Hi all!
I am a 2010 engineering pass out and have been with a consulting firm for more than 2 years now. I am thinking about taking a break for a few months and then giving cat 2013. The reason for this break is that i want to take some time off work to figure out what i want to do with my career ( since my current line of work is definitely not making me happy). So i would like to know how such a career break will be viewed by B-schools or for that matter other employers in India. The genuine reason being to get a perspective about what I really want to do in life.
The problem would be that as I am targeting 2014-2016 for doing an MBA, if i take a break now and not go for another job before my MBA, i would have a gap of about 10-12 months least(considering notice period etc.). Is that too big a gap to justify with the mentioned reason ?
@user26 Well depends on how the interviewers take it. At some institutes they might take it as a negative, saying you're not able to multitask (as they may not be convinced about taking time off to retrospect and plan, but then take it as time off to prepare for entrance exams!!). Somewhere else they'll appreciate it and not take the gap as a drawback to offer you an admission (provided you do well in GDPI). So how well you can convince them matters.
Maybe you can think of doing something rather than sitting completely idle. Follow some unique hobby you have (if any), contribute to an NGO, do some certification in an area of interest viz. Marketing, Finance, Operations etc., look for some live projects/internship (2-3 months) duration or something like that.
@htmailr Try www.letsintern.com Not sure if there is anything good, but you can go through and check.
ok guys... here is my situation... let me fill you all up about my background first..I am in 3rd year of doing BBA from a clg affiliated to PU(Panjab University). I got 60% in non-med (science) in 12th. We have a manufacturing business(unorganized) which is running quite well and in the future I plan on joining that only.
Now my dilemma is what should I do after my graduation is complete. I do want to pursue PG but am not sure what to do. I did not give CAT this year because I feel that since am going to work in the unorganized sector in the future, MBA education won't be as useful as the 2 extra years that I get to put in the business. Also the costs are too high and ROI low.
Right now am checking various options available to me. I don't know why but I am leaning a bit towards CAT 2013. Reason might be because I know that if I commit to it once, I can get good scores and get to good clg and maybe with 1-2 year of job, recover the amount invested in the education. The negative point is that all this is variable. I might not get good job/clg/score. Also I am not sure how much time I would opt for the job because I want to stay with my family only and there arn't any companies who would offer good packages in my area. 2 yr is absolute max. 1 year is realistic.
What are my other options?
I am also looking at some diploma courses in garment industry which might help me in business. Anything which I can do side by side with them?
Thanks!
@ajaygovindg Thanks..There is another interesting website, I found http://www.letmeknow.in
This has all for aspirants and those looking for Internships
, Ex-curr activities etc
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, Ex-curr activities etc.. Thank you
Hi!!! great thread..
I want to share my situation with u all and will be glad if i can get few advices/replies:
After mine graduation in Chemical Engineering(B-Tech IITD), i went on to work for L&T; in Engineering Department for 2 years. I had interest in Finance field from my graduation days but wasn't able to get the job in that field. During my days in L&T;, i cleared CFA Level 1. So after 2 years i thought of quitting the job and seriously try to get admission into a top B-School. CAT went well. So hope to score good there.
Now the problem is that in this time period (Dec-June) before i join some B-School, I want to do some useful to boost my resume as well as to use this time. I have thought of preparing for CFA Level2, GDPI's once results of CAT are out and gaining knowledge of different Finance streams(my knowledge apart from Level1 Cfa course is in nascent stage). So if you guys can guide me about any other activity i can do in this 6 months time, it will be of immense help.
@gaurav1137 I would rather recommend that you not lose focus and get into other things which can be done after you get into MBA also!! Your clearing CFA Level 1 itself shows your interest in Finance domain. I don't think you should waste time as of now in preparing for Level 2. Rather focus on GD & PI preparation. The more you read and prepare the better it will be. Also if you prepare for CFA Level 2 also now, the questions in your PI will completely revolve extensively around Finance, and finally you MAY lose your confidence and have to put up a sorry face if you don't know some answers. If you're still very particular, maybe you can try for some easier and simpler certifications like NCFM, FLIP etc. Check out the certifications for profile building thread here in PG to find some.
Join a coaching institute if you want or else for prepare by self, which is your choice. I would recommend former at least for GD preparation. For GD read anything that interests you and don't just read but deep dive and read some background info also if possible, analyze, introspect, and look at it from different perspectives (positive, negative, neutral) with supporting/opposing points for each view. For interviews prepare some points like your Strengths, Weakness, Why MBA, Projects and anything related to your work exp, achievements, some of the core subjects from your grad, where you see yourself 5/10 years from now, Why Finance, concepts you learnt for CFA Level 1 etc.
