Why MBA After BE or Btech? - How Would You Answer This Question?

A lot of engineers among us might be trying to go for MBA after their graduation in B.E. or B.Tech.

If you face a personal interview for any MBA college, you are bound to be asked this question, Why do you want to do MBA after engineering? This question comes because you are trying to shift from a technical domain to a managerial domain.

Though most people have either one of these reasons - "Shift of domain" or "Packages that are offered" - This answer isn't convincing enough for the interview panel. Engineers in India are clueless about their careers till they graduate and when they decide to opt for MBA, not all of them have a clear perspective in mind.

Hence, this question for you all. How would you answer this question?

Why MBA After BE? Let us try to find out an answer that can impress and convince us all.

Posted in: #MBA

There are people who join engineering after HSC just because of the "trend culture". During their stay in engineering, they realize that this field (technical) is not what they want (or engineering is not their cup of tea). They seem to clear engineering just for the sake of degree. So, after engineering they want to try for something else and shift domain just as said in discussion above.

What you've said is a reality in the face of the interview panel too. Nobody denies this fact, yet in an interview they expect you to give a more convincing, morally-right answer - that should justify why they should give you an admission over other candidates. Hence, this discussion.

Imagine yourself sitting before the panel and give a 1 minute reply.

Approach from my side:

Having worked as a software engineer at both product and consulting firms, I have seen that key to business operations of technology/engineering firms is the management of technology. A well rounded MBA program from so and so institute would help me to get an insight of the operations of the technology firms. Along with that, since, I had chosen IT as majors, , hence, I have chosen information management for my specialization.

//Engineers in India are clueless about their careers till they graduate and when they decide to opt for MBA, not all of them have a clear perspective in mind.//

What can Engineers do if there is no participation of industry and Engineers don't get exposure? I think that Indian industry is responsible for this.

Not only B.E or B.Tech graduates doing M.B.A.Nowadays M.E/M.Tech graduates are also start doing M.B.A. According to me, they need to increase therir salary packages or getting higher ranking post in their companies or after finishing their degree stil they didnt got their job wasting of time in searching of their job they are doing some useful course during this period.If you are doing M.B.A major reason are like this.

Answer: 1st thing of my doing B.E. or B.Tech. was one of my area of interest. At the time of preparing foe getting admission in B.E., i was having a lot of enthusiastic in learning the technical things. That time I just wanted to learn the mechanism and technology under each and every invention in technology. So at the end of B.E. I found some of the answers. And After my completion of degree, a question come to my mind that why 1 who can have both managerial and the technical skills to proceed for the career. So I decided to plan for doing M.B.A.

These answers for the personal interests, it is fine, everyone knows the truth, but B-SCHOOLS and business really don't care for one's wish. Trust me, I had a stint with Entrepreneurship and know how things work. So I will suggest leave all selfless and good thoughts like I want to serve others, help others etc and think how to sound convincing.

In my concern the answer should be given is of about 1 minute : " In India when we are of 18yrs, we do not really understand what we really want to be. We were influenced by others. After 3-4 yrs we get to know what would be expected out of us. After completed this professional course we find in the end Management is more fascinating. After 12th I had a lot of enthusiasm in learning the technical things and I have the curiosity for everything like how the things work so I did my work and B.tech has also enhanced my logical and analytical abilities which helps me in solving typical problems quickly while MBA helps me to expend my career to its fullest within a short period. Also we got much more salary than technical employee.

@Rakesh Kaushik That's a good answer.
The next questions the interviewer would ask, if he/she wants to grill you are -

1. Is your enthusiasm to learn technical things over after B.E./B.Tech? Why not pursue M.E./M.Tech?

2. How can a MBA help you in 'expanding your career to the fullest within a short period'? (This one usually turns to 'Why MBA? Why not other career options that go in-line with your goals?')

PS: These are just some questions that MBA applicants should be prepared to answer. If you can justify your answers with your real life experiences and examples, you are good to go.

See, that's the whole problem in our nation, everyone wants to do MBA, with Engineers being the majority in the race.

When I started preparing for CAT, everyone used to say, IIM-A, finance and a package.

For interviews, the response used to be because I am very good in number crunching, then why you did not opt for commerce and choose DBMS,OPERATING SYSTEMS in course instead? Result, clueless , no answer.

