Hi,

I have been getting these questions from some people who have been
consistently asking me "How risky is an MBA for my profile?" , and I am talking
about the people with around 10 to 12 years of work experience. This note will
also address questions raised by people with 5 + years of work experience.

I wanted to share this- I understand that a two year MBA program is relatively
easier for people with 3 to 7/8 years of work experience, and your options tend
to go down as the work experience increases beyond that. However, if you have
more than a decade of experience, I or any school cannot afford to have you
doubt yourself so much as to make them feel that they have to be magicians to
transform your life. You got to take responsibility for the decision you are
making and you got to prove it to one year MBA programs that you really feel
that you need that education.

Let me say this in another way- If you have more than 10 years of work
experience, you have got to convince the one year MBA programs about your
employability, about your past handicaps and your motivations of pursuing an
MBA program. They have to understand that - your Past + MBA = Short term +
Long term goals is a well defined equation that you have a good grip of. It is even
more important for them as they have more expectations given your current
seniority.

With 12 years of work experience, if you sound blank in terms of what you want
to do in the future, and continue to ask me - is MBA Risky proposition? , it really
suggests that you are not prepared to do an MBA or may be it is not needed in
your current work profile.

I can help you with employability, and your ENTIRE COMMUNICATION Strategy-
but senior applicants should ideally have a POINT TO START FROM. If someone
with 12 years of work experience says- "I HAVE NO IDEA what I want in my life
remotely and WANT TO GO TO IMD OR LBS OR INSEAD- please tell me is it
RISKY to Go TO INSEAD? " - it becomes a very challening conversation.

When I ask them- " Do you have a gamut of industries you want to explore or any
awareness of current handicaps?" and they say " I do not know- I just want to
earn more money but TELL ME is an MBA Risky propisition?"
My suggestion for this category- You should not consider an MBA if you are at
this stage clueless as doing an MBA will not serve the purpose of your life. MBA is
neither mandatory nor an end in itself. It is a means to an end.
I also acknowledge that people with more than 10 years of work experience have
families, kids, and other loans, and are keen on optimising their financial
situation. And I am with you on that. You just got to pick yourself up, be

aggressive in your research and find means to make your future career happen.
If you are deciding to get into a business school, you are keen on leading larger
P&L's or working for strategic projects in top tier consulting firms or are keen on
being with Tech giants in products, and marketing related roles - You are
someone who wants to get out of the existing job and meet a certain future. Well,
in order to do that, you got to start shopping. Shopping starts with research, with
a thorough understanding of where you will be, and an objective analysis of -
HOW AN MBA is placed between your present and your future. Open the
blackbox slowly and slowly- to start seeing all these things.

Do not ask- IS IT Risky? You can mitigate risk by removing the layers of research
gaps, and getting there. This is what the game is about.