Free Career Counselling Online | Indian candidates
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Re: Jobs and Career Related Advice
Post by souvik101990 » July 21st, 2012, 6:00 pm
I am at a fix
need some advice if you have some time.
I ll just copy paste my post from gmat club so that you get the drill
Before I go into the main topic, a little background
I am Indian/male/NON IT.
I am working for Siemens Ltd for the last one year
Got into Siemens right after graduation
My college GPA is average and college extra-curricular is pretty great(have been the cultural secretary and placement coordinator)
I am about to take my gmat in september. Currently I am at 710-720 level. Hoping to aim at 760 and thereby apply for fall 2014(will be completing 3 years of work ex by then)
Short term Goals(5 years after bschool): Get into general management/Marketing mostly in consumer electronics. This is majorly to repay the loan and gain some corporate experience from a bird's eye view
Long Term Goal: I am incredibly amused the quality of education that is being taught at almost all states of India. I have figured that more than teaching the poor, i am interested in excellent education and personality development, and thereby I want to open my own institute.
With the long term goal in mind I have applied for Teach For India fellowship program. This will make me quit my high pay job at siemens and go outside my state and rely on a low income for 2 years. Also, this will defer my bschool admission for a year.
But considering my long term goal I think I ll enjoy this work more than what I do now, and this would help me in the long run.
I see tons of people in gmatclub with altruistic wisdom. Please help me out and tell me whether I am doing the right thing. Post 2 years, I have to get into a bschool, considering siemens wont take me back and applying to engg companies after teaching for 2 years does not make much sense.
Also, I wanted to know would GMAT adcoms undervalue my work ex as a teach for india fellow for 2 years. In that case it might just become too risky and probably I ll have to stay in siemens and work something part time in the education industry.
Any advice will be much appreciated.
Thanks
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Re: Jobs and Career Related Advice
Post by mbadropout » July 22nd, 2012, 2:31 pm
Here are my thoughts:
//My college GPA is average and college extra-curricular is pretty great(have been the cultural secretary and placement coordinator)//
Strong college extracurriculars is good, though it is going to lose quite a bit of its shine 2 years from now. Work experience, short/long-term goals, coherent story, etc. are going to be more important then.
//Also, I wanted to know would GMAT adcoms undervalue my work ex as a teach for india fellow for 2 years. In that case it might just become too risky and probably I ll have to stay in siemens and work something part time in the education industry.//
When you apply to bschools, you will be competing with a large number of Indian applicants. Most of them are going to have a hard time differentiating themselves from the rest of the pack. If you are able to build a solid story around how you came to be concerned with the "poor state of the Indian educational system," and how you intend to do your bit in reforming it (by establishing your own institute, etc.), all of this supported by your decision to quit a well-paying job (Wipro) and join the Teach For India program, I think you've got yourself a winner. However, ensuring that your story is coherent and believable would be key - my guess is that there won't be many like you, and there lies the danger of all of this sounding like a load of hot air.
If, on the other hand, you stay on with your current firm and take up something in educational reform part-time, you will end up "sounding" like most of the other applicants.
Conclusion: Working for a couple of years in the Teach For India program could give you a distinct edge. When you finally apply to business schools, ensuring that you have a great story that flows smoothly, with the right amount of details/specifics, would be key.
-Amit.
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Re: Jobs and Career Related Advice
Post by souvik101990 » July 22nd, 2012, 2:45 pm
Its Siemens, not Wipro btw.
Anyway, you and some other important people in my life have made me completely secure about my decision to join TFI for 2 years.
Hopefully one and a half years from now, I ll be seeing you guys for admission help and everything that you all are best at.
Cheers
Souvik
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Re: Jobs and Career Related Advice
Post by mumbaiindian » July 26th, 2012, 11:39 pm
please guide me for few querries that i have relating to 2 year pgdbm in india.
i am a bcom graduate with 4 years of work ex in mumbai.i have a average academic record througout my schooling and graduation.
in may 2012 i left my full fledged job for further studies.. to pursue mba..and i am quiet determined to do a 2 year full time pgdbm only..
so in may 2012 i took a gap from my job for joining a coaching institute and self study, as i wanted to join one of the top 30 institutes in india.
however my cat xat and cet scores were all in the range of 80's and as a result i was able to secure admn in a local college in mumbai for mms degree through cap rounds of DTE.As i dont want to join a job again unless i complete my mba degree,i am thinking of joining this mba college this year and simultaneously studying again for cat 2012,whose forms are going to be out very soon.
so my ultimate question to you is
"Is it possible for a student to leave his mba degree from current college after completing only 1 year or midway(till then all procedures for my cat attempt,gdpi would be over) and joining other higher ranked college for a 2 year mba afresh.do current colleges ( anywhere in india) allow students to leave their institute,before their 2 year course is completed.
fees not an issue,but simply can a student leave 1 institute and join another midway.
please help
admissions are on, and have to take a decision quickly for this year.
your help would be appreciated
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Re: Jobs and Career Related Advice
Post by mbadropout » July 27th, 2012, 4:03 pm
//fees not an issue,but simply can a student leave 1 institute and join another midway.//
I believe this should not be an issue if you terminate your enrollment as per policies/guidelines/mandates of your current college. From my experience, I have seen a large number of successful IIT-JEE candidates (that go on to join B.Tech programs at IITs) that were enrolled in B.Sc courses at local colleges earlier, where they had parked themselves while preparing for the exam.