I again see the debate going back to the same question "IS THE QUALITY OF ENGINEERS IN INDIA DEGRADING"

It is high time that coaching institutes stop hyping up the entrances, particularly JEE and CAT, so that people here start getting real education.

Simple answer is that these Engineers did not get a chance to study Engineering right, hence, they are not doing Engineering right. Why google,facebook,microsoft,palantir etc are exceptional and not norms in Engineering? Because the Engineers there studied their Engineering right, which happens in the college. No corporate can train basics, that happens only in college.

This is the reason that why many engineers flock to do MBA. The people actually want to get their Education right. They want to get a stamp of an Ivy League, to get out of the gut rut.

But unfortunately, the lack of exposure to any thing makes these Tier II students speechless and clueless. They are not exposed to many things. They think that if they will say big things, quote something, the panel will get impressed. But this is not how things work

My enthusiasm is not over I learn things and try to do something or build something different own my own at small scale like I build a small car which can fly with some modifications and add some parts of a helicopter(I actually did it) or you can say I read tech magazine and watch shows over discovery and discovery sci and get inspired by them and when I got money in my hand I will try to do invention in my spare time because it is my hobby. On the other side ME/M.tech most of the students go for teaching profession which I didn't like much or either we have to go for Phd further and in MBA we get much salary as money matters at last.

Doing MBA after BE/Btech is either for good package or Change in domain.So if your motive is just to crack interview better let them belief how passionately you want to learn management skills.Give them Examples from your life,things you have done in Colleges will help you lot in this kind of Scenario.

I as a Engineer would suggest that at last the thing that will keep you happy is your passion.Make your work your passion and you don't have to work a single day.

never tried for MBA till now but for that my answer might be going like this....Engineering taught me about technical things, but more than that, what i got to learn from engineering is "How to learn"....when i m changing my domain into managerial side....i m not saying that i will stop learning technical side....but engineering gave my mind a platform to on which i can learn things in a better practical way....now i dont want my learning to be limited to technical side....i want to learn managerial side too....so this also answers what was the use of having engineering if i want to have managerial domain now....is it convincing..?? @Ankita Katdare

Looks convincing to me, but if the interviewer is ready to grill you on this very question. The next questions he/she will pop at you would be on the lines of -

How exactly did engineering teach you 'how to learn'? or How did the time spent in B.E./B.Tech help you learn things in a better, practical way?
Could you explain that in detail?

Also, @Rakesh Kaushik Your answer is self contradictory. Either say money matters and justify it. Or say you are really interested in management skills and support the answer with examples, past experiences and solid proof that convinces the interviewer.

while going through every concept i learned in engineering, i always thought first about its practical use in real world....being chemical engineer, i got to know about a lot of theories that are not either economical or feasible in real world....so, my first action after learning any concept was to find all its possible use in real world....this "finding use in real world", "thinking about economics and feasibility of technical concepts first" type of learning i was talking about....i feel that studies are useful only if you know how to use it in real world....otherwise it ll be helpful in only being "hero" in technical discussions....so learning this technique of learning in my engineering ll be surely helpful in my management studies and using managements studies in real world.....

This is the answer I believe in, and the one that I gave in my interviews -

Being a Computer Science engineer, I understood that most of the work I did was to automate business processes. However, to understand the business process itself and to impact the product at a far more earlier stage, I needed to understand how the business works and how to appreciate different business workflows. I realized that a bschool education will help me understand this ... yada, yada, yada.

However, what I am seeing as an undercurrent in this thread is MBA will get me a higher package and better career prospects. Let me tell you, this is wrong. A techie can earn as much (if not more) as a techie + MBA.

When I see my engineering classmates, their salaries are on par with my PGDM classmates. So this fallacy that an MBA will get you more money is malarkey 😀

Well every Engineer after Engg wouldn't want any other person ordering and pushing him/her to work hard. Engineers like to work in their way. To get the powers and control over the Management of company many Engineers shift their domain. some Engineers go into Management for Entrepreneurship.

Though I believe that the answer by @Prasad Ajinkya is most definitely what I am generally looking for if I am the interviewer, why is it that they ask it so repeatedly? I always thought the general public believes that getting a MBA degree is a right step only when you have at least 4-5 years of work experience, because by then you've understood how the corporate system works on the inside and wish to learn how upper levels of management function.

