Kirthi is the Independent Country Director – India at Grand Valley State University, MI USA. A former Senior Admissions officer at Schulich School of Business, York University, he comes with over a decade of in-depth experience in the Higher Education Industry.
He has participated and has mentored Professionals at Global Events such as NAFSA, AIEA, GMAC, and EAIE in the US, Europe & South East Asia. His experience spans across Market Entry Projects, Student Recruitment, Admissions, Financial Aid, Campus Administration, Public Relations, Strategy, and Marketing. Kirthi is a Bachelors’s in Psychology and has a PG Degree in International Business from IIFT, New Delhi.
Management education has been playing an important role in creating Business leaders for over 100 years and is going through constant evolution. Today, getting admitted to a leading Business School is a Herculean task and it is even more important to figure out if pursuing a Management Education Program is necessary considering increasing tuition that is heavily hitting Return on Investment. Moreover, there are too many different formats that are delivered online and offline, so how does one figure out the best, is there a best?
Individuals pursue a Management Education Program or MBA for several reasons, some of the top intentions are the following:
- Career Shift:
Who wants to wake up every day morning and go do something that they do not like. If you are someone that has found interest in a different function than you are in or even in a different industry, it is time to give it a thought. An MBA can help you make that transition. Shifting a function is less complicated than shifting your Industry, however, both are very much possible.
- Career Acceleration:
MBA can truly accelerate your Career by providing you the right skills and network. In today’s day and age, it is very much required to equip yourself with unique skills at the right time. So, if you want to swiftly accelerate your career, go for it, but choose a program that is highly relevant to your goals.
- Entrepreneurial spirit:
Management education is not mandatory to set foot on an entrepreneurial journey, however, the way you approach problems and situations will change through Management Education. You will also develop a good sense in Finance and think critically and analytically. Needless to say, a network that you will build, and brand will go a long way in supporting your goals.
- International Exposure:
Do not pursue an MBA to move to another country, but go for it if you can see value in the Program that can help you build a successful career anywhere in the World. Undoubtedly, pursuing an MBA opens up tremendous opportunities in the region where you are going to school, so if some School says you can study in India and easily get a job in Canada, you do not want to go there.
- Build the right network:
MBA is not just about gaining academic skills, it is about an Experience, and Networking is an important ingredient. If you just wanted academic skills, you can get it online for a free or minimum fee, most probably a Professor from a leading school will come and teach you. However, you cannot get the entire MBA experience online. Learning the art of networking is something that can help you in personal and professional spheres.
If you are in the process of figuring out whether an MBA is right for you? it is first very important to understand what value the MBA can provide and it is of higher importance to understand if the value is relevant to you?
Just pursuing an MBA Program and gaining some skills will not lead to a successful Career, however, pursuing a Program where you can gain the right skills will surely lead to a successful Career.
Here are 5 steps that you can consider to figure out if an MBA Program is a right option for you?
- Career Introspection: Understand, appreciate, and recognize your achievements to date.
- Do you love what you do? Ask yourself if you are happy with what you are doing currently?
- Goal Setting: Chalk out a Five-year Career Plan for yourself?
- Expectations from MBA: Once you have your plan, understand the skills, network, or any other support that you may require to meet your goals?
- Program and University Selection: Find a Management program that has the relevant Academic, extracurricular, and Co-curricular activities that can help you meet your goals.