'An MBA does not help fight office politics'

Have a query regarding your career? Maybe we can help.

Drop us a line and our expert, Amit Bansal, will answer it.

Got a question for Amit Bansal? Please write to us at getahead@rediff.co.in with the subject line 'Career query for Amit Bansal.

I am B Tech computer science student and now I'm planning for PGDM course, is it good for me for getting a job with a present economic slowdown scenario. Well my communication was not so good. How van I improve my communication skills?

Chitta Ranjan

Amit: Ranjan, let me put it in very simple terms. If the institute is good, there is no harm in going for an MBA even when the slowdown has hit everyone. If you are planning to go for an MBA abroad, I will advise against it as the amount of investment required to do an MBA abroad is very high and you can recover your investment only if you get a dollar salary. In the current scenario, I do not foresee that it will be easy for you to get a job in the US/Europe when you finish your MBA.

I am currently working for a leading business daily in India as staff correspondent in Kanpur after graduating from Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi last April. Now, I find that success here depends on a lot of politics, apart from your abilities and for that you have to have a lot of patience of at least 4-5 years.
So, how would be an MBA from one of the top-rung institutes in the country because people say that MBA would not help in editorial department of newspapers? I wish to start my own venture, like PR firm after around 10 years. How to go about it? I had qualified from MICA when decided to join IIMC as I always fancy journalism but want to get rid of its downsides somehow.

Vishnu Pandey

Amit: Vishnu, couple of facts:

• An MBA from a top school does NOT help you fight the politics in an organisation
• If you want to work in the editorial team, MBA may not be useful
• If you are looking at starting off on your own in the long term, you should be looking at short-term programmes in entrepreneurship. Still better, you should join the forums that breed entrepreneurship. A membership to TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) could be useful
• Another aspect you should actively do is to ensure that you network with people who will be your potential clients over the next 10 years. The most important asset that will help you kickstart your venture will be some contacts that could be your early clients

Kindly give me your valuable opinion for following:

My daughter has taken fresh administration in BSc Biotechnology what will be her future? Will she have to do MSc for a better career?

Amit: Sir, biotech is an area which has a lot of promise. However, we have not seen the best of this sector yet. I personally feel that by the time your daughter graduates, this sector will offer lot of career options. Make sure that your daughter keeps herself on top of the developments in this area and also get the opportunity to build practical aspects of this profession.

One of my nephews cleared Class XII in science and math group but with lower merit so we want to decide between BCA and BSc physics, chemistry . So which would be good for him?

Dharmendra Patel

Amit: :In all probability, your nephew will need to go for a Masters after either of the degrees. If your nephew has a keen interest in applied computers, BCA might not be a bad option. However, if you feel that your nephew is more outgoing and good with people skills, it will be good idea to go for BSc followed by an MBA or specialised programmes for specific industries.

I have done my diploma in electronics & telecom engineering after my 12th standard. Now I want to know that my current job is with Reliance NOC but at the same time I am interested in further education. Please guide me.

Sagar C Jethe

Amit: Sagar, I will advise that you first take up your job seriously if you have already started working. Otherwise, there are options for you to take up an engineering course where you will get some credit for your diploma.

This is Afshan. I am in final year of BCom. I would like to make my career in CS (company secretary). What according to you is it scope? In future will an MBA score over a CS? What are the job prospect for CS in future?
Afshan

Amit: Both MBA and CS (company secretary) have good job prospects. The basic difference lies in the kind of work you will be doing. CS involves dealing with statutory requirements and involves lot of paperwork. You will need to meet clients but more often than not your role is quite limited. The best way to grow in a CS role is to start an independent company. It is very easy to be independent (or entrepreneur) in a CS role.
MBA on the other hand is a typical organisational role. Depending on whether you specialise in marketing, finance, HR etc, your role will differ. However, MBA forms the backbone of any organisation.
So, if you are inclined to start of your own, CS might be a better option. If you want to work for a big company and have a typical corporate life, MBA might be better.

Amit Bansal is the CEO of PurpleLeap (http://www.purpleleap.com/) an employability skill enhancement initiative of Educomp Solutions Pvt Ltd.

I have done my BE in Information Technology and done PGDAC from ACTS Pune. Currently I am working in a MNC and have around 3.5 years of experience. Now I want to do the MBA but without quitting my job. Could you please suggest some good institutes for it. Currently I am working as a software developer so please tell me in which field I can do the MBA? One more constraint with me is that I can't leave Pune.

