Forum: General Forum (6 Comments)
How old is too old for MiM?
Posted by - kaushiklakshman - on 11 August 2011 - 6:20pm
First of all thanks a lot for your wonderful website. I can't tell you in words how useful it has been so far. I wanted to ask a few questions to you though, if it isn't asking for too much, about some things that are hard to find on the internet. I am an engineer from Asia, and one who has worked for a bit more than a year and want to apply to certain MiM programs in the next cycle. Not the most normal of application types. Would you consider this appropriate? Few people tell me that it is probably better to wait a couple of more years and apply for MBA programs. But I feel it is essential to get some international exposure for myself with a European education and work culture. Would you think that I am perhaps 'too old' for this program? Also, while a few universities have great career opportunities pages on their website, not all are that explicit. I wanted to know how important/defining the rules about my being a non EU citizen is? As per the rules a EU citizen will be given a higher priority but will this seriously dampen job opportunities. I understand these don't have particular correct answers, and any bit of elucidation you can give regarding this will be very helpful. Thanks in advance.
Posted by - kaushiklakshman - on 12 August 2011 - 3:33pm
Thanks Thomas. I will think long and hard about this before making a call. Your words have been very useful. Please don't mind if I ask for your two cents at a later point of time.
Posted by - Thomas Graf - on 12 August 2011 - 4:06pm
Please ask any time again. I am happy to help.
If you want to do us a favour please inform other people in your network and all business schools you'll get in contact with about the MIM-COMPASS.
All the best
Thomas
Posted by - kaushiklakshman - on 12 August 2011 - 11:25am
Thanks for the explanation mate. Cleared a lot of things. My main cause of worry is the approaching 'hitting the ceiling' as you mentioned before I can apply to the MBA, not forgetting the fact that MBAs are way more expensive than the MiMs. One more question please. I read the post you linked in that reply, but I wanted to know if you had any idea in how recruiters view MiM graduates viz a viz MBA graduates. What are they key differences in the kind of jobs each type lands? Again, I have read a little about it, and I thought there wasn't much clarity. Any help here would be much appreciated. Thanks again.
Kaushik
Posted by - Thomas Graf - on 12 August 2011 - 12:34pm
Hi there,
as for the question how employers treat MIMs vs MBAs:Think of the difference between these programs.
- The MIM ususally is for graduates. This means that Master in Management graduates usually apply for entry positions, positions for Graduates.
- MBAs in contrast have a minimum of 3 year work experience. After the MBA, they start in higher positions that are made for Young Professionals or Professionals.
Now, the question is how employers treat people with an MIM AND with some work experience. I would guess that for employers it doesn't matter much if applicants have an MIM and NO work experience or if they have an MIM and one year of work experience.
Therefore I suggest a rule of thumb: With a normal MIM (those made for people without or with few work experience) you apply for different kind of jobs than with an MBA. WIth an MIM you apply for entry positions (lower in the firm's hierarchy, less salary, less responsibility) and with the MBA you apply for higher positions - simply because these two degrees reflect two different career stages (career stage one: graduates applying for their first job; career stage two: young professionals or professionals applying for a higher position where you need experience).
If, however, a Master in Management explicitly targets professionals - which is the exception - for instance the Stanford Sloan Master program, then I would guess that firms know about it (or you need to tell them :)) and you can of course apply for higher positions.
Again, since you have work experience already and it takes another year to apply and start a program I wonder if you shouldn't wait a bit more, try to gain more industry experience, and then apply for an MBA (hopefully with a scholarship). Think about it.
Thomas
Posted by - Thomas Graf - on 11 August 2011 - 6:47pm
Dear Kaushik,
thank you for your question. As fro your first question, the general rule of thumb is:
- You do a Master in Management (MIM) without or with only few work experience
- You do an MBA with a minimum of 3 years of work experience after graduation
Considering that you have 1 year of work experience as an engineer already and that you may need another year until you can start a program (given the application process, tests, and selection of schools etc.), you will have at least 2 years of work experience at the beginning of the program. Now what are your options?
- You can do an MIM with that
- You can try to find business schools who accept you for their MBA programs (some schools may not consider your work experience as sufficient however)
- You may wait another year (or even more) and apply for an MBA - all schools will accept your work experience then as sufficient for an MBA.
The decision is up to you but these are your options. To give you some further material to find a decision consider this:
- Why do you want to do a Master NOW? For example, if you are happy in your current position then why hurry interrupting your career? Why not keeping on working until you have exploited your career perspectives in the company where you are (or other companies) and thinking about the appropriate postgraduate program once you feel like being on the "career ceiling"?
- If you feel like your current qualification is not sufficient and you want to increase your career options NOW with a business master, then you have the options mentioned above. In that case, I would seriously analyse both types of programs first - the MIM and the MBA - in all dimensions and THEN decide which one matches your needs and resources better. Our article on the Difference between the Master in Management and the MBA will help you here.
I hope this is helpful for you.
As for your second question on EU-citizenship, I am not sure of I fully understand. In general, European Schools are VERY interested in applicants from Asia. Now for YOU this may not be enough because you think about your career options after the investment in the Master.
The question is: Where do you want to work after graduating in your Master program?
- If you want to work in the US I would consider doing an MBA (and not an MIM) THERE (and not in Europe)
- If you want to work in Europe I would do an MIM or MBA in Europe: But in that case I would screen the schools of your interest with respect to their experiences with Asians. For instance, which schools did have Indians in their programs in the past? What can they tell you about what these people did after their Master? How long did it take until they foudn a job, where did they find a job etc.? Maybe the schools can even bring you in touch with an Asian graduate. The process is: Screen the schools in the internet FIRST and THEN contact them with your specific questions.
- If you want to work in Asia you may know your career options much better than I do. But a good advice is always: Ask your favorite future employer (or his competitor :)).
Best wishes
Thomas
