MBA – what the hell it is?

My confidence was shattered by that gentleman in those fifteen minutes of interview for Indian School of Business (ISB). Excellent education background, good industry experience, enough international exposure … I don't know what did I lack.

This failed attempt with MBA led me to introspect that what went wrong. The first question which came to my mind was - why I wanted to do a MBA? The answer is - I am no exception to thousands of Indian IT professionals who are MBA aspirants; I wanted to do MBA because I was bored of my job and wanted a change. Doing MBA would have provided me a smooth transition to a new kind of job and obviously a better pay packet. To me, MBA was all about a change and a better salary (however I don't easily admit the salary thing).

When I delved deeper into what MBA is, I came across the following definition of MBA: The MBA is essentially a generalist qualification, designed to widen the horizons of business professionals (http://www.mbaworld.com ). Jesus! I never thought this way. Widening existing knowledge and horizons was never my aim. My idea of MBA was that I would learn new and different things which would fetch me a totally different job. I never saw MBA as an extension to my current knowledge. Now, I feel that I wasn't clear about long term career path and relevance of MBA to my career.

So I asked is "being not clear" such a big mistake that I was denied an admission despite my good credentials? Yes, the answer came. B-schools provide you with tools and contacts to be successful in your future ventures. One would not be able to learn these tools effectively if he/she does not know their application. And, the application of tools is known only if the career path is clear. Hence, a lot of maturity is required to decide a feasible and ambitious career path before applying for MBA.

After this thinking exercise for more than four months, things are getting clear. Although I bluffed a lot in my MBA application essays and interview, I now understand that I was confused and lacked maturity. I realize that I should have a career path before I go for MBA. So what is my career path?

Finding answers to difficult questions may not always fetch answers; it may fetch more difficult questions.