On a lighter note -




Would like to tag @mayurpathak @CIVILPRINCESS and @cooltwins to share their opinions! Your responses will be most valued as you've been there done that.

i am a BE in computer science & engineering which has given me technical knowledge.
Although I wanted to get into media, I took up Science stream after 10th grade, primarily because I felt converting my writing hobby into a career would be an amateur decision to make. After 12th science, I took up Computer Science and Engineering at Babaria Institute of Technology, Varnama. Computer Science because out of all other engineering fields, this was the only one which I liked; engineering because it became a logical extension to Science. I believed it would form a plinth for fulfilling my creative pursuits with a blend of technology.
i want to do an MBA so that i can manage the external entities of my life like finance, humans, resources, marketing and other operations.

@dhruvika That looks like a decent enough answer. The interview panel might grill you upon the phrase 'external entities of my life'. How would you justify that?
Rest the entire answer looks good enough to me.

@Ankita Katdare ma'am,
Computer engg. developed me internally upto a certain extent like for gaining technical knowledge. I would not be able to apply it for a whole process of product development. i want to extend my knowledge to marketing a product apart from just developing it. the people i may come across in that stage, the resources i may get, the product itself would mean external entities. a formal b-school education would help me provide the same.
...
how does this look?

Hi @dhruvika That looks quite justified. The skill lies in articulating your response in simple words that help the interviewer understand you are keen on learning the essential skills for your future workplace. Well done there. 👍

@Ankita Katdare thanks a lot ma'am 👍😀

Just a thought that crossed my mind -
Gathering from what data has been posted on the MBA college websites about placement reports (where they note that 60 or 70% of the students sitting for Post-MBA placements are engineers/IT professionals), if more than 50% of the public who apply for MBA entrance exams and subsequently face the interviews are Engineers (by degree ;-) ), isn't it just fruitless to ask the question - "Why MBA After B.E. or Engineering?"

Even the interviewer sitting across you from the table, has gone through the same education system and knows how students are literally forced to opt for medical or engineering courses and only after getting a degree do they start thinking about what they really want from their life/career.

My guess is that they want you to answer in a way that portrays a logical thought process. How you climb the stairs one step at a time, why you choose to go to the next step, why not take elevator, why not stop at a particular step etc.

If an interviewee is able to convince the MBA interview panel that his/her choice of B.E. or B.Tech degree was ONLY the next logical step, the battle has been won.

What do you guys think?

i competed my mechanical engineering.. currently pursuing MBA.. my answer would be being studied mechanical.. i know how the production of the product happens.. and i really wanted to know how to market those product.. Thus MBA 😛 😉

Well MBA has always been my plan after the graduation not immediately but after some experience, and immediately after completing my B.Tech, I got the offer to work as Marketing Engineer at an SME, that I happily accepted. But soon after the joining I realised that there is a lack of experience and knowledge about this field/domain and it was causing me trouble. I was promised to be trained with commercial terms but that didnt happen as the firm was small and they were unable to provide a trainer as they had all the Marketing Engineers engaged and finally I was deployed directly in the field. Even after putting all my efforts and energy in the work for 6 months, the result was not as expected. Then I realised that I must understand the market and strategies in a better way and if I put these efforts and energy in doing MBA, it would make me a better marketer and in a long run a better manager. Staying in the firm for the next 2-3 year would definitely give a lot of exposure to the market and marketing strategies, but at certain point the growth will be slower and also the salary hikes in an SMEs would not be that satisfying and I will require to go for MBA then. So I have decided to go for MBA just after 6 months of experience.An MBA won't only help me be a good manager in a reputed firm but also a good manager of different aspects of life, be it professional or personal. Also it will help me achieve all the goals that I have as a working professional and will give personal satisfaction.

*** if required and improvments pls suggest as I will be sitting in the GD/PI of a reputed Bschool very soon. Thanks

@Ayushpsax As per me, that's a really well composed reply. If you are able to present it in a similar fashion in front of the interview panel, without them interrupting you midway, that'll be great. Some panelists are really patient with it comes to listening you through while some just rush you to conclusion.

Inviting @Dhananjay Harkare to put up his response for the question:
"Why MBA right after engineering?"
How would you justify that?