Once you submit an application for termination and complete formalities - pay up all dues, fines, etc. - in the records of your current college, you will simply be marked as having "dropped out". Obtain a certificate/letter stating the same and you should be fine.
All the best for CAT!
-Amit.
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Re: Jobs and Career Related Advice
Post by mumbaiindian » July 29th, 2012, 4:42 pm
thanks for throwing some light on the issue,
looking forward to have a wonderful relation with crystallball in the future,
keep up the good job and keep helping the needy..
would like to know,if any mba student had to leave his institute midway and his experiences with the authorities ,while leaving the graduate school.
Re: Jobs and Career Related Advice
Post by sansd » July 31st, 2012, 12:38 pm
I am in a dilemma, it all starts with the stagnation at my workplace, over here, I work in a building design company in Kuwait, there is no growth at all, no increase in responsibilities and absolutely nothing financially. These are some of the reasons why I am looking into an MBA, firstly it would shift me from middle east where the onus is on buttering your superiors rather than the actual work, secondly the growth in my career which has actually stagnated with me being just 3 years into it. I have decided to purse my MBA in India due to the financial restraints, as going to US or Europe will drain me and family out of a lot of cash and there is no certainty of a job looking the economic conditions in the west. My profile is as below,
School: X & XII - 82% - CBSE
Coll: Mech engg - 6.6/10 - Bits Dubai
Work: Currently 3 yrs exp in HVAC Design in a Building Design company in Kuwait.
Ec's: A few in school in college part of the organizing committee in sports festival....won prizes for cultural events in inter-college and intra-college events.... currently part of the office cricket team.
My biggest prob is 610 in GMAT....should i take my chances and apply fr this years application..currently I'm looking into ISB, as that's the only application which is open, and after that I will apply to other b schools in India. I applied last year and got interview calls from XLRI and IIT Bombay but couldn't convert, maybe due to my GMAT score.
My query to you is with the experience that you have, can you please suggest me the next step that i should take and is the score good enough for schools in India to accept me, as I think MBA is quite necessary for me to learn new skills and would be valuable in my career, the only concerning point that I am looking for in a b school is its placement scenario, as I passed out of Bits Dubai with no job in hand, even after their 100% placement claims and I struggled to land a job, which I don't want a repeat of. I don't really mind switching my career as its still quite early for me. You might add why don't i jump around to India in the same field, now every company that I know of requires min. 5 year exp, which I fall short of and by the time I reach the point I would not be having the quality in my experience for any one to hire me, due to the stagnation in my job profile, therefore the only way out is an MBA.
Please excuse me for writing such a long post, but I am in a desperate position, as the years are passing by and I am not adding value to my career which might come and haunt me in the later stages of professional life.
Thank you, and eagerly waiting for your reply. Hope to get some real direction from you.
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Re: Jobs and Career Related Advice
Post by mbadropout » August 1st, 2012, 1:01 am
Here are my thoughts:
//My biggest prob is 610 in GMAT....should i take my chances and apply fr this years application..currently I'm looking into ISB, as that's the only application which is open, and after that I will apply to other b schools in India. I applied last year and got interview calls from XLRI and IIT Bombay but couldn't convert, maybe due to my GMAT score.
My query to you is with the experience that you have, can you please suggest me the next step that i should take and is the score good enough for schools in India to accept me//
Though your GMAT score is only one component of your entire application package, I think in your case, a high score would go a long way in "offsetting" your GPA. As you have indicated, your current score isn't good enough to get you into ISB (or comparable schools) comfortably. Therefore, in my opinion, first you should do all that you possibly can to score higher.
I would suggest that you first take the GMATPrep test(s) and see where your currently stand. At the least, invest in a good GMAT prep book as well as the GMAT Official Guide if you already haven't, and religiously start working on the theory/concepts from the former and problems in the latter. Retake GMATPrep tests and reassess the situation. If your score hasn't improved substantially, you might want to consider other GMAT prep material (scout GMAT Club forums for reviews/feedback on GMAT prep material). The objective is to obtain a score that would offset your GPA, which should be somewhere in the region of 700+ (average at ISB is 710). Since the GMAT is more of a test of test-taking ability than of intelligence, armed with the right methods/theory/concepts and practice, your score should improve.
If you can get all the above done in a couple of months, by end of September, you could apply to ISB this year. That way you would be able to spend the two months after, till mid-November, on various components of your application, one of the most important of them being the story (conveyed through essays, interview, etc.).