Dheerendra Singh Pawaiya

Amit: Dheerendra, you should explore the option of distance MBA programmes from IIM-C, XLRI, IIM-B etc.

I appreciate your effort in bringing out this kind of career related articles on your website. This indeed helps freshers who are going to click their relevant industry shortly as well as expericened professionals who are already working.
I am a working professional and want to make my career in Computer Networking. I have done BCA and CCNA, currently working in an esteemed conglomerate but not satisfied with my job profile and salary. I want to know the future of the networking industry? This year I have also initiated my MBA in Information System from Bharathiyar University, Coimbatore.

Nitin Jain

Amit: Nitin, networking has a very bright future. Infrastructure Management is still in early stages and will continue to grow in future as well. The best way to grow in this field is to keep taking industry certifications related to your immediate work area.

I am a 2008 pass out Electrical Engineer. I got placed with Satyam Computers in my third year of BTech. After the Satyam fiasco I am working with a small electrical company. My main job is to prepare all tenders for turnkey projects & getting involved in design part too.

Now I am not happy with my work. I feel frustrated since I was counting on Satyam. Kindly suggest what to do? Should I opt for MBA?

Shivani

Amit: Shivani, this is not the only case that I am hearing. Let me assure you that such incidents make you stronger and can bring out the best in you.

There are a couple of options for you:

• Keep working in your current job, learn the tricks of the trade and after a couple of years, make a move to an MNC in electrical area. Understand that there is a shortage of good talent in the electrical field as well and you could rise quite well over the next few years as well
• You can go for MBA. However, you need to look at your interest area as well. Do not do an MBA just because you are not happy with your current job

I have passed Class XII in science stream and taken admission for BSc Computer Science. Can you please guide me how I can complete my studies and what other parallel courses can I do to make a good career?

Stephen Pinto

Amit: Stephen, it is important for you to learn the practical aspects of programming. Do your projects seriously. Do not miss opportunities to get the practical exposure. You can take up specialised programmes in your second year. Make sure that you do your industry stints properly and with all seriousness.

My son wants to BTech. Suggest which branch will be in great demand after four years.

Tejvir Singh

Amit: Sir, good professionals will be in demand after 4 years. If your son is a good Electronics engineer, he will find good opportunities. Similarly, a good civil engineer will also be in demand. Please understand that there is an excess of engineers in India right now and there will be an excess 4 years down as well. Right now there are 5 lakh engineers coming out every year and the number is expected to be around 10 lakh in the next 4 years. So, make sure that your son becomes a good engineer in whichever field he chooses.

I have completed BE in Electronic and Communication from VTU University (Karnataka) in the year 2007. I have learnt SAP-BW and SAP-ABAP-HR. I have been searching for a job for the past year but no fresher openings in SAP. So kindly suggest if I should stick to this platform or change the platform with some other software so that I can gain more knowledge in SAP and other software programming in future.

Ashwin P

Amit: Ashwin, SAP is not for freshers. I will recommend that you build your competence in Java/.Net Programming or in Testing or in Infrastructure Management.

I am presently working in a MNC as a marketing engineer. I am chemical engineer by profession and I am having two year of experience in the same field (industrial marketing). But due to recession my growth in this company has been not much and this year there has been no rise in salary also (presently 1.85 lakh per annum. So I am planning to go for CAT and other exam this year. I just wanted to ask if this decision of mine is correct or should I try something else. Please guide me.

Gautam

Amit: Gautam, if you can get a good institute, it will definitely add value to you. Avoid doing your MBA from a tier-2 college. Remember, this is probably the last degree and will stay with you for the rest of your life.

I have completed my MMS in marketing in 2008. I did my first job in IT sales for just three months, there after I got a chance to work with a company who were in to real estate consulting but it was a contractual & off-payroll job. The placement company under whose payroll I was working did not give me salary that was promised and my designation on paper was also different. I asked them to give what they committed but it didn't work. So I left that job. Since I left two jobs in quick succession I am finding it hard to get a job. Can you please help me out? I am shattered and very confused and my self-esteem has suffered a blow.

Sachin Gharat

Amit: Sachin, changing jobs in quick succession is not considered good. However, in your case you have legitimate reasons for the same.

