I am an engineer with more than ten years of experience. It is true that one doesn't need a MBA to run a business or whatever but if you extend it further..one even doesn't need education to become successful. there are lot of examples where people without a Bachelor degree have become successful/rich/happy..just because of their individual capacity and at the same time they were at the right place at right time. Education/Degrees can provide some assurance of good quality of life at minimum, but again, to reach maximum, one doesn't need anything other than hard work, risk taking ability, right time and right place. Some of the qualities are natural and can not be taught in any institution..e.g. leadership, arts, courage, foresight, instinct..etc..however it can be honed further with additional knowledge and scientific practices. THis is true for MBA education and also for all other qualifications.
Just because Dhirubhai, Bill Gates, Mittal don't have MBA that doesn't undermine the importance of professional qualifications. It is always demand and supply, otherwise why there are so many management institutes around the world. Why businesses want to hire MBAs, if they don't have the potential? I have worked for Reliance for 8 years, where Mukesh Ambani believes that he can make an engineer a MBA but not otherwise but still he has an army of MBAs working for him. Also RIL has tied up with IIM-B to train (Exec MBA)few engineers every year, who will be groomed for top level positions. Believe me, professional qualifications can't survive, if there is no demand for those candidates and looking at the current environment, there is a huge demand for MBAs.
One more thing, why MBAs(deserving candidates), get higher salary (Generally) than people in the other profession? It all depends on risk and reward..while working for business, many times (not always) decisions taken by MBAs are irreversible and therefore one would like to have somebody who is capable enough for taking that decision. But then, how to figure out who is capable or not..first thing is professional qualification and after that it depends upon further screening and candidate's ability. By thinking that MBA qualification is not at all necessary to become successfull, we are depriving ourselves from further success. People have claimed in this forum, that they are successful even without MBA degree but then, people are successful without education. One can't generalize and tie success with anything particular.
We engineers also have competition from anyone who can do programming or project management. Any one who is interested in computer, can become a good programmer or project manager, but we all know, what difference it makes to a person once he goes through the college, I mean engineering. Same way, MBA is also package, which would be difficult to understand, unless we go through it. You like it or not, MBA is here to stay,as long as there is demand for candidates with that qualification. Also, good school can give u a head start, but in long run, person with better qualities and abilities would always win.
This a all season article on Rediffmail.com when ever management not able to find out a stuff to fill the page he used to write this type of bull-shit article again and again.
This exectly I told my dean 17 years ago.At the end of the course (part time three years) he was playing the mutual admiration game. Then I interjected and asked his views on end product. If the end product is not known how do you devise the syllabus. The syllabus at wharton and a little b-school cannot be same.The basic raw material is not the The dean then asked me to define the end product.To which I added (in addition to what the article says),Original in thinking ,audacious in planning in given parameters and environment. Peoples managers not managers manager.Basically the faculty at all B schools is of crammer's and not of performers .
B-Schools are good only for those who want to work for an already established company. Most successful entrepreneurs are not Harward or any MBA at all. I have seen people who has minimum educational qualifications roam around, get mingled with other people, suffer , find new ideas and become highly successful in building up his/her own business world. Then comes MBA people from all these Harward and all seeking employment.
MBAs might be able to manage a business effectively. But to establish a business, noone needs MBA. what they need is courage, perseverance, endless quest for opportunities, ability to quickly switch between opportunities, a strong mind to struggle until success and enough education. I mentioned enough education to indicate that to succeed, some people might only need 10th grade, for someoneelse whose ambitions are high might need more education, formal and informal. I do not think any B-schools teaches any of these qualities.
RE:B-Schools are for high paid jobs
by Tushar Ray on May 17, 2007 03:20 PM Permalink
You are quite right Biju. I am an H.R. Consultant & I've seen a lot of B School profiles have fallen flat on their faces venturing out on their own. Most of them wants to lead a protected life behind a brand.
RE:B-Schools are for high paid jobs
by vikas maini on May 16, 2007 11:23 PM Permalink
If you know all that, You should be too busy running around your business house, rather than waste time writing this article. Do something rather than just giving "gyan".
RE:B-Schools are for high paid jobs
by Biju Narayanan on May 16, 2007 11:35 PM Permalink
I am an international trader already. I have enough time now, but had not a lot of time when I started.
