Why did I join the One-Year MBA program?

August 1, 2019 | Posted by BPR Team << back to blog

Akarsha Pandey from PGPM Class of 2020 shares her experience on how she decided to opt for a one year MBA program. She highlights the added advantages one gets to learn, despite having a work experience of 4.8 years at a top IT firm in the country.

MBA is the most sought-after degree for higher education across the globe, and, India is one of the countries fierce in the competition. The industry requires professionals who can understand their core businesses and help them in expansion and value creation. While regular two-year MBA is more prevalent in India, it may or may not include experienced professionals who can relate management curriculum to the organization business model. Since the course demands high level of industry knowledge, it usually spans across two years with internship opportunity. This makes the course an obvious choice for students new to management domain. But on the other side, one of the biggest dilemmas faced by MBA aspirants, with professional experience, nowadays, is being industry ready and get better pay, at the same time, able to invest money for the program.

Like any other working MBA aspirant, I too went through this quandary of the best-fit course and opted for one-year MBA program. With a decent work experience of 4.8 years in a reputed IT consulting firm, it was by far obvious for me to evaluate my opportunity costs against regular two-year program. This format is very common in Europe and other parts of the world and I could apply either GMAT or other national entrance exams for 2-year MBA.

One-year MBA is an integrated program. It is known to be rigorous, intense, with the training densely packed in a 12-month package, contrary to a two-year program where students explore MBA with slightly more options. With course structure similar to the latter program, if offers an excellent opportunity to students who look forward to investing lower time and getting back to their respective careers quickly, making it a palpable decision for selecting ‘experienced-enough’ candidates. Also, the program offers lateral and general management competencies enabling career switch, provided amount of experience is not very high. There are many international universities providing one-year MBA programs across various domains and ones looking for education abroad, this becomes an attractive choice.

My journey had been quite exciting before stepping into the management world. My firm offered me an opportunity to work with a reputed global bank offshore and onshore in Germany. Working in a client environment is not the same as an offshore culture – timelines are strict, punctuality is the key and deliverables are the foremost priority. I was fortunate enough to work closely with decision-makers and understand the business impact of our daily work. Throughout my stint, I was able to relate to a holistic understanding of how organizations work and what elements can be added in juncture to one’s technical skills. No, I am not saying an MBA is necessary to grow in an organization, but it offers opportunities in a shorter span of time with better results. Over a period of 2-3 months, I was able to narrow down the choice of pursuing the course. Now what lay ahead was even a greater challenge, one-year v/s two-year?

Now, this was the most important part of the decision, provided multiple avenues for choosing the right B-school. It is important to list down your objectives and take-aways from the course and have a long-term goal in mind. As for me, a one-year program was more suitable because of the professional experience I carried, and, time and opportunity costs associated with the regular program. This cost includes a reduction in lay-off time from the industry which typically adds a one-year salary and saving a year of academic involvement. Also, one becomes eligible for lateral hiring by the Corporates and also better pay scales than the parent company. Few companies have ‘sabbatical policies’ that allow individuals to come back to their respective firms post MBA at a higher grade and salary. Owing to the domain knowledge, I found this a suitable option and went ahead applying at relevant B-schools. To the mankind, I am a Great Laker today!

Bottom line is about weighing investments against returns in both scenarios. What value can I derive out of fast track MBA? Will I miss out on opportunities otherwise provided in regular program? What would be my cost savings for an entire year? Or I need a career push on my existing profile? An important piece of advice would be to understand one’s own demands off the degree. What suits one may not work out for the other, few may aspire career growth while few simply want a salary spurt!

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