They say if you throw a stone in any direction, it’ll definitely hit an MBA. Well, it might be the case. But, MBAs are not the ones who will dodge to escape it, they will catch it and throw it back with double the force!

MBA sounds quite a professional degree to most. People think it’s about suits, meetings and presentations. However, many do not realize that there are lot of different kinds of stuff which has to be done and completed before one wears the suit to proceed for a meeting, or for a presentation!

Chasing targets before a corporate meeting are neither shown in movies nor in the flashy images on websites of the company. The beautiful girl sitting before a laptop and smiling, is probably forced to pose for a flash second, after which she gets back to work. Work, which is far more serious and difficult than posing for a photograph for a magazine or career page of a big multinational company.

Finance is a field which many aspire to be a part of thinking they would be like Hrithik Roshan in the film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. True, finance people do that, but just a few of them! Not everyone is a ‘hot-shot’ investment banker. Many are analysts and associates sitting in front of laptop and making reports, analysing data and providing consulting services.

Marketing, which happens to be my area of specialization, is perceived to be a field where a person gets to travel a lot. I used to think so too, before getting into it. Well, yes, if it is sales, travelling it is. Though don’t think it will be a joy-ride. It’s travelling to distributors’ offices, sometimes to shops and yes, between cities and states as well. It’s not a leisure travel, but the one of pressure and chasing targets! Brand management, generating ideas and coming up with taglines for products is something that most marketing aspirants dream of. Yet, what comes the way of few of them only after they have had a lot of ground level experience. For some, even that doesn’t happen. I am not saying people do not join on these positions, but it’s like top 2% of the MBAs in marketing. Rest have to make their way up to that point.

Many aspirants think of taking HR as majors believing they would be the ones throwing interesting questions at candidates during interviews after few years. Yes, it’s a part of HR but that’s not what HR is all about. It’s much more than that. Training and development, deciding compensation of employees and managing events in the organization are all a part of HR, and the list is even longer.

There are many misconceptions regarding what MBA is all
about, and what an MBA does! I am no expert on all fields, but yes, I am an
MBA, and a happy one! This article is just to make the picture clear for the
ones aspiring to be one. All the best!