely watched and examined by the Chinese Government. Some Chinese officers claim that he issues statements which are Anti-Chinese. But the Dalai Lama is an Indian citizen now, and I really don’t see the reason why China should keep on interfering with his every move.

Secondly, as I mentioned in the previous paragraph, the issue of Arunachal Pradesh. China proclaims that after defeating India in the 1962 war, it has occupied large territories of A.P. and that now it is a part of China. Can anything be so ridiculous? Arunachal is an integral part of India, and has always been so. The recent elections confirmed this, with over 70% poll attendance. Yet, whenever our Prime Minister/Dalai Lama/Other VIP visits A.P., the Chinese get offended. They claim that such actions will deteriorate Indo-Chinese relations. I really don’t see any legitimate reason for the Chinese Government to get offended by this. Not unless they want to expand their territory and military base.

Lastly, China is now considering Jammu and Kashmir as an independent nation not a part of India. They are even issuing a separate visa (on a piece of paper) for it. The logic being that the region is a disputed area which both the Indian and Pakistan Government lay claim to. Chinese officers have gone so far, as to the extent of creating a separate map for India which does not include Jammu and Kashmir as an integral state, but a separate nation. I would not even like to comment on this ridiculous report. Who knows, next the Chinese people will announce that Alaska is not a part of the USA, and should be considered as a separate nation since it has a far colder climate.

There are many other trivial issues which are resulting in minor and major conflicts between the two countries. And neither side is ready to give in. Anyways, let’s hope for the best, and wish that the issues get resolved soon.

I Stand Alone

These are the lyrics of my current most fav. English song, 'I stand Alone'. Band- Godsmack. Was the theme song of the game 'Prince of Persia- Warrior Within.' Incidentally, one of my most fav. PC games. This song is really good people, do listen to it. I feel its related to my life as well. So here are the lyrics:


I Stand Alone lyrics

Now I've told you this once before
You can't control me
If you try to take me down you're gonna break
Now I feel your hatred nothing that you're doing for me
I'm thinkin you outta make your own way
I stand alone
Inside
I stand alone
You're always hiding behind your so called goddess
So what you don't think that we can see your face
Resurrected back before the final fallen
I'll never rest until I can make my own way
I'm not afraid of fading
I stand alone
Feeling your sting down inside of me
I'm not dying for it
I stand alone
Everything that I believe is fading
I stand alone
Inside
I stand alone
And now its my time (now its my time)
It's my time to dream (my time to dream)
Dream of the sky (dream of the sky)
Make me believe that this place isn't plagued
By the poison in me
Help me decide if my fire will burn out
Before you can breathe
Breathe into me
I stand alone
Inside
I stand alone
Feeling your sting down inside of me
I'm not dying for it
I stand alone
Everything that I believe is fading
I stand alone
Inside
I stand alone
Inside
I stand alone
Inside
I stand alone
Inside

Querulous Ahoy!

Querulous. The word means habitually complaining. Usually refers to a peevish attitude.
But why am I mentioning this now? I don't suppose I am taking any vocab class at present. (Though I intend to in future).

The reason is simple enough. I believe this word is applicable for most of us. One of our favourite pass-times is sitting around gossiping and complaining about others. We like to blame everyone and anyone we detest. Be it our teacher, servant, friend, relative, uncle, principal, washer man, doctor, whoever. It makes us feel good. As if we are taking a load off our backs by criticizing others and finding faults with them. Never mind the fact that we are ourselves far from perfect, and that such faults exist within us as much as they do within others.

Whenever I sit down for a discussion, usually the topic changes till we all begin criticizing or complaining about someone or something. I will give you a few examples.

'Uff, that idiotic teacher knows nothing. In fact I can teach him a few things or too. I wonder why he doesn't go elsewhere to torture students.'

'Damn it, its so hot. I can't stand the heat. And the stupid AC is not working. What kind of a place is this? And I am thirsty too.'

'You foolish servant. You dropped and broke my precious glass. You are always up to no good. Someday you will steal all my goods and run away. You rotten scoundrel.'

