Is doing an Executive MBA through GMAT your New Year Resolution for 2017? 5 Lies you need to stop telling yourself.

Okay so you have had enough of dealing with tech stuff! You want an MBA to become a product manager or a technology consultant or anything that will make you stop coding.

Maybe you just want to change to something on the business side of things. Not knowing what it holds - as long as it is not more of what you are doing right now.

Perhaps you are a little jealous of the lousy colleague who now boasts of a 2X salary after his MBA.

And.... 

You also know that you don't want to go down the CAT route because, well, you have a few years of experience and someone told you that the best bet is to get an MBA from a top B-school (that is business school for short) in India or abroad.

If yes, then I have created a video series where I will be going behind the scenes to show you how success MBA admits plan their application year. I will also be interviewing some of my successful students who have gotten into ISB, Oxford Said, and CMU Tepper to seek the reason behind the success. 

In this article written just for Linkedin I am going to raise AND answer the top 5 objections people have against doing an MBA using your GMAT score.

1) I am too old for an MBA - I am on the wrong side of the 30s

An Executive MBA is meant to accelerate an already well-set career. It is not like the typical MBA programs through CAT and MAT in which work experience is not considered.

On the contrary, the more you know - the more you will be able to take out / contribute to such a program. 

I routinely work with many applicants who are in their early to late 30s for whom an MBA did not make sense a decade ago (or they might have missed the CAT bus). But right now they feel they have the right experience to take on an executive MBA because they are looking at:

a) The cross-functional knowledge that will give them a career boost

b) The MBA experience itself that would enhance their perspective towards work

c) The brand equity and networking opportunities that come from a top MBA

Whatever your reasons be - doing an MBA is never too late. There always options!

2) I cannot afford an MBA from a top school - it is too expensive

Let us not kid ourselves here. An MBA is an investment.

Not a "cost" - but an "investment". 

The difference is that "cost" is what it takes to do something. Like the cost of buying a beer.

But an "investment" is something that you make hoping for a "return" in the long run.

Let us take the example of an apartment. If you think of just the cost then it might make better sense to rent it. 

But if you think of it as an investment then you will clearly see the benefits in the longer run.

Today there are enough and more loan programs that will help pay for your MBA without a collateral.

Here are a few:

https://www.mpowerfinancing.com/

https://prodigyfinance.com/

https://www.avanse.com/

So you see plenty of options - and just as you would take a home loan, an education loan should be considered because it is a longer term investment in yourself. 

3) I have poor undergrad / 12th marks - this is reason enough to keep me out

Firstly, most MBA programs won't even look at your school marks - they don't even have a column to fill out those details! 

Secondly, if you are able to either show an upward trend in your marks (4th year marks >> 1st / 2nd year marks) then you have a great story to tell about how you did not realise the importance of scoring until later. B-Schools love to hear such stories.

Thirdly, if you get an obscenely high GMAT score then really your "sins" during your undergrad can be wiped away. Who cares what you did 5-10 years ago when I have a better judgement of how you are now through your GMAT scores?!

So stop worrying about your scores and start focussing on taking the GMAT.

But the reverse will not work. That is high undergraduate or school marks will not save you: you still need a decent GMAT score.

An MBA degree on your CV will actually be a great way to explain away the inconsistencies in your academic career.  

4) I have a gaps in my employment so cannot compete with others

In the interview for the Australian Elite Airforce, they ask if the candidates have faced any failure in their lives. Anyone saying they have never failed are REJECTED! Because a person who hasn't gone through ups and downs doesn't have the mental toughness.

Sure you waited for too long to get your "dream" job.

Or maybe you just tried a startup idea that failed.

Or you just got laid off because your company "restructured"

Whatever the reasons - the more mistakes you make, the smarter you get! 

So if I were you, I would play it to my advantage and show the "real life experience" that is tougher to gain and not just the "work experience" that is a lot easier (<- honestly showing up for work to push papers is a lot easier than going through the grind of finding a new opportunity).

Similar to the previous point, if you are looking at starting afresh then an MBA degree from a top B-school can fade the other "mistakes" you might have made in your professional life.

5) I might get married OR plan to start a family & so it is tough to decide now

When confronted with the vagaries of personal life, it is very hard to focus on a longer-term career goal. 

I totally understand this. You just want to get through with 2017 and THEN figure out what you want to do.

My take on this is: If you have another option at the end of 2017 - would that make your life easier?

Let us say you need to decide whether you want to take up your MBA offer or reject it. 

What if your marriage plans don't go through or you just realized you don't want to have a baby yet?

If you plan 2017 well and have an option at the end of it - things will always be a lot better than NOT having an option.

I know it is not easy and there are a million thoughts that are racing through your mind this time.

But congratulations on reading this entire article - if there is anything I can do to help ease your situation then do let me know in the comments below.

Also if you think anyone in your network can benefit from reading this article then please do share it.

Once again - you can sign up for my free 4-part video training series on How to do an MBA through GMAT in 2017!