There are many opportunities for good sales professionals. Consider yourself getting into Insurance sector or Telecom frontline sales. Checkout the job portals on a regular basis and also check with these companies directly.

I am a chemical engineer having two years of experience in industrial marketing field. I am planning to go for MBA and planning to take CAT 2009 this December. Will it be right to quit my job and go for MBA at this point of time?

Gautam

Amit: Gautam, quitting a job and preparing for an MBA may not be advisable. There are two reasons for me advising against this decision:

• If you do not get through CAT with a good rank, you may be forced to take up your MBA from a tier 2 or tier 3-college that may not add much value
• Lot of good colleges gives weightage to the fact that you are a working professional. Quitting a job may nullify that advantage

You can try to get a two month long leave to prepare. Otherwise, I will recommend that you continue in the job and prepare for MBA.

I am presently working in IBM Daksh. I am looking to join MS Computer Science from UK next year, is that a good option? And are specialisations from NIIT going to help me?

Nishanth Kakkamani

Amit: Nishant, going for MS in UK may not be a good idea. Getting a dollar salary is quite difficult in these times. Hence, you may not get the return on your money that you invest for a MS in UK. Some specialisations can definitely help. Infrastructure management is a promising area and certifications can help you move in that area.

I am second year student of ICFAI Business School, Hyderabad doing my majors in marketing with a work experience of 13 months with Ispat Industries in corporate strategy department where I was an assistant to pricing committee coordinator. I have completed my engineering from NIT Raipur in Metallurgy in the year 2006. I want to pursue my career in a manufacturing firm. I am interested in business-to-business marketing. Seeing the prevailing economic conditions I am worried about how to achieve this goal of mine. I am doubtful that my college can place me with any good manufacturing firm, so please suggest me what should I do to acquire a job in a manufacturing firm (either steel or automobiles)?

Najeeb Sheikh

Amit: Najeeb, let me complement you on your focus. The best approach for you will be to get yourself a summer internship with one of your target companies. Apply directly to these companies. If possible, network with professionals from these companies using Orkut or Linkedin. Volunteer your services for specific projects in your area of expertise. Essentially, you need to reach out to these people.

I am currently doing my second year BCom from St. Xaviers College. Please guide me on what should I do after my graduation, Should I find job or continue with my higher studies and in which area? Sir please tell me what other qualification do I need to have to get a good job and also suggest me a good computer course which I can do?

Rohan Khan

Amit: Rohan, a good computer course may not help you in this environment. You should be IT literate to the extent that you can use the Internet and MS Office well. There are a couple of options before you: choose your own field and specialise in that. CA will be the best option for you. Otherwise, you can look at the sales/marketing area to start your career. You can start with direct sales in pharma/ telecom/ insurance or you can get yourself an MBA from a good college and then jumpstart your career.

I have a question. I am currently in the 2nd year CSE at NIT Calicut. My father is working in US. I recently got US green card also. My parents are in US. Since I am a US green card holder my fees will be less. I have got admission to a university, which is among the top 25 universities in the US. It is the second best public university. Its CSE programme is among the top 15. I will be able to transfer the courses from NIT. I am from a rural background and my English communication is just average. (Got 4,000 rank in IIT-JEE, 69 rank in AIEEE, 31 rank in Kerala Engineering, 92 per cent marks in 10 and 12)

Is it better to move to US? Or continue in India and go for Masters in US?  Will undergraduate education in US add values to me?

Jitin

Amit: Jitin, I assume that you will like to eventually settle down in the US. I will recommend that you transfer to the US and complete your graduation there. Apart from a better quality of education, you will also get used to that culture early in the cycle.

You will imbibe lot of mannerisms that will make you feel a part of that environment. I understand that you are uncomfortable because of lack of proficiency in English. But you are just delaying the inevitable. Instead, work on your English and get yourself a crash course from one of the BPO voice training institutes.

Moving to the US as an undergraduate will help you immensely when you start working in the professional world later.

I am working as computer administrator having 3+ years of experience. Mentioning my brief job profile below:

• Asset management and verification
• Desktop OS Windows XP
• Infrastructure support
• L1 support for Network support, application
• Team management

Will you guide which certification I should go ahead where my current job profile would be considered. Should I go to ERP-SAP (Basic) or CISSP?

Ravinder Rathi

Amit: Ravinder, it seems that your work involves mainly Microsoft platforms. To start with, look at the Microsoft certification tracks and get yourself certifications in those tracks.

