Wanna take a break from work and go back to school?

Investment in executive master of business administration (MBA) programmes education has grown steadily. And it has become even more important in the post-liberalisation era. As the corporate turf grows more rugged, qualifications and degrees have begun to play a prominent and at times decisive role in a professional’s career.

In fact, it is a common phenomenon now that after putting a couple of years at the workplace, people take time off from their existing careers to pursue the executive MBA programme.

Even as the decision to go back to school by working professionals is usually made after a long period of introspection and thoughtful weighing of costs and benefits, yet for some, the question remains: how will the MBA work for my career” “It definitely helps as it expands the purview of the employee’s outlook and they start performing better,” says Selvan D, vice-president, talent transformation, Wipro.

Agrees Radhika Gopalkrishnan, director, Hewitt Leadership Centre, who says that though Indians have a   vertical approach of finishing their MBAs right after graduation, it is always an enriching experience after the corporate experience. “Then, the executive can figure out what he is really good at, before he joins the programme,” she says.
But all these accolades for an executive MBA programme hold good only if it is done from a reputed institution, says Anupam Bhasin, director, human resources total quality management for Hero group of companies. According to him, the programme from a good institute offers a lot to be learned through real business case studies and unique methods of teaching like role play.

The MBA programme not only helps in widening the perspective, but is also a better way of doing MBA. “That is because the work experience helps the professional to relate to what is being taught in the class, which is a definite advantage,” reveals Aruna Sharma, general manager and national head, ITES, Adecco Recruitment Solutions.
Most programmes built from the ground up are designed to help seasoned professionals and senior managers with an effective blend of theory and practice, after which they actually start performing better. “As their performance improves, it automatically gets recognised and they are rewarded. There is a distinct change in work behaviour and the aptitude after an executive completes his MBA,” says Selvan.

Another added advantage that comes with an executive programme is the superior networking and “the way to build a peer group”, says Gopalkrishnan. He feels that adding that an executive MBA is a great card and an opportunity to interact with better minds and faculty. This obviously gives the executives an edge over competition. “In today’s world, where we have a personality-driven environment today, it is essential that any executive who plans to forge ahead from the managerial cadre to the top job, should be smart and sophisticated. The MBA programme equips you with all these qualities,” says Sharma.

According to Selvan, an executive MBA programme is not hypothetical but more real-life for the student with work experience. “In fact, the Wipro executives who do their project work assigned in these courses, do it in a Wipro context, where they apply what they have learned while they were working and the project is further continued in their work life as well,” says Selvan. The company has gone a step further to help its executives get the coveted MBA degree by tying up with the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore and U21Global, a global online graduate school.

So after packing in a couple of years at your workplace, go for that one degree which could make a world of difference to your career.