"Every night, in my dreams
I see you, I feel you.. (..the maddening craze and herd-mentality of becoming an MBA)
That is how I know you.. (..the MBA-stricken world)
Go on..(..rambling about the great, plenipotentiary [check the GMAT/CAT vocab docs for the meaning] MBA tag) "
Seriously guys, isn't there any salvation without becoming an MBA?
By the way, may I clarify first up that I have a lot of respect for the qualification itself.
I also understand very well that this degree enables one to rise vertically (to become part of the management) as well as horizontally (across different industries and sectors too).
If you believe I am an MBA-cynic, you couldn't be farther from the truth.
I truly admire the people who successfully (and correctly) identified this (being an MBA) as their field (and qualification), since they knew this was what they were best at, and that this is what they want to do.
What I do not admire, though, is the unending prattle and the mindless following, that exhorts anyone and everyone to go for this degree. This is the sad part. But wait, it ain't over! What I find even more depressing, is that people are falling for it too, ignoring their inner voice. Isn't there something we all want to do?
Allow me to be Yash Chopra here: "He, the Almighty has made something (the field of work, the kind of work that is best suited for us - I'm sure it CANNOT be only MBA for most of us!) for all of us, there's someone (read some field of work) that's made for you...(where you are best at), which you love. Ofcourse, most people compromise and go for something else (read MBA).
Anyone who is anyone, is keen to lap up this tag-wagon!
Has the MBA today, become an acronym for My Biggest Ambition?
If someone does a survey on how many people wanted to do MBA all along, be MBA all along, how many actually are, and even more importantly, how many MBAs are happy with what they have done and achieved - given a choice to turn the clock back, would they like to go for the same course and profile again?, the results would greatly help in gaining an insight about the "success and satisfaction" levels of each of these categories of people.
After all, it is also extremely important to know whether those people who are qualified, 'successful' MBAs, feel empty or insatiated inside, because they might still be yearning to do something they could have done but could not, due to the pressure (be it due to peer pressure or the individual simply not knowing oneself about what he/she wants and can do).
Practically speaking, is MBA among the best-possible qualification one can have in today's times? Ofcourse.
But what about the same, sane word - aptitude?
What about going in for something that you actually don't have an aptitude for (MBA), AT THE COST OF something for which you always had the requisite basic fundamentals and skill sets in place - the talent, the aptitude, and most of all, the interest, the liking, the love - but never understood/appreciated it enough?
All forsaken for the sake of practical, market forces or peer/family pressue.
One of the reasons why I almost worship a guy like Harsha Bhogle is because this guy, after completing his MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, always remained steadfast in his focus and dared to chuck all in pursuit oh his inner calling, his true love (in his case, cricket and cricket commentary to be precise). Mind you, he had a cushy job as an IIM-A graduate and most importantly, the time when he gave up that job in preference for cricket commentary, there was no trace of the money, the glamour, and the razmatazz that is now associated with being a cricket commentator.
He had two (enviable??) options being in India - All India Radio and Doordarshan - for, these were the only mediums that used to broadcast cricket matches in India. That he started with AIR, worked with Channel 9 and reaped the benefits of the satellite revolution is another story and I don't want to digress. He was lucky too, in that had the satellite revolution not happened, he might have at best remained a voice or face talking cricket on DD...and who knows, there could be many who tried like him to pursue their love - before or after him - but could not have succeeded. But I hope you would agree, the quality, worth and merit of a person must not be judged by how much success he achieves, but by how much effort he puts in, to achieve it.
After all, if success were the only barometer, it should therefore translate to the 'fact' only the wealithiest and the most powerful (in terms of clout - political or any) are entitled to being quality souls out of more than a billion people in India!
I just hope that we do not continue to chase this fad of becoming an MBA - just to ensconse ourselves with a cosy life, and compromise our inherent abilities and aptitude.
Do go for an MBA by all means, if you think you are meant for it, and it is what you are best at...but please re-assess if you are going for it due to someone else's wishes, or if you think it is a known way of "success" and "achievement" in life.
As my school principal used to say, "It is better to be a first-class cobbler than to be a third-class administrator."
Here's to guys like Harsha, who despite possessing a lucrative degree that guaranteed them a great life ahead, follow their calling, listen to their hearts and despite knowing they are preferring valour over common (material) sense, take pride in doing so and stand by it, results notwithstanding!
Atleast I, for one, hope that I too continue to possess such courage of conviction and wish that all of us prefer our inner calling to public sentiment or market forces.