'Silly boy. Again got only 75% while XYZ got 90% marks. You never study and waste your time drawing and playing chess. You are a good-for-nothing loser who will never be able to succeed in life.'

'You know what. India can never progress. The over-population is killing me. And there is pollution everywhere. I cannot even breathe properly. The people here are rude and insolent. The crime rate is increasing day by day. And buses or trains remain as crowded as ever. Plus the politicians never grow tired of looting us.'

I could keep on giving numerous such examples but will stop here. I think you get the picture now. I admit I am myself 100% guilty of being a querulous person. Though my favorite topic for criticism is the Indian Education System.

It is very easy to lift your finger and point at someone else to blame. But remember that every time you lift a finger at someone, three more fingers will point at you. So from next time before you start your silly game of complaining and blaming, pause and think for a while. 'Am I doing the right thing?' Sure, we have many problems in life, but we should tackle them with an optimistic attitude. Complaining and blaming will never help in solving your problem. At max, it can give you just a temporary sense of relief.

I would like to end this post with a quote from Guru Granth Sahib:

'Nanak Dukhiya Sab Sansaar. So Sukhiya jis naam Adhaar.'

This means that according to Guru Nanak, the whole world is sad. The only person who is truly happy, is the one who takes the name(and believes in) of God.

5 Reasons on Why not to do an MBA

You may be surprised about this, coming out of an MBA aspirant himself. But yeah, MBA has become the recent fad, and I believe its too over-hyped. So here are the 5 main reasons. There are other reasons too, which I will mention later.

1) Money. Yeah, money. Cold, hard cash. Money, honey, yeah yeah. There is a saying in Hindi, ‘Paisa Bhagwaan Nahi Hai. Par Bhagwaan se kam bhi nahi hai.’ (Money is not God. But it is also not less than God). Probably it’s one such thing, which almost every man or woman is after, in this world. It’s also probably the major reason for the majority of crimes and wars which are prevalent ubiquitously. So what is my point? That money is not important? That we should not aim at making money? Isn’t that illogical and absurd? What are we studying for anyways? Isnt it to get a decent job and make loads of money? Well, money is surely important, no doubt about that. But if your primary aim is just to make money, and do nothing else, mark my words, you will never succeed in life. But unfortunately this is the number 1(and plausibly the only) reason for the majority of students who want to pursue an MBA. So it is but natural that most of them end up as failures, or get into some odd jobs which they end up hating. Reason being simple enough: They themselves had no idea what they wanted in life apart from money. Earn money, surely. But by good means. And though an MBA degree will surely help you in doing so, money in itself should NOT be the main reason for becoming a manager.


2) Because my friends/peers are doing it: So if your friends decided to jump off a 100 storied building, you would too, right? Please say yes. Come on, lead your own life. Create your own individual identity. You should not pursue anybody else’s dreams. Make your own. And just because all of your friends are giving Management exams does NOT mean that you should blindly follow them in lure of money and fame. According to me, this is also a major reason for failure. The student himself is clueless as to why he wants to do an MBA, and consequently he plans nothing for the future and makes a mess of it. This is because he/she never performed a self-analysis test. On whether an MBA will actually help him/her achieve his/her goals or not. In fact, I have seen students giving CAT simply because their room-mates/friends were doing the same, and they did not want to be left behind in the rat race. Nowadays, in India, the situation has become such that almost 4 out of 5 students want to do an MBA. And most of them are doing it because they see others doing it. Some do it because their parents/uncles/relatives advise them to. This is not only silly buy extremely ridiculous. As Napolean Hill remarked, 98 out of 100 people do not pause and think as to what they actually want to do. It’s the remaining 2 guys who obtain success as well as money.