Now, coming to the story, you are clear on why you want to do an MBA now (job issues, stagnation, compensation, etc.). However. the admissions committee is going to look for a story that should ideally flow smoothly from the past (B.Tech, job, etc.) to the present (why you need an MBA now) on to the future (what are your future goals and how an MBA will help you realize them). Building a convincing story is key, which is going to take a considerable amount of time.
Conclusion: I am doubtful that all of the above can be achieved between now and November 30 (deadline for Cycle 2 at ISB). Since the average years of work experience of successful applicants at ISB for the current batch is 5 years, you still have 2 more years before you hit the sweet spot. If I were you, I wouldn't rush things this time. I would stick to my current job, or take up another (better) one if I could, and give GMAT my best shot. Once GMAT is conquered, I would spend a substantial period of time on the story, etc. Next year, I would send in my immaculately crafted application to ISB in Cycle 1. Between now and application submission time, I would add some useful extracurriculars to my profile which would help strengthen my application.
-Amit.
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Re: Jobs and Career Related Advice
Post by karthikiyer007 » August 13th, 2012, 11:04 pm
Please find my profile as below
Profile - X/XII - Above 75%
B.E Electrical and Electronics - 62% (would be around 6.0 CGPA)
Work - Exp - Total 30 months ( includes a mix of start-ups, software services, social media and manufacturing)
Short Term and Long Term Goal - Although I have been changing many jobs and have directly or indirectly worked with different functions, I am basically a marketing/business development guy and I dont want to deviate much from there. However in the short term goal I want to deviate from the present B2B exposure to a more B2C one, to add more variety and experience. Here I am practically open to the entire gamut of consumer products i.e from consumer electronics to auto-mobile to retail goods and even to an extent of FMCG. I plan to have this deviation post my MBA that will be like 2 years from now on once I take up my MBA electives in consumer behaviour, marketing communications etc. . Growing in that phase would take me 5-7 years where I can foresee myself into a mid-senior management position and from there I plan to go for a market oriented role where I would like to handle multiple products, multiple brands slowly making may move into a leadership position. I am only envisaging this at a good 10-12 years post my MBA. I don't want to hush up things but yes for me this would be like a very good road map. I would like to know whether this roadmap is feasible in the first place. The constraints would be however I will look to spend the majority of my post MBA time in India. Initially I am ready to invest 2-3 years globally. I want to keep my options as open as possible, yes it may be perceived as lack of focus but again want to hear your opinion as is it safe to have such a broad vision?
2) Return Of Investment - This is an area where I have had some discussions with some of my peers who are taking up MBA courses at ESADE, Maryland and the feeling is that they are expecting the recovery period to be around 6 years average ( going for the worst case scenario, considering they come back to their previous employers). My interests are oriented towards marketing/business development and also in the course of my MBA I also would take some electives on general management as well , I am primarily looking at schools having reputation for marketing and or general management. So firstly, what would be the average ROI period for such schools and secondly since I would be spending much of my time in India, what would be your advice on the choice of region for the course.
Also considering my profile, would it be worthwhile If I plan for a late 2013 admit.
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Re: Jobs and Career Related Advice
Post by mbadropout » August 18th, 2012, 11:30 am
1) Short and long term goals - Before giving you my thoughts on your goals/plans/vision, a few questions:
How are you so sure that you are "a marketing/BD guy"?
What is the length/breadth of experience you have in marketing/BD (vs. other roles)?
What was your role like (what did you do in marketing/BD)?
I would first like to have answers to these questions since you seem to be basing a good number of your life's plans on the assumption that you are "a marketing/BD guy".
2) ROI - First, so as not to confuse payback period with ROI, the former is a little easier to calculate while the latter is almost impossible to determine. Let me throw some light on both:
Repayment period: MBA loans come at low rates of interest. Therefore if your money is earning more in your bank/fund, it does not make much sense to hand over too much to your lender too early. On the other hand, if you/your school hasn't been able to negotiate sweet repayment rates with the lending agency/bank, it makes sense to pay off your debt quickly (rather than bleed money). Of course there are other factors - risk averseness, total debt giving you sleepless nights, relocation from US to India, etc. - that will also determine your repayment period. Typically it could be anywhere between 5 to 10 (sometimes even 20) years.
ROI: This is a tricky parameter to measure. If you calculate the return on your total MBA investment (tuition + opportunity cost + other costs) a couple of years after you graduate, top schools wouldn't fare that well (their tuition is high, pre-MBA salaries are generally higher, etc.). However, if you consider a longer period of time (let's say in 20 years), ROI for top schools would likely be higher, though many other significant parameters, many of them immeasurable (personal drive, risk-taking ability, choice of firms/jobs/roles over time, etc.) would have crept in by then. Many agencies/people have written articles on this topic. Of note are:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/educa ... roi-t.html
http://poetsandquants.com/2011/06/27/wh ... is-it-not/
-Amit.