@ajaygovindg Thanks a lot for ur prompt and extensive reply..
You do really gave me a mind provocative thought of going extensively into CFA or Finance before MBA and then have a sorry face if I am not able to answer some questions there.
I just need to ask you one more thing, If I use this 6 months time only for GDPI preparation, how would i justify this 6 months time to the interviewer.
PS: I also have a chance to join a coaching institute in Mumbai to teach students for JEE dr-parttime 3-4 hours and receiving some good bucks for living in Mumbai. I can also enquire something about joining some NGO if u think thats a good idea..
Again thanks for ur interest in my conundrum and for your useful reply.
@gaurav1137 Yes you can think of contributing to some NGO, or take up that part time teaching job. Or like I said you can also think of some small/easy certifications like NCFM etc. And you can easily justify why you left your job at L&T; and took up other options like these. You can also think of some suitable small internships of 2-4 months duration. Check letsintern.com and letmeknow.in for that. :)
@ajaygovindg Thank u...I will certainly look into all the options that u suggested to me.. Thnks again...
Does working in ites( I.T enabled service ) as a data conversion specialist or quality controller consider as relevant work experience? pls helpďťż
Hi !!!! i did my engineering in computer science.when i was in the pre-final year,i gave CAT(2011) and fared really badly.At that time,i felt my focus was divided between many things like engg studies,placements,project work etc.so i decided that i will write CAT 2012.In engg,i got placed in a gud company but due to the recession,i haven't received joining dates even now in december,i graduated in june 2012.during this time,i gave CAT and i dont think that was my best performance.maybe i will not do well this year as well.and i feel since i dont have work experience,i do not even know which stream is best suited for me-finance,marketing,operations etc. how can i use my time in the most fruitful manner when sitting idle at home.how can i choose the best stream for myself so that i can put my career in the right path?
I addition to what was said.....am i hurrying with this mba stuff???should i take more time to understand the different streams...like in my company the diff streams for training are .net,java,data warehousing and SAP.i am not interstd in programming stuff and further in lyf i want to do my mba as well.so what stream should i choose so that my mba and job training go hand in hand?
@Aravindpadman Any full time work experience after graduation will be considered. But usually work experience less than 1 year is not considered significant enough, although you'll get some due credit for not having sat idle for that time. But above 1 yr of work exp will be considered as significant in your profile, and if its 2yrs plus then you also become eligible for lateral hiring.
@rk90 Well if you're not interested in the technical side (or coding) then MBA is something which can definitely help you get out of it! Anyways with an IT work experience you're not going to understand about MBA specializations! But you can READ through some of the below threads to get an idea of what each stream/specialization entails and what you can expect (profiles, nature of work, why the particular profile and for whom it is meant etc.)
But then about specializations/stream in MBA, you need not decide now itself where you want to get into. If you're unsure about it, you can go through the MBA rigor for first year where you'll learn basics of all streams and then by end of that you can decide where you want to get into.
i did my engineering in IT ..written CAT this year,,im interested in doing MBA in hotel management or hospitality management ,,,,i want to know how the career will be in this field of management,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Puys,From two years i am not doing job so to get success in B-School entrance exams but this year also i not made up to top b-school so i am thinking to give again in next year,So is giving one more year for B-school entrance exam is justified ?????
@Sunil.Bathini I wouldn't recommend that!! You've already wasted 2 years over this and another year added to it will definitely have a big impact in your B-School admission interviews, and if by god's grace you get through somewhere you'll have a tough time in final placements after MBA justifying this gap.
I would recommend you start searching for a job, work for 2-3 years and then look for full-time/part-time/executive MBA after that.
@kishor9704 Hotel/Hospitality Management is a very niche area with limited scope. Some of the career options after the course will be Front office Manager, Food and Beverage Manager, Banquets Manager, Assistant Restaurant manager, Hotel Administration, Travel & Tourism Management, etc.
Indian Institute of Tourism & Management, IGNOU, Institute of Hotel Management at Aurangabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bangalore etc. are some leading institutes you can look for.
But I'm not sure of how good prospects will be after doing such a course. You can also think of doing a general MBA programme with specialization in HRM and look to make your own switches (you wouldn't get a campus placement in such niche areas) to get into groups like Oberoi, Taj, ITC etc.