3) Because MBA is the only way that I can be successful in life/Get a great job: On the contrary the truth is far from it. Though it’s true that if you get into a top Bschool, you will definitely get a good job, with a handsome pay-check. But then, not everybody is suited for the corporate world. We all hear about youngsters getting into IIMs, young entrepreneurs making it big, but scarcely do we hear about people who have passed out of IIMs(or other good bschools) in their 30’s or 40’s. This is because most of them join any job they get with a high salary, get so immersed in the hectic schedule that they have little time for anything else. As a result, they don’t even get time to spend their money and enjoy or relax. Rather the only thing they are spending their money on seems to be on ‘health’. Not surprising for persons who work 14-18 hours a day. Ultimately, one should remember that a person comes empty handed and returns empty handed. You cannot take your money with you to heaven. So why so much greed for it? But we don’t seem to learn our lesson. Money is all that matters. No matter how much I have to sacrifice for it. Sigh! Guys, becoming a manager is good, and an important occupation no doubt, but it’s not something everyone and anyone can do. The current trend is a good example. Most engineers go into Bschools only for money and fame. They are least interested in Business or the Corporate World, but more interested in placements. They end up becoming mindless machines who keep working past their limits and finally lose everything they have earned. Their family, their money, their fame, and sometimes even their sanity. No wonder so many of them commit suicide in depression. Why does something that tragic happen? Simply, because most of them were not suited to work in the Corporate World. But they went ahead, because their friends were doing the same and due to their lust for money, without realizing their true potential.


4) Because you want to study in the IIMs/Other premier Institutions:
Sure, getting into an IIM/Other good Bschool is a very prestigious thing, and something which is a dream of lakhs of students. But you should not aim to do an MBA only for that reason. I have seen people who badly wanted to get into the IIMs but had no clue as to what an MBA/PGDM was. Their logic was that they wanted to study at a Premier institute, and since there are no IICs(Indian Institute of Commerce) or IIAs(Indian Institute of Arts) or IIMEs(Indian Institute of Medicines), or IILs(Indian Institute of Law), it would have to be the IIMs. For such people, the course contents or the degrees do not matter at all. The only thing that matters is the money and fame. By getting into an IIM, they will supposedly get both. Who cares whether they teach Business or Management or Economics or Law or whatever. We can adjust to anything. Just give us quick bucks and fast fame. Obviously if you feel that you can be a good manager and can adjust well in the Corporate World, definitely aim for the IIMs, but please don’t do it only for the fact that you feel they are the ‘shortcut to success’, because they are not.


5) Because you feel that you are consummate in English and also a Maths Wizard: Even if you are impeccable in Maths, that does not automatically qualify you for an MBA degree. Rather if you are really that good, you should either do an MSc./Ph.D. in Mathematics, and continue your research in Mathematics either in India or outside, under the guidance of an experienced Mathematician. But no, you would not do that, would you? The reason simply being that it’s not luring enough, and it would not give you a seven digit salary. So, rather you opt for an MBA. Never mind the fact that you don’t know the B of Business, or that you have not even touched a Management book in your life. But you are supremely confident of cracking the CAT, because your Maths is God-level, and you speak in English (more to show off than anything else) wherever you go. Though the CAT and other Management exams do test your proficiency in Mathematics and English, that does NOT mean that if you are good in either or both, you should do an MBA. But unfortunately, in our society such is the prevalent case. People only see MBA in front of them, killing any scope of creativity within them. The student could have done better if he had pursued English or Maths at a higher level, say he could have become an eminent etymologist or Operations Research Expert. But he is rather forced to do an MBA, and get into a corporate job which he hates from the start. People presume that since a person is good in English and Mathematics, he should do an MBA. In fact the actual truth is just the reverse. A manager should be proficient in English and Maths, and NOT the other way around. In fact I have seen people attempting CAT, simply because they loved the feel of the paper, its pattern and the way it was set. No wonder CAT attracts so many engineers. Because engineers love working with Maths, Logical Reasoning Puzzles, even Verbal puzzles. But one should have a real motive as to why he is pursuing an MBA. And that should not be something asinine as ‘I like the syllabus/pattern of CAT’ or ‘I am good in English and I love solving puzzles.’

Anyways enough typing for now. More on MBA later. Hope all of you liked this article. I definitely enjoyed typing it. See you later. Take care folks.