For some, the work experience does matter before pursuing an MBA but at the same time, for few, it does not matter at all. This also depends on the institution you are going to enroll yourself.
Some institutes demand a few years of experience in the field, but many institutions do not demand any work experience. So, it highly depends on the choice of your institute.
Is it Better to Have Work Experience Before MBA?
Having work experience before enrolling yourself for an MBA is always a good choice. This is because, when you work in the field, you get to learn a lot. What is written in books is entirely different from what you do in the field.
So, it always pays you if you work in a field first and then reach institutes to study MBA. There are many reasons which say that one must have work experience before MBA, those are as follows:
1. The individual with work experience have more chances:
The one who has a field experience will get more chances for getting enrolled in the institution than those who are not experienced. This is because, when individuals with experience go for study, they will be able to differentiate the right from the wrong.
So, the ones with good field experience are given preference than the one with no experience.
2. You become more mature and understanding:
When you see the outer world and work among many people, you become mature and more understanding. This is the best thing because when a person is mature, he or she can take more wise decisions which are good for both the present and the future of the person. So, if you have experience in the field, you are richer than others who do not possess the work experience.
3. You will have different thinking:
Once you are out in the field, you learn a lot even more than what books can teach you. So, having extra knowledge is always appreciated. This is so obvious that if you have known the real world, you will be thinking according to the experience you had, which is a good thing. So, this is also one of the reasons why it is important to have some field experience.
4. You have a different style of learning:
The ones who are just familiar with the bookish world will have only limited knowledge and understanding of the concept, but if someone has seen the real world of work, then he or she will have entirely different ways of learning things. This makes the person different from others and he or she can stand different in a queue.
5. You will be able to interact more:
When you already have experience in the field, then it is easy for you to put questions to the professors and also you become more interactive than others. Also, it makes you different from others by the way that you are known for many things, which others are not familiar with.
So, this is an added advantage to you as you can show more interest in the subject and also be a critic if you find something weird told by any other intelligent person.
6. You are more confident than others:
When you have good experience in the field, you are confident and more outgoing and social. Being a student, you remain in a nutshell, as you not exposed to the real corporate world. But when you introduce to the corporate environment and the world culture, you become confident.
you learn how to talk to others, what to talk and whatnot. Also, your body language changes and you are more social and not shy. So, in this way, lots of changes come in a person which are all positive.
7. You become more hardworking:
Although hard work is needed in the studies also, yet the hard work in the field, if compared with studies, is more demanding. This is because, in the field, you will have to take care of the rules and regulations and at the same time, your work needs to be the best without any errors.
This is not the case during the study. Even if you make mistakes, you are pardoning but in the company, if you make a mistake, your image affected.
So, due to some of the above reasons, it is good to have experience in the field first and then move to some institute to pursue MBA.
What Kind of Experience Required to Join MBA?
To join an MBA course, if you are thinking first to have some work experience, then you will need to have the experience of keeping the following things:
1. Your bachelor’s degree:
In which field you have done your graduation matters a lot. This is because the field in which you have your base should somewhere connect to the fieldwork and also to the MBA eventually.
So, if you have done a bachelor’s in journalism or any other field like designing and all, then there is no fun of doing fieldwork in the company related to business. So, it is better to think before you enroll yourself for the work experience too.
2. Business knowledge:
MBA students need to have good knowledge and experience in the business world. For that, you need to go to the corporate world to learn the tastes and the new things about the business.
MBA is a master’s in business administration. So, the basic thing one should understand is the demand for your field. Whatever you do should somewhere relate to business and commerce, only then you will be able to enroll in an MBA.
3. Also, think of specialization:
You might have thought of the specialization in which you want to do an MBA. Like, there are several options in which you can specialize yourself like finance, management, business, economics, accounts and so on. So, in which field you want to go, this is your decision and according to that only you must decide to work in the companies and the corporate sectors.
4. The salary status and the job profile must not ignore:
Also, you should work there, where your demands for salary and job profile are completing. This is necessary because anyone can work on less salary but at the same time working for the profile you never wanted will not do any good for your growth.
Your resume should say what you have done and also what you had interest in. If you will do anything which never interested you and only because of more money, you did it, it will not be an advantage to you. Whatever you do must make you learn something and should help in the studies of an MBA.
5. Work there where you have an interest and you see yourself in the next coming years:
If you have an interest in management, then do not go to finance and commerce. Go into management only, this is because if you have planned to do an MBA in management, particularly then the work experience will also help you.
Otherwise, it will go waste. Or if you have an interest in PR and communications, then also you must first do an internship or job in that field so that you can easily understand the bookish language when you move back to studies.
Advantages of MBA without Work Experience:
This is something very common that students often first complete their studies and then they opt to do the job. This is also fine as everything has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of doing an MBA without having work experience are as follows:
1. You are new to the subject:
When you do not go out in the field and choose to study immediately after completing graduation, the subject is new to you which increases your excitement towards the subject. You are likely to show more interest in it and learn by keen observation.
2. You can learn properly:
When you do work in the field, and you have less interest in learning what’s saying in the books. So, if you are not aware of the fieldwork, then you keen to learn all that teach in the class, unlike those who have work experience and then do an MBA.
3. The interest in studies remains intact:
When a person is studying, he can study with the same interest until he or she steps out for the job. This is due to the strong impact of money on the brain. Once you are out to earn and get experience, it is hard to move back to study with a similar interest. So, for this reason, also, it is better to complete the study first and then have work experience.
4. You are still patient:
While you are a student, you have the patience to sit in the class for long haul hours, but once you come after gaining work experience, the patience to sit in class and listen to the professor is not possible. So, to maintain a similar patience level, it is better not to go out for the work experience, but complete the education and then step out.
5. What book can give, no one can give:
No matter, how much work experience you gain, the type of knowledge books can impart you, no other medium can impart. This is because, the books only demand you to sit in a secluded place and read between the lines, filling the brain box with knowledge. But, when you are in the field, you are doing both the mental and the physical work, which is more tiring and frustrating at times.
6. No burden of studies left afterward:
Once you have done your graduation and post graduation, you are free from the burden of exams and assignments. Then you can freely move out with your degrees and work in the field by showing how educated you are.
If you chose to do a job after graduation, you still left with the burden of when and how to complete post graduation which helps in receiving promotions and a good profile in the company. So, if you’re studious, then it’s better to finish your studies and then move to a company for a good experience.
7. You directly get a good salary:
When you complete your study and then decide to have work experience, you get a good salary in the starting only. This is because you have a higher qualification. When you move out to get experience directly after graduation, you struggle for the salary and also the promotion which comes to you very slowly. So, if you wish to have a better position in the company, then it is better to have a higher degree.
8. More time to learn:
When you are studying you get more time to learn and experiment on yourself. This is not possible in the field, because every company wants employees who are efficient and capable of working hard.
When you are studying, you still consider a student and are free to make mistakes and learn more because you do not have an option to make mistakes in the field.
9. Know from the teachers and professors:
You will not find the teachers and the professors in the company who will guide and correct you when you are wrong. So, it is better to learn and know maximum from the teachers and professors, so that you do not make silly mistakes in the corporate field.
So, these are some of the reasons which tell that one can pursue an MBA even without the work experience. The whole difference lies in the mind of an individual.
This is because when you will move out to work, whether, after graduation or post graduation, you will have to start from the zero. So, no matter, you do MBA after field experience or before experiencing the corporate, you have to perform your best and give the best output.