I feel management program would give the exposure. Engineering improved my analytical and logical skills while management education will teach me how business operates. I feel the key for business operations is management of resources- may it be cost, marketing/promotions, human resources, technology or anything. The core of engineering is to devise solutions or make things work, so basically to run a company, one need to have a solution and use it in the most optimal way. Having technical background, I would be able to get a solution and MBA program would teach me how I can make the best out of it.
Also, if you look at companies, say IT firms, after a person gathers some experience, he/she is given a role of project manager. Thereon, the person need to "manage" the whole project where everything that a B-school teaches yo, comes into picture. I've seen my friends (seniors) who feel the need of MBA or similar program when they're assigned the responsibilities of a manager. So, considering few years down the line, I'm sure MBA would help me in some or the other way. Also, such a program would definitely be an add-on to the personality and will open more doors.

MBA in pertinent terms has a total different meaning from my perception.According to me, MBA doesn't only mean a Masters Degree in Business Administration, in broad terms it accounts for the words Managing Basic Aspects of professional as well as personal life.
Many people take up MBA for witching careers or a upgrading their pay package but fail to understand the profound impact of this degree on our day to day life.
As a Mechanical Engineer, working for a supply chain firm I always took the assigned work & projects head on , technically.Engineering taught me to answer technically. But when it came to negotiating or talking about a particular activity of firm, in front of a potential client or even an existing client, I realized that they are not interested in technicalities of the business. They are more interested in understanding what makes my firm profitable even during economic meltdown.
For this it I had intense brain storming sessions with my mentor & we came to a simple outcome, Masters in Business Administration.This degree if perceived with a perfect aim & vision along with systematic case-study based methodology, will define me as a person who can talk lengths about a particular problem set, not just talk but effectively interact with people whom I rub shoulders.
Last but not the least, MBA is not a money guzzling initiation. It is a self sustaining branch of science whether economics, operations or marketing, which gives a organized approach to potential leadership & people who want to be ardent followers of great business leaders.

hi ankita katdare so finally what is the exact answer for the why MBA after engineering (CSE)... plz its urgent

@santoshirukula Well, it all depends on what *your* background is - academically and professionally.
There's no one perfect answer. Go through all the answers written above and come up with your own answer. In all the answers written above, you will find how articulately the engineers have put forward their views in a way that is convincing to the interviewer of your decision to pursue post-graduation in management immediately after a degree in engineering.

If you don't hesitate, put your own answer in replies here. Me and all your engineer friends here can help you out in correcting it if it is needed.

All the best for your interviews! 👍

Engineering creates an attitude towards learning things, gives you wider angle to look into the issues.Engineering Degree dose not give only technical domain knowledge but also provides base of analytical approach and estimating problem cause and debugging issue.With this basic ceramic MBA gives a bit higher level feeding in terms understanding of market terms, market situations, industrial and social demands and how to tackle with people as well as as resource managing.
Henceforth with engineering ,MBA would add perfect combination of technical and social,economical knowledge. Engineers graduates are more effective as we can not skip away from technology in any industry. One with technical background will be effective.

After i work for 2 years in software testing...will it be counted as my experience by interviewer..? @Ankita Katdare

Will my 2-3 years of experience in software testing field will be considered...by interviewer?
In mba interview..they wont say na tha its off field experience

.For me first priority to getting job immediately after completion of B.E.but if I get chance to give them answer that should be like this.as engineering student i have technical knowledge but to handle all process or employees who working under me for that management study must require.so it is essential.

I was working as a process engineer in an automobile industry. As a process engineer i was involved in developing manufacturing excellence through technology innovation and product efficiency. There i came up with some idea that really helped in techniques of productivity as well as for testing tools in the company. As i found myself quiet interested and challenging for this field. I decided to go for MBA, because the main focus of Operation Management to allow managers and engineers to collaborate with a common understanding of goals and process. It's always good if you are capable of writing from both your hand. l am sure that after having knowledge of management studies, it will be helpful for my career.

satisfying reason (why MBA after BE/B.tech)-----suppose consider yourself as an engineer(any discipline) . you did or created an object or machine .in order to make it succesful of what u have done you have to market it (it should reach the people). as a technical engineer you don,t have a basic skill of communicating with the people and make them to realise( because the coustomer will never satisfy) that's why there comes the roll of an MBA graduate(he acts like a bridge between the society and engineers) . he knows how to approach the people and market the product succesfully so as an engineer you know something technical but to market the product u need the skill

give some reply to my answer if u have seen

@akakash Interesting answer. You should paraphrase it. The interviewer might ask you about your future plans, as it may sound like you don't need a job after MBA (because you want to create your own products & start your own company). Their counter-question might be: A role of an engineer is to use his/her technical expertise to solve problems, offer solutions. Not 'marketing' a product. That's a different kind of skill.
They might turn your answer into: "You want to do MBA for change of role aka becoming a manager." Be prepared to back-up your answer in that case.

