Should you work before you pursue your MBA?

Your student life is going to end soon, but you're clueless about the future. Not sure whether to go for an MBA or join any company and get some work experience?

If that's the case, don’t worry, because you are not alone. There are many others who're stuck between these two options and finding it tough to choose any one. At this point, you can do two things — either continue to be dazed or come out of this shell and build a future you can be proud of. No matter which option you choose, I'd suggest you first take a look at this report and then make a call.

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The data shown in this report may frighten you, but that's the harsh reality of our country's education system. You can deal with it today or a couple of years down the line, but in any case, you can't escape it without doing something different. And that different approach is deciding to gain the skills required to improve your employability even before getting into a business school. Here are some of the other ways in which pre-MBA work experience helps students in the long run:

You'll be confident from day one

Those two years of MBA will give you a chance to share the classroom with some big hot-shots from IITs, NITs, NIFTs, etc. In case you don't carry a brand like these in your résumé, work experience of two to three years will immediately give you the much-required confidence. After all, MBA is not about theoretical knowledge but practical applications of what you've read in books until now. If you've worked in the field for some time, you'll definitely find it easy to get along and keep your head high throughout those two years.

You'll get admission into top B-schools easily

Yes, you read it right. From IIMs to Harvard, Oxford, and Cambridge, all the top-rated business schools prefer having experienced candidates as part of their postgraduate programmes. There were many cases in the past when certain students got into these business schools even after scoring not-so-good marks in CAT/GMAT. The one thing that gave them an edge over others with comparatively better scores was their relevant work experience.

Clarity about your future path

When a student gets into MBA right after graduation, he finds it somewhat confusing to choose a major at the end of the first year. He may have a general idea of most subjects, but not as much as an experienced candidate would have. On the other hand, a student who has already worked for a couple of years before applying for a two-year MBA programme knows what his strong areas are and will have better clarity at the time of opting for a major.

You're preferred at the time of placement

Past work experience allows you to have a great time during placement season. Believe it or not, most companies offering good packages prefer to hire someone who has got some work experience. It allows them to spend less on training and have the person doing productive work as soon as possible. After all, it's all about ROI, isn't it?

While having some experience prior to MBA has its own benefits, it doesn't mean you can't go for it as a fresher. What counts is whether you're sure about the decision you make. That's all that matters.

What's your opinion on this subject? Would you like to work for some time before opting for an MBA or get into it right after graduation? Please share your feedback with us.