I'm a 28-year-old guy currently employed as a data scientist at a Fortune 500 company, earning a respectable annual salary of 24 lakhs. Lately, I've been contemplating pursuing an MBA, but I haven't initiated my GMAT preparation yet. I'm wondering if it's a wise move to transition my career in this direction. I've heard that individuals with a tech background who graduate from IIM/ISB might need to begin their careers anew, typically with a salary in the range of 27 to 28 lakhs. Can you confirm if this is accurate?
Work experience is > MBA for sure.
So you are agreeing to the fact that I’ll have to start as a fresher post MBA ?
Most likely. This is my opinion
Why do you want to pursue an MBA? Do you have a specific reason or doing it just because it's the obvious next step in life
Was always fascinated by consulting. But I could never act upon it until now. Also is it too late for me to go down that road?
P.S: I know consulting isn’t rosy and has it’s own share of problems.
I'd also like to know the same. I am a bit older though.
If you are considering doing an Indian MBA and if you are purely focused on salary driven ROI, I think you might be disappointed. ROI is important, but isn't the only factor. The important question to ask yourself is what do you want to do in your career in the long term. The way I'd recommend you do this is by visualizing the path of a data scientist and that of a consultant (speak to more people if you dont already know enough here), the daily tasks, what problems you'd be solving, and try to guess what excites you more. If money is driving your choice, I can assure you that you'll make just as much, if not more money in your path. If you want to experience something new, then what is that, and is an MBA the best way to get there.
Once this visualization exercise is done, then you'd figure what you want out of your MBA. At 28, it might be in your best interests to perhaps consider applying to a global mba for the slew of benefits it will bring. However, it's not a completely rosy picture (disclaimer: I am an mba admissions consultant and coach people towards a global mmba admit if it makes sense for them). You might also want to factor in your personal circumstances such as being open to leave india, family, friends etc.
Hope that helps.
What exactly is a Global MBA in the indian context? Or is it something that exists mostly only abroad? Where can I avail your services?
Thanks for sharing. Is there a way to connect with you?
Try to make more money by finding your leverage in this industry. Try going deeper than going wide.
Essentially, choose an industry and a sub-field of Data Science and then sell that experience hard.
This will; ensure that your abilities and value offering is valued equitably and fairly on the basis of specific value creation.
MBA sounds like a good plan but the opportunity cost at your age is too much. I know 3 people at your age who started their own company and scored a great seed round from a Tier-1 VC firm, they had an undergrad degree only.
Do you think 1 year MBA is good and worth it, in terms of network/career growth/placements?
@NiceWork It could possibly be a good bet if you don't have other credibility stamps yet.
Stick to the job and go for executive mba
Nope nt worth it. I did MBA from a premier bschool in 2014 n I am in data science field and feel it's much better to do Data science program rather than just general management
Thanks for sharing. Which bschool did you graduate from?
Best HR bschool in India
If you like being a Data Scientist, then definitely continue in that .. MBA can wait , you can always go for it later .. the experience which you are getting now and the options that are available in next few years if you continue are immense .
But yes, meanwhile do learn the MBA stuff offline that will help u to get an edge.
Don’t think 1-2 years ..Easiest way to figure out think 5-10 yrs and beyond you will know
I love being a data scientist. Just that I’m trying to think long term. When do you think is the ideal time in terms of age/experience to get an MBA
Firstly there is no ideal time .
MBA wasn’t actually meant to be a course for freshers .. but unfortunately became so as companies needed a filter . ( that’s another long topic on its own)
It is suppose to a mid career course , so you are definitely not late .seen few types
Type 1) when you see that the next career path has the filter for a MBA .. do it ( again sub filters here IIM ABC only . IIM only, tier 1, tier 1/2 etc)
Type2 ) when you think that you need to stop doing things you are doing and instead direct things ( solution space to problem space )
Type 3 ) Gyan chaiye ( need knowledge)
Actually it’s kinda Debatable. While the tech industry pays really great deals initially, it becomes quite harder as you start climbing the ladder being an Individual Contributor solely because of the reason that you need to make more impact in the same amount of time amidst ever evolving nature of technologies. This becomes really tough once your reach Data Engineer 3/ SDE3 levels or above.
Many people at this juncture try to pivot from here to Engineering Management which is now almost a natural option regardless of their abilities as a manager.
Here’s where I think a MBA comes handy. The Initial ROI as compared really falls back but it catches up later provided you take your bets well in your corp career. High up the ladder, its relatively easier to navigate management roles with an MBA with a demonstrated work history.
For Example, You would eventually see many VPs, presidents, or Directors of Products with an MBA and equivalent experiences as opposed to EMs getting promoted to these roles.
P.S.:- Obviously, it’s hard and not precise generalising the whole picture in a paragraph. But hope you get the idea.
P.P.S.: Just my personal opinion. No offence to other thoughts. People’s mileage may vary.
This was exactly my school of thought and why I felt MBA was needed.
Thanks for sharing 👍
It has a lot to do with whether you like your current role or not.
If it is, you can probably switch to business/leadership roles anyway, if you have that inclination
But if you’re underpaid, unhappy with your company, and looking for a change anyway, then do an MBA
Godspeed 🙌
Why not go for executive MBA?
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