Rest is good. 😀 All the best!

PS: The interviewers try their best to put you in a fix. Confuse you with your own responses. Channelize your thoughts well so that they see you have a clear idea of what you want to do and where you want to be.

Bhushan parekh

After i work for 2 years in software testing...will it be counted as my experience by interviewer..? @Ankita Katdare
Will my 2-3 years of experience in software testing field will be considered...by interviewer?
In mba interview..they wont say na tha its off field experience

Hi @Bhushan parekh Sorry for the delay in response. My name did not get properly tagged. Anyway, any kind of professional work experience will definitely be "considered" in your MBA interview. You will be asked questions about it. You will be made to justify your decisions and asked about your achievements, the skills you've developed etc.
Whether or not it will be considered as an 'off field experience' depends totally on what course your interview takes. Since you are an electronics engineer, they might ask you why you chose to enter IT Industry. You should be able to put very clearly your thoughts about why it was the "right step" for you. 👍

I know we learn lot of technical things in B.tech . But so many students like me want to keep there own businesses for that they need to develop some management skills and entrepreneur skills, In MBA we will learn the managing skills with laws to grow the company stands.thus why every entrepreneur will look to MBA after B.tech.

santosh28

In MBA we will learn the managing skills with laws to grow the company stands.thus why every entrepreneur will look to MBA after B.tech.

How do you know that you develop management skills in MBA? I'd strongly recommend that you should go through the syllabus and talk to MBAs from reputed business schools. MBA is NOT necessary for starting or running a business. Entrepreneurs need a totally different set of skills than a manager who's managing an existing system.

Kaustubh Katdare

How do you know that you develop management skills in MBA? I'd strongly recommend that you should go through the syllabus and talk to MBAs from reputed business schools. MBA is NOT necessary for starting or running a business. Entrepreneurs need a totally different set of skills than a manager who's managing an existing system.

In MBA they will give some training on management. how to deal with management and the individual employee.Yes Entrepreneurs no need to do MBA but mba will help to give some knowledge on management and businesses system.

i am electronics engineer presently persuing MBA I will answer the above question in such a way . In engineering we learn all the analytical skills and all engineers are good in these skills. the skills in which an engineer lacks is managing skills mba is a good platform for learning all the skills which are needed in professional as well as personal life to manage all the things .

@Rishi Modgil Yep. Your answer follows the theme of answers put in this discussion earlier. As it turns out, if you have a really pestering interviewer - when say you would like to join a MBA course to learn management skills, they might ask a counter question - "Won't you be learning managerial skills working in the corporate office?" or "Don't you think on the job learning is more efficient than case studies and bookish learning?" or "You say that you learn't analytical skills in your engineering days, where have you implemented them? Why not gain sufficient experience in the industry before joining an MBA? Why MBA straight out of the engineering college?"

I am not saying that the interviewer won't be convinced with your answer, but if he wants to probe you further - he can grill you a lot. The bottom line is be very clear with your thoughts. Organise your thoughts & ideas beforehand. Preparation is the key here. All the best.

My answer..
During college, My parents enrolled me into CAT coaching. Frankly speaking back them I did not even know the importance or pattern of CAT. Many of the students who attended the class had been preparing for the exam for quite a long time. I was awed by their performance. So, it initially started as something personal, to prove myself that i can definitely perform at par with them. But it was too early to be driven by emotions and in turn take a wrong decision. Hence I got a job in a reputed IT company and that is where the idea of MBA began taking complete shape. There were many instances in which we as developers has tremendous lack of business knowledge. Understanding business process will help you not only develop a more effective application, but also prepare for future changes and failures. I found that unless one understands the business process one can never effectively relate to the work one does. This increased my interest in pursuing an MBA. More over, I feel it will also give me a platform to improve on a personal level by making me less risk averse, making me think in a more practical and logical way and mold my thought process. I have also been complemented at work for my ability to understand and relate to people well. I can definitely explore and put this quality into better use with an MBA.

