The Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree has always been associated with bigger opportunities and better remuneration. There is however, a long list of other, less palpable perks associated with the degree. Access to alumni networks, assistance with placements, better skill sets and networking opportunities are just as strong motivators, as is the notion that an MBA is a stepping stone to entrepreneurship.
These factors are compelling enough to convert mid-career professionals to pursue further education, or do it alongside their already hectic careers. In another notable turn, many students are taking a break after their basic degree — either to gain work experience before their MBA, or earn to pay for it themselves.
Competitive advantage
“I realised that the more hours I work, the less time I will have on hand to study,” says Dubai resident Livin Jacob, who is employed at Apple ME in its graduate programme, and is also pursuing a global MBA at Manchester Business School. After finishing a BSc in Accounts and Finance, the 25-year-old did a summer management programme at Harvard when he realised it was time to fulfil his dream.
“It was important to get some work experience, and I am glad of it, but I had only learnt the basics of management and it was time to move ahead of my bookish knowledge. My alma mater was my only choice, and I just had to decide whether to do it full-time, part-time, or split between cities.”
Jacob’s classmate at Manchester Business School’s six-city programme, 37-year-old Rami Al Gamal, is a senior project manager at Amana Construction & Steel Buildings. He has lived in Dubai all his life except for a stint at Ain Shams University in his native Cairo, where he gained a degree in Business Administration — 15 years earlier. With a sterling career, the project manager says the MBA widens his horizons. “I can either seek a better position within the firm I work for, or do something on my own.”
Al Gamal says his longer work experience proves useful during some parts of his education, while at other times, he finds himself on par with the fresh graduates in his class.
Know where you’re headed
Clearly defined career paths are on the cards for today’s MBA students, as the Bhavsar sisters explain. The older, 24-year-old Neha completed her BBM degree in India’s Thakur College before returning to Dubai and finding a job at Siemens as a junior commercial project administrator. She is enrolled in Amity College’s two-year EMBA programme in the weekend batch, which means she spends Fridays and Saturdays in school from 9am to 6pm, and admittedly “misses out a bit on life”.
She says, “Siemens is a good employer, they support me with extra time off during my exams. When I complete my MBA, I hope to apply for a better position in this great workplace.”
While an MBA education has been the purview of graduates funded by their families, aspirants are now seeking to pay for their degree themselves. “I did not want money from my dad, and wanted to pay for my MBA myself, hence the gap between my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees,” Neha explains.
Well-rounded education
Neha’s sister Khyati is determined to make a name for herself in advertising.
The 21-year old, who has a degree in marketing from Herriot Watt University, is on her way to do a diploma in advertising from India’s St. Xavier’s College before she does her MBA, and aims to be qualified in the creative and client service components of the industry when she completes her education. “I want a fulfilling career in advertising, and I want my learning to be as full-bodied as possible.”
Defining the end goal is just as important as walking the path, they all concur. Jacob, for instance, is bucking his family trend of studying medicine (“my family has far too many doctors”) and is resolute about using his MBA to do what he really wants.
“Someday, I will be working at one of the world’s largest consulting firms, and I want that day to come soon,” he says.
