After 8 years of my IT career, I have made up my mind finally - the great 3 letters! M.B.A.
I have not even begun but am already confused!
Take up a GMAT to reach to LBS or
Take up a CAT to reach to IIM?
One thing I can assure is - Either places I have decided to put the best efforts and score best. Guys, can you please help me take the right track?
GMAT or CAT?! LBS or IIM?!
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Hi neethusnair,
While I am not an expert on the IIM, I do know that the program you're interested in will dictate whether you should take the CAT or the GMAT.
To help you decide, you need to define a couple of things:
1) What career path do you want to be on? What field do you want to work in?
2) When do you want to apply to school?
3) If you plan to work at a particular company, do you know if one degree or the other would be beneficial?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
While I am not an expert on the IIM, I do know that the program you're interested in will dictate whether you should take the CAT or the GMAT.
To help you decide, you need to define a couple of things:
1) What career path do you want to be on? What field do you want to work in?
2) When do you want to apply to school?
3) If you plan to work at a particular company, do you know if one degree or the other would be beneficial?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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Hi Rich,
So glad to read your response.
I am born with a confused brain creating confusions in every thing i think of! I am looking forward for a "change" in my career path. But, what I want.. which path should i take...where i should do...these are still a big question mark. I did my bachelors in Electronics and Communication engineering with the intention of joining ISRO but unfortunately landed up in IT field. Though I had the desire to take up my second degree I was stuck here and continued working for the next 8 years,. Now it's like I have reached a full stop and I have decided I am not going to postpone my desire of taking up studies.
I love working in the communications filed itself like ISRO, DRDO..
But at the same time since I have assessed myself as a management savvy, I can excel really well in organizing, planning, analysing , managing, controlling and stuffs like that. and so I am little confused if to take up any M.E or M.S to puruse my career into communications area or prefer MBA to go into management.Very recently when I spoke to my mentor here, he guided me that MBA can help me in any field i plan to work on.
and so I finally decided not to turn back aggain and fixed my eyes on MBA!
Now, within MBA I dont have any preferences as of now.
Thanks
And so as a first step to bring this "change" in place, I have decided to go for MBA the sooner possible. Now to answer the questions:
1) What career path do you want to be on? What field do you want to work in? - I'd like to take up a scientist/management role
2) When do you want to apply to school? As sooner the possible
3) If you plan to work at a particular company, do you know if one degree or the other would be beneficial? Not thought about that yet.
So glad to read your response.
I am born with a confused brain creating confusions in every thing i think of! I am looking forward for a "change" in my career path. But, what I want.. which path should i take...where i should do...these are still a big question mark. I did my bachelors in Electronics and Communication engineering with the intention of joining ISRO but unfortunately landed up in IT field. Though I had the desire to take up my second degree I was stuck here and continued working for the next 8 years,. Now it's like I have reached a full stop and I have decided I am not going to postpone my desire of taking up studies.
I love working in the communications filed itself like ISRO, DRDO..
But at the same time since I have assessed myself as a management savvy, I can excel really well in organizing, planning, analysing , managing, controlling and stuffs like that. and so I am little confused if to take up any M.E or M.S to puruse my career into communications area or prefer MBA to go into management.Very recently when I spoke to my mentor here, he guided me that MBA can help me in any field i plan to work on.
and so I finally decided not to turn back aggain and fixed my eyes on MBA!
Now, within MBA I dont have any preferences as of now.
Thanks
And so as a first step to bring this "change" in place, I have decided to go for MBA the sooner possible. Now to answer the questions:
1) What career path do you want to be on? What field do you want to work in? - I'd like to take up a scientist/management role
2) When do you want to apply to school? As sooner the possible
3) If you plan to work at a particular company, do you know if one degree or the other would be beneficial? Not thought about that yet.
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Hello
GMAT or CAT?
Usually students in India give both to keep their options open. For you, however, time is a constraint and giving both successfully may take more than a year. I would suggest you to take GMAT as schools in India as well as abroad accept it. With CAT you can only make it to the IIMs if you clear a certain percentile. GMAT on the other hand will give a lot of options and an average score will not shut all doors. But if you have decided to pursue MBA in India and not abroad, CAT should be the way to go.
As far as your career is concerned, with 8 years of gap and no experience in electronics during it, ME or MS could be a little difficult. It is certainly doable but you will have to work very hard and probably brush up most of your undergrad courses when you begin. It will also be a little difficult to explain o admission committees why you want to pursue MS after so many years of working in IT. The explaining could be a little easy if any aspect of your IT job was related to electronics in any way.
An MBA makes more sense, but remember that post MBA even if you work for a tech related firm, your role will be more of a managerial kind than technical. You won't be able to work in a scientist position with an MBA. If you decide to go ahead with an MBA you might want to take a look at few schools which offer an MBA concentration in technology. Usually such MBA programs benefit from strong graduate programs in engineering -MIT - Sloan, Wharton, Stanford, Tepper, UT-Austin McCombs, Minnesota - Carlson, UMD - Smith.
All the best
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Application Reviews and Mock Interviews by alumni of your Target B-School
GMAT or CAT?
Usually students in India give both to keep their options open. For you, however, time is a constraint and giving both successfully may take more than a year. I would suggest you to take GMAT as schools in India as well as abroad accept it. With CAT you can only make it to the IIMs if you clear a certain percentile. GMAT on the other hand will give a lot of options and an average score will not shut all doors. But if you have decided to pursue MBA in India and not abroad, CAT should be the way to go.
As far as your career is concerned, with 8 years of gap and no experience in electronics during it, ME or MS could be a little difficult. It is certainly doable but you will have to work very hard and probably brush up most of your undergrad courses when you begin. It will also be a little difficult to explain o admission committees why you want to pursue MS after so many years of working in IT. The explaining could be a little easy if any aspect of your IT job was related to electronics in any way.
An MBA makes more sense, but remember that post MBA even if you work for a tech related firm, your role will be more of a managerial kind than technical. You won't be able to work in a scientist position with an MBA. If you decide to go ahead with an MBA you might want to take a look at few schools which offer an MBA concentration in technology. Usually such MBA programs benefit from strong graduate programs in engineering -MIT - Sloan, Wharton, Stanford, Tepper, UT-Austin McCombs, Minnesota - Carlson, UMD - Smith.
All the best
www.interviewbay.com
Application Reviews and Mock Interviews by alumni of your Target B-School
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Take a look at this link.
https://www.iimahd.ernet.in/programmes/pgpx.html
https://www.iimahd.ernet.in/institute/ab ... kings.html
Take a gmat and apply for PGPX ( 1 year residential program ) at IIM- Ahmedabad. This program is quite rigorous and application is challenging too. Keep a open mind and go for it.
The PGPX -XI (2016-17) application deadline will be somewhere in early August
https://www.iimahd.ernet.in/programmes/pgpx.html
https://www.iimahd.ernet.in/institute/ab ... kings.html
Take a gmat and apply for PGPX ( 1 year residential program ) at IIM- Ahmedabad. This program is quite rigorous and application is challenging too. Keep a open mind and go for it.
The PGPX -XI (2016-17) application deadline will be somewhere in early August