PS: I hope the interviewers will have the patience to listen to such a big narration.😕

I started doing B.Tech basically because of the trend culture. During my B.tech i realized that i was more interested in understanding how a particular program works instead of creating the programs. I was good at understanding the needs of the customer, devising the solution for it and deciding how to implement the solution. I am more interested in understanding the process of how a business runs instead of automating the business. This is why I chose to do MBA after my B.Tech.

@Ankita Katdare Let me know if this is ok.

Deepthijyothish

PS: I hope the interviewers will have the patience to listen to such a big narration.😕

Yes they do.

Purva24

I was good at understanding the needs of the customer, devising the solution for it and deciding how to implement the solution

Be prepared to narrate any real life experience where you spoke with the customer, understood the real life problem they were facing and the solution you developed.

Purva24

I am more interested in understanding the process of how a business runs instead of automating the business.

The two things aren't 'either - or'. What's preventing you from understanding business processes by staying in your current role? 😀

sir i have completed my btech from electrical. I think whichever job i take after 5 to 6 years i have to take over as manager along with providing my service in technical fields, so instead of taking 5-6 years, i m investing my 2 years for better opportunities.

sangram singh shishodia

so instead of taking 5-6 years, i m investing my 2 years for better opportunities.

Well, it's not like you'll get a '5-6' year jump by investing 2 years in MBA. You will begin as a 'junior' in your new role and grow up from there. Also - keep in mind that MBA will actually add value to your overall career only if you do it from a reputed management college. Average MBA would not offer much after you get your diploma/degree.

Please check out my answer - " My engineering course has given me the ability to look at the technical aspects of the things. If I combine it with a degree in management, I believe I will be able to do well in my professional life. Because most of the work today requires a healthy mixture of technical and managerial skills. Look at Start ups. They are coming up with brilliant technical innovations to simplify the complex business processes. Look at the Pradip Refinery, the 11th one of IOC, which will increase the output of IOC by 20-30% just because it is loaded with technical facilities. And the introduction of Wi-Fi in railwaws so that the govt. can earn revenue from the potential customers. So a manager with sound technical knowledge can perform better.

Kaustubh Katdare

Well, it's not like you'll get a '5-6' year jump by investing 2 years in MBA. You will begin as a 'junior' in your new role and grow up from there. Also - keep in mind that MBA will actually add value to your overall career only if you do it from a reputed management college. Average MBA would not offer much after you get your diploma/degree.

i know sir i will start as 'junior' but the thing is instead of working in technical field for years and then switching to management and then learning management at that stage, why not start now open my options and work in my field only.

i have done BE in computer science. i am planning to do mba in finance/banking. the real reason is that i dont want to be a software engineer. what should i answer in the interview if they ask me "why mba after BE?"

@Ankita Katdare can we ans like this : I want to develop as an individual who plays a major role in the decision making of the organisation and also serves the community around. Also I believe that compassionate business can bring social upliftment and eradicate poverty.Thus I want to be at management level where my decisions can create more business and hence more jobs and wealth to the nation.

@Ankita Katdare can we ans like this :
I want to develop as an individual who plays a major role in the decision making of the organisation and also serves the community around. I believe that compassionate business can bring social upliftment and eradicate poverty.Thus I want to be at management level where my decisions can create more business and hence more jobs and wealth to the nation. Also adding management skills with technical not only help in leading a team but also help in taking critical decisions for the successful running of an organisation.

@Ankita Katdare please reply..

aniketh007

i have done BE in computer science. i am planning to do mba in finance/banking. the real reason is that i dont want to be a software engineer. what should i answer in the interview if they ask me "why mba after BE?"

The natural question that'll follow is why did you opt for computer science engineering if you didn't want to get into it? Another follow up question - Are you sure that you want to go for MBA? You might just realised that you didn't want to be an MBA after getting your diploma/degree in management.

shivanshuaggarwal92

I believe that compassionate business can bring social upliftment and eradicate poverty

Care to explain what a compassionate business is? Which business or company is 'compassionate' in your opinion? What if the business that you join isn't compassionate?

shivanshuaggarwal92

Thus I want to be at management level where my decisions can create more business and hence more jobs and wealth to the nation

You might just want to become a business owner - if that's your dream.

