Congrats on your admission for MBA
Many young people I know have got into their MBA schools and should be joining soon…so here is a note addressed to them…
Hi Children!
Congrats on getting into your MBA school. I am not making a distinction between a full time MBA, an executive MBA, a 2 year course or a 1 year course. However the outside world makes a distinction. If you wonder why – it is simple. When we were studying these courses were not available. So our DNA makes us believe that the full time 2 year course is superior, and sadly we are in the CXO positions.
Make sure that you use the library, the combined IQ of your classmates, Google, educational websites, and other resources and improve your learning. Some of us who teach at some of these institutions will come and tell you how important it is to follow the rules while playing the game. We will then go home and reward those who have done well – unmindful that they have broken the rules. We are not speaking with a forked tongue, we are just being ‘practical’.
Some of the people who teach you have not been in the field. Some of the people who teach you have never had to meet a client. Obviously since all of us teachers sit in Ivory towers, we may talk down to you. Please do not mind, modesty cannot be taught. And Never to teachers.
All learning does not happen in a classroom. Far from it. When you organise functions, debates, seminars, and get others to participate you learn. Even when you organize dance, drama, eating festivals you learn. Use technology, fb, linkedin, twitter and see what is happening around the world.
As a teacher we add value to you kids only till class 3. Beyond that we try to show off that we know more than you. So please suffer our egos. Sad, but true.
We will make all attempts to see that we confuse you so much that words like befuddle and obfuscate will suddenly be called to play from the back of the hard disk! Apologies in advance, we are like that only.
Crush your ego, but keep your self respect intact. Not easy but a must. Be prepared for a sluggish economy. Be prepared to get salary offers LESS THAN YOUR previously held jobs. It may not happen to you darling, but being prepared did not hurt anybody, did it?
Many companies come to campuses just to keep their ego intact. If they reject you, chill. They were never serious about you or your institute, but they wanted to show off their presence. This is the least of the dirty tricks that corporate India plays – in fact it is just the beginning.
Most Indian companies will tell you that they are professionally managed and process driven. Nice to hear. When you probe you find that they still believe the old law : Rule no. 1 – Boss is always right. Rule no. 2: Remember rule no. 1. This law does not change whether you work with the government, psu, private sector or whatever. It always helps to know who is your boss – the man who does your appraisal.
Many of the professors will tell you “Customer is King”. Nice joke. Does not mean a thing. If a client comes to the office at the same time the MD comes, the whole office will be catering to the real king – the MD. Be very clear, the boss is important.
do read the following post also…it says what you should know when you graduate, but worth reading now itself…so read on…
http://www.subramoney.com/2013/04/what-every-graduate-should-know-part-2/?preview=true
uday shah
Dear Subra,
i can not agree anymore with you. we wish you were there when we started our carrier few decades back. And particularly when we come from business family having never seen/heard/exeperieced about the corporate world. Three learnings what i am restating as below are the GEMS… required to be learnt by every individual, MBA or NOT, who enters the corporate world. You have said crisply which took 25 years of time for us!!!!
“All learning does not happen in a classroom. Far from it. When you organise functions, debates, seminars, and get others to participate you learn. Even when you organize dance, drama, eating festivals you learn. Use technology, fb, linkedin, twitter and see what is happening around the world.”
“Many of the professors will tell you “Customer is King”. Nice joke. Does not mean a thing. If a client comes to the office at the same time the MD comes, the whole office will be catering to the real king – the MD. Be very clear, the boss is important.”
“This law does not change whether you work with the government, psu, private sector or whatever. It always helps to know who is your boss – the man who does your appraisal.”