Life is made up of choices.

Every day we need to make different choices.

Getting into an MBA is such a choice that will shape how you spend next 1 or 2 years of your life.

Here is what you can expect when you get into an MBA program.

• You can expect meeting new people.
• Expose your brain to new challenges.
• Get you ready for a job or an entrepreneurial career.

The rigour and quality of these inputs may vary depending on the institution you choose.

But you will find them to some degree in most of the programs.

If you spend your time well while in campus – you can expect a bright future ahead.

Now companies – mostly in private sector but also in public sector, though to a lesser degree – hire MBAs.

The opportunities for all professionals (including MBAs) are on the rise. This is because many multinational corporations – enthused by positive sentiments for BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) are now entering India. Many are already here. They want to use large Indian middle class which is getting richer by day – to keep their growth going, as most of the

So opportunities are there. But do not think of MBA as a golden ticket to heaven.

Think of an MBA as a boot-camp for life which will give you a chance to broaden your horizon and get you ready to make a mark but you need to spend your time wisely, work hard, be consistent and stick to a plan.

You can get an MBA degree or diploma with lesser effort also but if you want to create a solid foundation for life then – be ready to exert yourself.

Take up leadership activities while you are at campus. Do not wait for somebody’s permission to do right things. Do what feels right. You may end up making some mistakes, but will come out richer with experience.

If you aim to work outside India then spend time honing your foreign language skills. All good institutions offer such classes for students who want to learn them.

Join extra-curricular activities. Play sports so that you remain focused and energetic.

Academics

On the academic side, a business administration program is designed to develop competencies in people to handle business, resources, and activities – to work collectively towards a certain outcome – like increasing revenue or profitability.

The idea is that people who study in an MBA come out equipped with skill sets and knowledge – to help businesses stay competitive in ever changing business environment.

With the expansion of business and industry, there are a wide variety of career options available these days. Many departments / functions have come into being which were absent till recent years. People nowadays play specific roles in the workplace rather than handling almost everything.

Individuals now have more choices and one can choose a specialisation according to their liking, which results in increased job satisfaction and faster growth. Some of the general careers options available include the following-

Marketing and Sales: This function is about reaching out to your audiences with your offering. The end result is more revenue for the organisation. Here there are varied functions like promotions, advertising, selling, public relations etc.

Human Resource Development: The human resources functions involves every activity right from recruiting / hiring people to retaining them, tracking their performance, training them and to ensuring their well being / satisfaction.

Operations: The professionals working in this function ensure that business operations (production, services etc) happen efficiently. However the function entails different responsibilities in different industries. In retail the operations manager might mean the head of a store or the entire business, same is true for hospitality. In production specific industries, the operations manager oversees the quality of output and ensures compliance.

Finance: The take care of the numbers and track the inflow and outflow of money, do budgeting and track the spending of various departments.

Besides all these you may also be working in production, client servicing, liaising and other specialised functions which are industry specific.

An MBA provides you with the right skills to perform in the workplace.

Hope this post shared some insights.

If you have some questions please feel free to ask in comments.