I've a feeling that many engineers who are preparing for MBA think that getting an MBA degree would make them 'managers' who controls and commands a large group of people and influences business decisions. Unfortunately - that's going to take YEARS - at least 10-15; before you can reach that position; where you will actually INFLUENCE business decisions. I'm not discouraging you, but rather making you aware of the reality.

Most of the MBAs are going to be put into marketing or finance positions will be playing with Excel sheets for a large part of their career.

MBA provides perfect opportunity to mix Engineering with Management. MBA degree is designed to give you the ability to develop your career to its fullest potential, at an accelerated pace. It gives a Techno commercial ability. An engineering degree will teach you how to apply your knowledge practically and a MBA degree will teach you Management Skills.

According to me ,Engineering and MBA are two poles of the magnet in Enginnering we learn how to manufacture or design the product and MBA is where u come to know how to sell that product and do business and this completes the process .

I can't say about other engineers, but would like to give an insight about this in my college itself. Being a civil engg. guy, from 2nd year itself, we learned that we couldn't get a core branch job from our college. Other branches were blooming; CS, EEE, IT guys getting almost 40,000 starting package(in training, yes). The rest of us were almost "forced" to take IT jobs in Accenture, Wipro,Cognizant, Infosys etc. Even they were offering around 23-25 a month, but for a Civil student, who hasn't touched even the easy C programmings things for last 4 years, it becomes very very hard to survive after some months. SO, the only option left is either GATE, IES, CAT etc etc. many students already opt for coaching in their respective interests from 3rd year. So, my personal view is that to evade from this IT world and make a decent living, we engineers opt for an MBA degree.

It's really a bad surprise for me seeing many guys at this site having opinion that most of engineering students done their hard just for trend. I imagine they must be thinking that engineering companies are all NGO's.
I will tell you the real situation, besides the reality that MBA folks are paid high package. But here's a thing these days engineering cadre do not involve in day to day routine work. For example when I worked in company bieng mechanical guy I wasn't getting my hand greased everyday. Okay I had done every floor work but mostly I was involved in management of utilities like labours, power stations, consumables, maintenance schedule, controlling inventory etc. So if any guy after doing all these, thinks that management education might give him the actual mindset , the corporate mindset which lusts PROFIT over scientific awesomeness then I don't find any looseness in it.
Many times it happens that while learning engineering we become more science oriented and perfection lover than just being good at powerpoint presentation. It's what we Mechanical guys always used to say that "it doesn't matter whether you are wearing a tie or sleeveless as long as you are using correct tools while solving problem"
But sadly corporate world also insist that you should wear a good tie to match ur intellect. I think this missing approach is what every engineering guy entering MBA should look after. And if someone is having that already then he/she really don't need to spend lakhs of rupees on MBA, instead do engineering job complete online mab and some foreign language like frenach.
Happy life guys.
Thanks for reading.
Apologies for any mistakes.(not good at perfect writing but accurate at message conveyance)

If it's MBA then in which should it be done by a candidate if he/she is inclined towards technical stuff and is doing MBA just for the sake of doing

amey1293

MBA just for the sake of doing

It won't matter at all, right - if MBA's being done for the sake of adding three letters after your name? If you want a random choice - go with Finance.

I am a Mechanical Engineer.
I would answer the question why MBA as, after studying engineering I have acquired technical knowledge now I want earn knowledge management domain. I want to learn what is business and skills and techniques required to solve business related issues.
Being a fresher one should never talk about monetary values.
Also interviewer is interested in knowing your plans and goals in life. He wants you to be prepared and planned for your future. He should never feel that this candidate is here just because he don't like engineering.
Further I would like to know your opinions for question like, WHY MARKETING, WHY FINANCE and so.
Please reply. 😀

We live in a world where technology changes every 2 years. To implement any product and to cater to the requirements of a customer, knowing the technical aspects of a project is very essential. As an engineer I will have the technical knowledge which will also help me effectively moderate between the technical team and customers.

That's actually a really good answer @Marina Good job! It sounds full-proof and doesn't leave much scope to ponder on the question further.

