I never thought the letters IIM would ever bring me such despair. Of course, trying to get into the coveted Indian Institute of Managements have brought despair to many aspirants, but I am talking about being labeled an IIM, or an Indian IT Male for the uninitiated. Probably 8 out of 10 profiles in PaGaLGuY belong to IIMs.
Let me dissect this abbreviation a bit. One cant really do anything about the first and the last words, you are born with it. I have no issues with being born in India (except for Visa headaches) or with being born a male. And lets face it, the average Indian male has far less issues in life compared to our fairer counterparts. While there are millions of alcoholic men drinking their way to self destruction without regards to the financial or social consequences, females in India can't enjoy a martini in a lounge bar without the fear of being beaten up and molested publicly.
Anyways, the crux of the abbreviation, the cataclysmal force which makes this mixture venomous, is IT. One doesn't need to be an IT or Computer graduate to qualify, just experience in the IT industry is probably enough to doom you. International MBA schools will run like a scared rat if you've got the IIM venom. Now we try our best to carry some anti-venom with us while applying to a B school. This can be in the form of 750+ GMAT score, professional qualifications (CFA etc), Social/NGO activities and what not. But when all IIMs are after the anti-venom, and many manage to get it, B schools claim that it doesn't work for most, and you are still poisonous.
Most International B schools have a limit on the percentage of Indians they want to admit (Of course if they don't, they might cease to be international and become desi). But the problem is that number of engineers passing out of colleges in India have increased exponentially, and most common streams are Comps/IT of course. Most software professionals get bored within 2-3 years of work, and start applying for MBA. While the schools in India seem to have accepted this (read somewhere that more than 90% students in the IIMs are engineers, and I assume that majority within these are from software background), the International schools will never adapt to this changed scenario. Hence competition for us IIMs will keep on getting tougher and tougher. Whether the actual IIMs should have changed their own policy or not is debatable too. I feel that 90% + engineers isn't exactly a healthy mix at all.
Now in being an IIM, the only choice one makes consciously is taking up IT. But unfortunately, this choice is made by most prospective engineers in India with as much thought as ordering breakfast. "Whats available" is more commonly asked than "Do you have xyz". So depending upon marks/rank, one accepts a branch and college regardless of interests and aims (which are very unclear at the age of 17). So you just become an IIM, without putting much of a thought into it.
If one accepts that there is a general lack of direction and career counseling for Indian youth, and most pursue graduation and MBA just for an obvious secure lifestyle, I think there is a scope for improvement even within this. If there are any wannabe MBAs out there, and you are unsure of what graduation to take up, please consider Commerce/Law/Arts/Architecture anything. This might pay you a little lesser immediately after graduation, but will help you a lot more while applying for an MBA. Just don't loose touch with maths, and I believe you'll be a lot better off than an IIM.
Let me dissect this abbreviation a bit. One cant really do anything about the first and the last words, you are born with it. I have no issues with being born in India (except for Visa headaches) or with being born a male. And lets face it, the average Indian male has far less issues in life compared to our fairer counterparts. While there are millions of alcoholic men drinking their way to self destruction without regards to the financial or social consequences, females in India can't enjoy a martini in a lounge bar without the fear of being beaten up and molested publicly.
Anyways, the crux of the abbreviation, the cataclysmal force which makes this mixture venomous, is IT. One doesn't need to be an IT or Computer graduate to qualify, just experience in the IT industry is probably enough to doom you. International MBA schools will run like a scared rat if you've got the IIM venom. Now we try our best to carry some anti-venom with us while applying to a B school. This can be in the form of 750+ GMAT score, professional qualifications (CFA etc), Social/NGO activities and what not. But when all IIMs are after the anti-venom, and many manage to get it, B schools claim that it doesn't work for most, and you are still poisonous.
Most International B schools have a limit on the percentage of Indians they want to admit (Of course if they don't, they might cease to be international and become desi). But the problem is that number of engineers passing out of colleges in India have increased exponentially, and most common streams are Comps/IT of course. Most software professionals get bored within 2-3 years of work, and start applying for MBA. While the schools in India seem to have accepted this (read somewhere that more than 90% students in the IIMs are engineers, and I assume that majority within these are from software background), the International schools will never adapt to this changed scenario. Hence competition for us IIMs will keep on getting tougher and tougher. Whether the actual IIMs should have changed their own policy or not is debatable too. I feel that 90% + engineers isn't exactly a healthy mix at all.
Now in being an IIM, the only choice one makes consciously is taking up IT. But unfortunately, this choice is made by most prospective engineers in India with as much thought as ordering breakfast. "Whats available" is more commonly asked than "Do you have xyz". So depending upon marks/rank, one accepts a branch and college regardless of interests and aims (which are very unclear at the age of 17). So you just become an IIM, without putting much of a thought into it.
If one accepts that there is a general lack of direction and career counseling for Indian youth, and most pursue graduation and MBA just for an obvious secure lifestyle, I think there is a scope for improvement even within this. If there are any wannabe MBAs out there, and you are unsure of what graduation to take up, please consider Commerce/Law/Arts/Architecture anything. This might pay you a little lesser immediately after graduation, but will help you a lot more while applying for an MBA. Just don't loose touch with maths, and I believe you'll be a lot better off than an IIM.
3 comments:
Nicely written - quite a thought. It is indeed a worry, and shame too, because the rightful candidates also get listed as black sheep. Part of the blame goes to them too, as they never thought why they jumped in this line - probably followed the rest of the herd, as you too pointed out.
Anyway, don't worry. You will get through :)
I do not claim to be a "rightful candidate". What is that anyways? Someone who dreams of being an MBA since childhood!!!!
The MBA degree just gives you the additional edge in an ever more competitive world, so whoever seeks this edge is as rightful as anyone else.
hey rajat...how goes life? nice post about IIMs...i should be scared if i want to do an MBA in the future, eh?
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