A lot of people have asked me for career advice regarding whether they should do a MTech or MBA. The answer depends on a lot of factors that relate to your specific situation. Here are 5 different situations that you can consider:
- You have completed your BSc or BTech and have worked for a few years; and you are looking to move up in your current job: You like your job and your field of work. You would rather be a manager in your field instead of a technical expert. You see that all your managers and senior managers have a MBA in the field. And it seems like you need a MBA to achieve your goals. You know what you want, you just need additional career advice to achieve it. In such a situation, it may be worth it to get a MBA. Some companies do sponsor a portion or all your MBA if you work while you do a part time MBA. If you company has such a policy, you should discuss this with your manager/HR person.
- You have a BSc/BTech and have some work experience; and are looking to change fields. You hate your job and your field of work. You want to get out of it. I suggest you first look at all the available jobs in your company and in your field to see if you like any of those jobs. If yes, check if a MBA would help you get that job. If no, then consider doing a MSc or MTech in a field that you are interested in.
- You are doing your BSc/BTech and you want to learn more about a particular subject. In this case, it would be wise to consider doing a MSc or MTech in that field. Look at all the available universities that rank high for your field and start applying.
- You want to get into research in a particular field. In this case, you should definitely do a MSc with a thesis; and also keep open the option of doing a PhD. I would also recommend you get career advice from current PhD students and MS students in your field of interest.
- You want to change fields to work in engineering in a particular field. If you want to work in a particular field that differs from your current field, a MSc or MTech is a good option. However, sensible career advice would make you try to get a job in that field through your contacts or through networking events. Also talk to other professionals in that field to get an idea of what it entails to work in that field.
The above 5 situations do not take into account the cost of going to a MBA or MSc/MTech. So if you cannot afford it or need to work a few years to save money for it, then your choice may be different. In addition to career advice, you should also look at financial advice specific to your situation. I would also recommend that you get career advice from real professionals in your field of choice to determine exactly what the job market is in that field. One such location to do so is Profession Gurus. It is an on demand career advice portal that connects students to professionals.
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