Engineering education doesn't tell you much of anything about how business works. . . just technical stuff. It will teach you how to apply your knowledge practically.
An MBA degree will teach you how to manage people, finances or an organization from a holistic point of view or how to strategically position an organization to function effectively.


I see myself in progressively responsible positions in my future so it is naturally a very good fit to complement my technical expertise with management knowledge.

Having already obtained a technical degree, an MBA expands the horizon of my education in the wider areas of management.


Importance of work experience:

Many of the courses during the MBA program revolve around concepts and principles that one would get exposed to only at work. In such cases work experience becomes the distinguishing factor. The ability of the person with some work experience to interact, discuss and handle a particular situation will always have a more practical approach than a fresher

Nice answer, @Bineeta Sahoo  

I however beg to differ that MBA will teach you how to manage people. I think it's a myth. MBA study typically focuses on case studies, problem solving but does not focus on human behavior. Managing people is an art; and it's to be acquired through experience and self-learning; I think.

I've seen BE or BTech students opt for MBA for two main reasons:

No immediate placement right after Engineering Degree

I bet this is one of the biggest factor that many engineering graduates opt for MBA after BE or B.Tech. The job market cannot accept the graduate engineers for several reasons. These students are then forced to get into MBA degree so that they have better job prospects with an additional degree.

Change of Domain

Many engineering graduates or even working professionals do not want to pursue their career in technical fields. They tend to opt for positions in marketing, sales, finance, HR etc. For such engineers, it's impossible to switch to another role without getting a qualifying degree. It's one of the reasons engineers go for MBA.

However, we need a few practical answers for this question. Tagging @Anoop Mathew . He's been there, done that! ? 

As an electronics and communication engineer i have my fare share of knowledge in technology sector but to perform better and fulfill my aim of becoming a Sr manager in a MNC ,  i choose MBA to expand my knowledge in management sector, learn the basics skills require to run an organization . I develop my interest in MBA when i was in my third year , i was coordinating an event in cultural fest and i like  the process of managing people, consulting with seniors and make proper use of resources.

Aditya ... coordinating a cultural fest has nothing to do with your interest or inclination towards MBA. It'd look more authentic if you said there aren't plenty of jobs for E&TC engineers and MBA is your chance to get a better package than what you'd get as a fresh engineering grad.  

MBA may or may not be the place/course where you learn to develop your skills or become a Manager. It all depends on your College/University, and your 'self'. MBA from a Tier-1 or Tier-2 renowned college also doesn't guarantee that your become a better manager. Everything lies within you. You decide what you become.

Here are few facts about my MBA life that have helped me better myself in a Business/ Management role. This information is purely from my own experience and doesn't necessarily have to follow suit for all MBA graduates out there:-

1. The College I studied in had multiple Teams/Committees. These Committees were involved in varied activities (eg: Branding, Marketing & Designing, Placements, Sponsorship, Technical Seminars/ Event Management, Finance, etc). The scale in which these events were organized, and the end-to-end planning that was involved, introduced the basics of management into us. I was fortunate to be the Head of one such committee which helped me manage 32 members under me effectively, handling critical responsibilities in all the events conducted including two TEDx events. Our team even received appreciation twice from esteemed Chief Guests. This helped me take a step into the management perspective, with 'Time' & 'People' Management being the major learning point. 

2. After MBA, when I joined work as a Consultant, I quickly realized that the work done by Engineers (in Technical Field) and Consultant/Analysts (in the Business Field) although are more or less towards the same goal, there is a huge difference in approach followed. An Engineer may look for the best results, and best product output. However, a person in the Business front will eventually be poised to think 'money-wise'. This ideally 'comes' to your naturally if you have a natural tendency towards business, or have seen family businesses closely.

Verdict: A good Business Personnel would be someone with an Engineer's thought process but an MBA's Money & Return-On-Invest (ROI) mindset. For this, you don't necessarily need an MBA, you just need to understand how the Business World works.

 

Now, to answer "Why MBA (or any form of higher education) after BTech?" would be like asking "Why Lunch after Breakfast?"

Answer to Both:- 'Hunger' for Growth!

If someone gives you some other explanation, they're just beating around the bush! 

Like I said, Growth is inevitable one way or another, and getting a Higher education can open more doors for that, unless you already know how to make money / have an entrepreneur-mind.

Learning never stops in this era, irrespective of which industry you work for.