My son is in class IX. He is very good in science and math. Kindly suggest, what are the other courses available for his career other than engineering, medical and IT.

Rajeev

Amit: Rajeev, I will request you to meet a counselor who can work with your son to figure out his interest and skills.

Hi, I am graduating from IT BHU, Varanasi. I am confused among three fields: software job, mining core sector job and coaching job. I have fear regarding software sector due to the global economic slowdown.

Akhauri Kushagra

Amit: Akhauri, let me assure you that a graduate from IT BHU will still find job in the sector of choice even in these tough times. The salaries may not be as fancy as they were in the good old days.

Do not take a very short-term view of things. Understand that the career choice should be determined both from opportunities as well as your interest in that area. Figure out what interest you more and rank them in your preference order. After that, you can look at short-term, medium-term and long-term view on those areas. If the medium-term view is almost the same, go for the one that interests you the most.

I'm working as an English & personality development trainer with computer hardware & networking institute and occasionally freelance content writing. Could you please tell me how I can plan my career ahead? I am quite unsure as to how to go about it.

Neelam

Amit: Neelam, training is a career option by itself. You can continue to grow in this area itself. I will suggest that you join some institute that can provide you opportunities to grow as a trainer itself. Joining a corporate in the training division may not be a bad career move for you.

Dear Amit, I am working with HDFC Bank since last one year. I would like to know what courses would add value to my career and growth? Please guide me.

Soumya

Amit: Soumya, I would have liked to know more about your profile before giving specific advice.
I have few queries on to take things further with my career. Before let me brief you about myself what I am and what I am as of now.

I started my career as an network engineer and moved on to be a developer with a company named ICOM technologies in 1999-2000 for training in e-business technologies and continued myself as an employee for development, after that I moved on to a Canadian based firm named RIS Worldsites Network to work as a designer cum developer. With the IT sector spreading over all other domains, I chose the real estate domain and moved to construction firm and worked as a manager for IT systems where I gained opportunity to work with Navision Product Implementation.

Due to Navision Implementation, I was in touch with all departments in real estate to know the working process of the real estate domain. Also I completed my certification in installation and configuration of Navision Product with 98 per cent.

After that I moved on to an infrastructure base company where I was asked to coordinate with set of team to work as manager, E-business. While the real estate was at its peak the management decided to go for a portal which would take care of land acquisition so I moved on to develop a portal with a set of team members where I worked as PM. Now I maintain the portal and coordinate with client and implementing CRM for the same. It's been two years with the team and I think it's high time to move. When I decided to prepare my resume, I am little bit confused of whether to prepare a resume for an IT firm or a real estate firm. Or prepare a blend of both. I would like to know how to take things further. Suggestions from your side would really help me to take a right decision.

AK Kannan

Amit: Kannan, your confusion is quite interesting. Your confusion is that your expertise is in IT and you have worked in the construction industry, so are you fit for an IT firm or construction industry.

Understand that skills and industry may not be always overlapping. So, your skill clearly lies in IT where you have managed and implemented IT projects.

But for functional domain is construction industry. That does not mean that you cannot implement a project for the financial or telecom sector. However, if there is a project in the construction industry, you can bring a lot of functional understanding as well.

You should build your resume under Skills and Functional/Industry Domain and mention the experience separately. By and large, you should pitch yourself as an IT expert only.

My brother is not interested in IT job. Keeping the future in mind, what areas do you suggest for pursuing? Engineering? I mean what are the core subjects to be taken for getting a good future job?

Parasuram M

Amit: Parasuram, you have not written the specialisation of your brother. If he is not interested in IT, he can look at his core sector companies as well.

I am writing this query on behalf of my hubby. He is into IT as system analyst for past 6 years in United States. Recently he got hit and was let go by Bank of America. After this, when he started looking out for jobs in US market, we got to realise that US economy is really bad and only option he can avail now are contractual jobs as he is on H1 b visa. Also he got good offer from India as lead analyst in good company. So we are confused about our decision to stay in US or go back to India. Because in India I feel there are more career opportunities and one gets chance to learn more and rise in career instead here in contractual jobs you are always in lookout for new jobs after your contract gets over. So even after 7-8 years of experience one cannot reach to managerial position, which might be possible, if one is in India. So I wanted to know in this economy what would you suggest for his career in long term: to continue in US as contractual and keep earning in dollars (there will be no rise in his position or profile and also job will be unstable) or go back to India (not earning as much in dollars in beginning but it may give boost to his profile and would help him growing his career). Please suggest.

Swati

Amit: Swati, it is a matter of personal choice: dollar salary vs good profile. Chances of getting a better profile in System Analysis domain in India are very high. Salaries will be good but nothing to match the dollar salary!

I am a software engineer. I am working with a company since 2 years. The company is not raising my salary and telling me that my performance is not so good. I am just fed up with all these type of tensions. I will work almost 10 hours daily and there is no value for my work. Now I do not want to work in IT sector. I want to prepare for Bank PO. Please tell me if I am doing right or wrong? Nowadays it is a very big confusion in front of me. Please help to get rid of this.Waiting for your reply.

Priya Mishra

Amit: Priya, ask yourself some hard questions about your current job:

• Are you good at what you are doing?
• Do you like doing what you are doing?

If the answer to both the questions is NO, it is time you evaluate other options in life. If you are NOT good at the work, you may like to invest in yourself provided you like doing that work.

I m a student of BCA and I will be in second year within a month. I am thinking of joining Arena Multimedia for doing web designing? Do you think that I am going the right way?

Himanshu Vaghela

Amit: Himanshu, web designing is a good career choice. Please check out your interest in this area as well because a successful career in web designing also involves lot of creativity and goes beyond the knowledge of tools.

I am a MCA graduate. Due to recession I couldn't get into IT sector but I am working in investment banking domain with a reputed BPO company. I have already completed 1.5 years in this field. However my interest is still in the IT sector. Could you please advise how I can switch my field or any other good suggestion for my career?

Ashok Mallik

Amit: Ashok, it is very difficult to change the field once you start in a different domain. I will suggest that you concentrate on your work and look for career growth in that domain itself. If at all you are determined to change the field, you may need to get yourself another degree.

My name is Viral Shah and I am a graduate engineer in information technology (BE IT) from 2005 batch. I have a working experience of 3.5 years and am currently working in an IT firm (in banking domain) in Mumbai. My current profile is that of a programme developer/support/maintenance. I came to know about you from rediff.com website.
I have a few queries that I am trying to find an answer for. I request you to guide me on these:

• What is the future of IT sector (especially Indian IT industry) post this recession period?
• Having completed 3.5 years in the industry, what are the other opportunities I can take up (preferably in IT field)?
• I am planning to do a part-time MBA (may be in IT-Systems/General Mgmt./Banking). How advisable will it be?

Request you to guide me on this.

Viral Shah

Amit: Viral, the future of IT industry is bright. Looking beyond the challenges of recession in the short-term, we foresee a healthy growth in the IT sector. There are 2 options: one is to go for higher education like you mentioned in the third part of your query or you can look at getting vertical growth in your current area of expertise. I will suggest that a part-time MBA will help only if you do it in your current area of expertise. If you are looking at changing your job profile itself, you have to go for a regular MBA or executive MBA (after 6-7 years of work-exp). The reason for the same is very simple: part-time MBAs do not get considered outside of their functional area.

I am an electronics engineer passed out in 2007 and working with a reputed firm for the past 19 months. How would you rate MTech as a PG option? Are job opportunities good after Mtech?

Abhishek

Amit: Abhishek, if you are looking at MTech from India, it has to be from one of the top 20 institutes only. In India, unfortunately, MTechs are not treated at par with Btech. So a BTech student from IIT will always get better opportunities than an MTech from IIT. However, an MTech from IIT will get better opportunities than the BTech from a tier-2 college.

I'm Raj, a graduate in BE and working for MNC in middle management. My problem is poor English, so it's very difficult to express my ideas and feeling shy. Kindly advice

Amit: You should explore joining some clubs like Toaster club that help working people in sharing ideas etc. Also, start reading and writing blogs. That's an excellent way to build your expression capability.

My daughter is currently doing IB Dip II equivalent to 10+2 at a Delhi School. Her subjects are bio, Psycho, math, theatre, English & Hindi? How do we make a career choice for her? Where should she have her first degree? India or abroad? Why?

Sandeep

Amit: Sandeep, I believe you have to work with a counselor and try to figure out the skill and interest mapping for your daughter. Based on that map, you will be able to figure out the best for your daughter.