How does geographical location of a B-School matter?

When you decide to take up the post-graduate program in management, you are faced with several issues including:

  • the choice of B-school from among the several available options
  • the choice and availability of your electives for specialization at the B-school of your choice
  • the placement track record of the B-school
  • the industry interface of the shortlisted B-schools
  • the teaching methodology used
  • the presence of well-qualified and experienced faculty
  • the infrastructure
  • the industry perception of your choice of B-school and
  • the fee structure

In addition to the above parameters, there is yet another area that needs your attention.You need to decide upon the geographical location, from where you want to pursue the MBA program with respect to the professional avenues it holds for you. With many business schools having their presence in different cities across the country, you may find yourself confused over your choice of B-school and its respective location.

Prior to your zeroing-in on a location for pursuing the management program, you must be clear about your prospects from the MBA program and how it will equip you to achieve your goals in life. To help you take this decision, let us focus on the implications that the geographic location of a business school can have on your career path and professional as well as personal growth.

Some locations hold more relevance from the placements perspective based on different industry verticals. Some studies and researches have indicated that cities located in Western India may offer better opportunities when it comes to overseas placements particularly in the Middle-East.For individuals aspiring to take up positions with the global firms in the overseas business environment, the cities of Mumbai and Pune emerge as the most desired places. Pune offers ample professional avenues in the IT industry to give your career the needed head-start.It also has a number of automobile companies, especially the leading car manufacturers of the world.

If you are willing to study international business as a specialized discipline during the course of your management program, Mumbai, being a port city, could be a good choice that can help you secure a job offer in the global market. Likewise, if your interest lies in making a career in finance, Mumbai, the financial capital of India, is the perfect destination for you to give your profession the much needed boost. Also, with the major players in the corporate segment headquartered in Mumbai, it has evolved as a centre abounding in finance jobs catering to different management levels.

Information technology (IT) as a management specialization is the foremost choice of the aspirants, especially when they come from a background in Information Technology, such as Bachelor in Computer Applications or an engineering degree in computer science. Bangalore, also known as the IT hub of India, gives you the chance to explore the immense potential that it has with a sizeable presence of leading software companies in the city. The capital city of Karnataka will give you ample opportunities to tap your technical talent. Moreover, this IT city offers you the chance to be employed with a small entrepreneurial venture in a challenging role, or be a part of the large software enterprise having a firm hold in the market.

Dubbed as the cyber city of India, Hyderabad is another important destination with respect to the prospects and potential it holds for the aspirants looking forward to a role in the Information Technology industry.These IT cities of Bangalore and Hyderabad have emerged as the most sought after places with respect to the various employment avenues they offer in the IT industry and the quality of work culture, according to recent trends.

There may be some who, after completion of their management program, would like to explore the career choices in the manufacturing sector. Getting an opportunity to be employed with a manufacturing plant gives you a chance to see and understand the processes involved in the different units of the plant. Moreover, your knowledge of project management can come in handy in planning, scheduling, risk management, quality management, quality assurance and quality control of the various manufacturing processes.

Ahmedabad, being one of the highly industrialized cities of Gujarat, unlocks a world of opportunities for you to exploit your competencies in different verticals of the manufacturing sector,which include textiles, chemicals, fertilizers, electrical engineering, petrochemicals, and cement. Another location which has emerged as the industrial hub of north India is Gurgaon in Haryana. An important part of the National Capital Region (NCR), the city surely holds promises for those interested in making a career in the manufacturing industry with an increasing number of industries setting up their manufacturing units here.

Another pertinent issue that may come in the way of your thought process while choosing the right geographical location to pursue a management program is whether you want to stay closer to or away from home? There are aspirants who do not want to join a business school of repute having its campus in their native town. One of the main reasons cited for this trend is that during the two-year management program,the students get to know about different cultures and get to live and bond with students coming from different parts of the country.

Living away from home can also help imbibe a lot of confidence as you get your first lessons on self-management through your personal experiences. After all, the management program is aimed at transforming your inherent characteristics into the most preferred attributes of the business market, self-confidence being an important aspect of your personality. Staying away from your home or city also helps to widen your horizons through a learning experience with respect to the prevalent cultures and customs of your country.

So, we can conclude that your choice of the geographic location of a B-school can have long-term implications on your career.If you base your decision on your interest areas for the various industry verticals, it can go on to be a stepping stone to success in your corporate endeavours. So, think, analyse, prioritize, and then decide which city should be the best possible option for you to pursue the management program.

 

4 thoughts on “How does geographical location of a B-School matter?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *