The fad about MBA

When I started writing this blog, I wondered to myself why would someone be interested in reading my blog, I did not score a 780 on my GMAT, I was not talking about the world politics or climate change, I was not going to write a perfect recipe for chocolate mousse or 5 ways to lose 10 pounds in 15 days, why would someone be interested in reading what I wrote. Then I thought everyone wants to know a story, and they like killing time reading random stuff so why not try my hand at it.

Ever thought why the world is crazy about pursuing MBA, earning a master degree in business is the most in thing today all across the world, with colleges offering the course mushrooming like wild flowers, graduates are churned in thousands across the globe. But the question boils down to why is the fad spreading like an epidemic, and why is the world going gaga over it.90% of the people who wish to enroll in the programs or are already enrolled in one have these sole reasons to pursue the course one to earn money, get a good job, a hefty pay package and the other get a good spouse (boyfriend or a girlfriend) or simply hot chicks or cute hunks, travel across the globe, own big homes, and be eyed by the world. Now think hard can all this be achieved otherwise? For the 90% of the world that follows the league that MBA is the answer everything no you cannot, in 50 % of the cases yes you can, invest in stock market, know your stock, start an online business, use your talent basically explore there are 1000 ways to make money in the world, for the rest who believe it cannot be done they prescribe to the view that MBA is the guiding light, they don’t know what they want out of life, and they believe that a masters degree would expose them to a variety of options, business opportunities, and would show them the calling of their lives. Apparently it does not do all that what the degree surely equips you with is knowledge, rather it bombards with you with readings and theories, you can choose to download it into your system or just swallow it in, puke it out on the day of the exam and then delete the cookies and off the knowledge goes. So yes it does provide you with choices, but then that creates a paradox of choice, as Barry Schwartz said the more choice you have the lesser satisfaction you get from achieving that thing, because all this while you struggled with what its best. Take it this way when you go out shopping you don’t stop at the fist shoes store and instantly buy the shoe, you go on to the next shop try a couple of pairs and then decide which one is the best out of those you saw, but is that the best pick, for the time being yes but then had you searched more you would have found a better one, so it’s just a compromise not a real choice in the same way MBA does open a lot of doors but does not crystallize which one to choose, it gives you choices but does not do the choosing. The two years are passed getting use to the crunch, sleeping less, drinking more coffee, rather partying every night just to get the assignment tension off the hook, chasing girls, running away from cocky boys, going for trips (if you want to go back to college life, after working your butt off as a software engineer for 2-3 years, or as a Delhi university grad tired of not getting promotion because a MBA got that job, these trips give you a good break). At the end of this comes the placement time and then it all comes down to the same question how much money do I get from this job, can I pay back my loan from that, and again the cycle begins, after two years you realize earning a hefty package or taking that holiday across the globe once a year is not what life is all about, it’s about enjoying every single day. So why MBA? Shouldn’t the fad be about following your heart and knowing what you really want to do, rather than getting a degree since my friend got it, or my neighbors’ son got it and he has a hell lot of money!

I am sure this would set many of you thinking, let me divide my reader category, One fourth of you who already have taken this step in life would relate to the boozing stories or may be the whole thing, other one fourth who are just about to take this step, would contemplate can this be right?? No..its bull shit if that was true wouldn’t the whole world know about it already, the other one fourth would be like this is not true MBA taught me everything and I am happy with my job (though you spent 12hrs a day at work, but you believe 10 years down the line it would all be worth the cause..I hope it is.. ) and the rest would be nodding and saying good take, who knows what’s it like anyway who cares, it still will remain a fad .