RE:B-Schools are for high paid jobs
by samsung on May 16, 2007 11:50 PM Permalink
Ha ha, that must be the apt answer these novices need. Advising others to DO...DO.... All I am saying is dont be blind when DOing. Or atleast dont mislead others
RE:B-Schools are for high paid jobs
by girish s on May 17, 2007 12:49 AM Permalink
Very valid Biju. DOing things doesnt mean stop learning or stop sharing. In fact, reverse is true. Even that is not taught in a B school.
Mark McCormac wrote the best-selling "What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School" remember ? So dont blame the author, its another matter that Mark was authority on business mangement being a global business achiever.
Formal B-school qualification definitely helps. It possibly helps the graduate more than it helps the company in the short-run. Sorry guys :-) In the long run, bookish knowledge is forgotten by most learn-for-the-exam students.
Me & my cousin have a theory. Intelligence, knowledge, qualification, employment, success, happiness have no relation with each other. You can find persons having ONLY and ANY ONE of above assets.
We could also say.. managers learning by experience learn by their mistakes. B-school grads SHOULD learn from others exeperiences. LETS HOPE its true. Therefore B-school boys ( n gals ) may be little more scientific in their management but NOTHING CAN MATCH SHEER INSTINCTS & GUTS.
How many are b-school grads are good Entrepreneurs ? and how many businessmen went to b-school ?
Statistically, B-schools are good for high salary jobs. This is the only conclusion i draw for sure.
For businss sucess, there is one mantra. Put your principles into dustbin, Bakra mile toh kaato.. its survival of the fittest, not honest.
Last word...... dont generalise on ANYTHING guys. You can be good example of contradiction on every line above.
RE:Top 5 Business Tips
by samsung on May 16, 2007 10:03 PM Permalink
What is 'very' good about it. Not bad, but i dont see what is 'very' good about it. Crap. Learning is inversely proportional to creativity. Of course we dont want to re invent wheels, but then too much learning kills the individuality. It paves way to safety, but not in the long run. Joining the top schools itself is a rat race, why talk about rat race in career. Mislead, mislead, mislead and then yonder. Crap
RE:Top 5 Business Tips
by rajat on May 16, 2007 10:22 PM Permalink
touche, samsung, touche. i want the 1.2 minutes i spent clicking on the link and writing this comment back.
RE:Top 5 Business Tips
by vikas maini on May 16, 2007 11:25 PM Permalink
nothing good...but not bad either. Think crap, live crap, write crap. do gud to u not to come again.
RE:Top 5 Business Tips
by samsung on May 16, 2007 11:31 PM Permalink
Thats why i said crap. Nothing good, nothing bad, that is good for nothing. If it is only bad, I would not have wanted to comment at all. Whoever does good does not say it, nor does he tells other to do it. Nothing good...dont you think there should be a FULL STOP after that?
RE:RE:Top 5 Business Tips
by girish s on May 17, 2007 12:53 AM Permalink
'Whoever does good does not say it, nor does he tells other to do it.' ..thats an assumption, and probably not a 'very' good ne.
There are n number of articles all start with same punch line
XXX skills B-Schools do not teach.
My simple question, if so much literature and information is avilable on what the B-Schools do not teach and host of other articles which some how reinforces the idea that an MBA is essentially useless.
A typicall top rated B-School MBA in the United States costs anything between 50,000 to 90,000 USD. and getting in them is another activity in itself. Having said that then why is that a M.S or a Phd from a top rated Enginering school in the United States does not get the same salary and compensation that a counterpart doing an M.B.A would get? A Phd candidate spends doing more "original" and "usefull" research which does in someways benifit all.
Why is this bias towards personality versus knowledge ?
Why do M.B.A get so much dough even after graduating from B-Schools which hardly teach anything ??
RE:Why should one then go for a MBA in a B-School ??
by Kangkan on May 16, 2007 09:36 PM Permalink
theres slight misconception here..mba is nt a course..its an attitude and to have an fiery attitude one does nt need to be an mba..and if one has that attitude he or she can make anything..anywhere..irrespective of his or her education..background..field of expertise...n blah blah...so dont feel biased...and if a person does nt have dat attitude even harvard or d likes cant do anything...no degree is enough if u dont kno wht to do wid wht u have..!
