The God of Cricket started his farewell speech with “My life, between 22 yards for 24 years,…” Sachin Tendulkar’s international cricket journey was already six years by the time he was 22 years old. On the contrary, majority of Indian youth in the age group of 22-24 years, are still struggling hard to shape up their career and secure their future.
While one half of the young strugglers are already working, the other half makes a choice to pursue higher studies for another couple of years. But, almost everyone has something in common- the urge to become an MBA.
But, the question is, why is MBA so attractive? On top of all the primary reasons, over the past two decades, the demand for business management professionals has grown, fuelled by economic liberalization and the consequent growth across multiple sectors of the Indian economy. To cater to the growing demand, educational institutions have mushroomed, offering MBA / PGDM programmes. Better the academic standards of the institute, stiffer are the entry norms. Different institutions conduct entrance examinations, scores of which are considered for admissions. Besides being inter-disciplinary, management education demands certain qualities from prospective students. Important among these are:
– Analytical mindset, to process available information for effective decision-making under uncertainties
– Comfort with quantitative number crunching, for data analysis
– Interpersonal skills, for working in cross-functional teams
– Verbal communication, to put across ones views effectively
– Written communication, to put across ones views effectively
– Creativity, to think outside the box
– Leadership ability, to effectively lead teams, departments and organizations
– Knowledge and awareness of important events / trends / developments in multiple fields
– Ability to ‘connect the dots’; to establish meaningful connections between seemingly isolated developments
– Risk-taking ability, to dare and design innovative solutions to practical problems
– Street smartness
Of course, the selection processes for MBA/ PGDM admissions – through entrance examinations / group discussions / personal interviews – are designed to evaluate prospective students on some or most the above mentioned criteria.
The question you need to ask yourself is – AM I GOOD ENOUGH FOR THESE QUALITIES? A critical, unbiased self-analysis is a pre-requisite for the right answers to emerge out of this introspection. Done correctly, probably with the consultation of friends, the answer should guide you to the right path. Further strengthening your skills and continuously working on your weaknesses will definitely make you a right fit for an MBA / PGDM (that too from a premier institute!!!). That would be the beginning of a professional journey that shall outlast Sachin Tendulkar’s professional career. All the best in your future endeavor.