Learning while earning is very difficult. You cannot concentrate on two things at the same time. It's not like two pages of a book that you can complete in just two days. When you are earning, you contribute your entire time to earning. Once money comes into your hand, very little interest will be shown in studies. At the time of only learning, calls go out to all friends again, and we need to go to college. How boring.
From India, Hyderabad
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)
21From India, Hyderabad
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
I strongly object to the views expressed by Mr. Saswata Banerjee. He has no idea about the course content of IGNOU, of which I am an MBA. IGNOU was accredited as a University of Excellence by the Commonwealth group of nations (more than 40 countries). It has an excellent curriculum and has weekend counseling sessions. It took me four years to complete the course in eight semesters. For four years (1988-1992), I regularly attended counseling sessions on Saturdays and Sundays. Thereafter, I appeared in selection tests where external MBAs from reputed business schools appeared and were ranked far below me.
It is not the institute or the mode of imparting education that matters but how interested the student is. In IGNOU, regular assignments, case studies, and lectures from experienced business managers ensured the quality of education. However, if the aim of a student is to get a degree (whether they gain knowledge or not), then God bless them! Unfortunately, today's environment reinforces this attitude.
From India, New Delhi
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
It is not the institute or the mode of imparting education that matters but how interested the student is. In IGNOU, regular assignments, case studies, and lectures from experienced business managers ensured the quality of education. However, if the aim of a student is to get a degree (whether they gain knowledge or not), then God bless them! Unfortunately, today's environment reinforces this attitude.
From India, New Delhi
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
As expressed earlier, it all depends on where one obtains the MBA and the duration of the course. IGNOU's courses are an exception, much like the Open University, UK courses. However, there are numerous other universities where minimal support is provided to students in distance learning.
From United Kingdom
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
From United Kingdom
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Dear Meena,
Learning while working is difficult but not impossible. We all have only 24 hours a day. How we utilize that time available is the question. I know of people who have done part-time evening courses for years, with a young family to look after, and completed their Master's degree and/or Teacher's Training, and even taught part-time evening classes at the same time. When I used to conduct Time Management Courses, I would ask people to consider how much time they spend watching TV, chatting with friends on Skype, or talking on the phone.
An old saying goes, "Where there is a will, there is a way." So, do not lose heart. Please take a leaf from this 100-year-old lady's story in the news on Yahoo! News UK & Ireland - Latest World News & UK News Headlines: [url=http://uk.news.yahoo.com/grandmother-graduates-primary-school-age-100-032411321.html?vp=1#Un85LoP]
Corrected Spelling and Grammar: Identified and fixed spelling or grammatical mistakes in the text. Ensured proper paragraph formatting with a single line break between paragraphs. Preserved the original meaning and tone of the message.
From United Kingdom
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Learning while working is difficult but not impossible. We all have only 24 hours a day. How we utilize that time available is the question. I know of people who have done part-time evening courses for years, with a young family to look after, and completed their Master's degree and/or Teacher's Training, and even taught part-time evening classes at the same time. When I used to conduct Time Management Courses, I would ask people to consider how much time they spend watching TV, chatting with friends on Skype, or talking on the phone.
An old saying goes, "Where there is a will, there is a way." So, do not lose heart. Please take a leaf from this 100-year-old lady's story in the news on Yahoo! News UK & Ireland - Latest World News & UK News Headlines: [url=http://uk.news.yahoo.com/grandmother-graduates-primary-school-age-100-032411321.html?vp=1#Un85LoP]
Corrected Spelling and Grammar: Identified and fixed spelling or grammatical mistakes in the text. Ensured proper paragraph formatting with a single line break between paragraphs. Preserved the original meaning and tone of the message.
From United Kingdom
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Sai,
I recruit regularly, both for my own company and for the needs of our clients. The views I expressed are based on what I am experiencing. The only one I have seen that has some sensible results is Welingkar in Mumbai. Even that is a product far inferior to what we see in their full-time MBA courses. A full-time MBA course run by most reputed institutes in Mumbai requires students to be in the institute for as long as 12 hours a day. The amount of project work they do is humongous. A part-timer does not have time to do anything close to that, and it badly affects the final product.
I have also seen and worked with IGNOU candidates. No, they do not come up to standards. You may have been an exception and would have been able to take benefit of what they could offer. I suspect you had experience and expertise you leveraged on. I sincerely hope you are able to reap the benefits of your degree and get an opportunity to showcase it. But mostly, that does not work.
From India, Mumbai
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
I recruit regularly, both for my own company and for the needs of our clients. The views I expressed are based on what I am experiencing. The only one I have seen that has some sensible results is Welingkar in Mumbai. Even that is a product far inferior to what we see in their full-time MBA courses. A full-time MBA course run by most reputed institutes in Mumbai requires students to be in the institute for as long as 12 hours a day. The amount of project work they do is humongous. A part-timer does not have time to do anything close to that, and it badly affects the final product.
I have also seen and worked with IGNOU candidates. No, they do not come up to standards. You may have been an exception and would have been able to take benefit of what they could offer. I suspect you had experience and expertise you leveraged on. I sincerely hope you are able to reap the benefits of your degree and get an opportunity to showcase it. But mostly, that does not work.
From India, Mumbai
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Dear Saswata,
Please may I know how many distance learning MBA candidates you have come across in the past year? Is it not possible that better students with considerable experience, who have completed distance learning courses, are absorbed by their own organizations and do not bother applying for other jobs?
Most of the fresh MBAs (even full-time MBAs) in a number of institutions in India are taught by fresh MBAs who have hardly set foot in any organization. I know this from personal encounters when conducting seminars. I have asked HR lecturers if they have worked in HR, etc., and the response I received was "No." So, in my humble opinion, it all depends on how much interest a student takes in the course, why the student is pursuing the course (due to parents' and peer pressure or self-motivation), how much time they devote, whether they work to learn or just to pass an examination.
At CiteHr, I have been in touch with students of all sorts: many prefer spoon-feeding, and a minority ask for guidance to ensure they are on the right track. I am sure there are thousands who do not seek help. Students from elite institutions are a different breed, in general.
From United Kingdom
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Please may I know how many distance learning MBA candidates you have come across in the past year? Is it not possible that better students with considerable experience, who have completed distance learning courses, are absorbed by their own organizations and do not bother applying for other jobs?
Most of the fresh MBAs (even full-time MBAs) in a number of institutions in India are taught by fresh MBAs who have hardly set foot in any organization. I know this from personal encounters when conducting seminars. I have asked HR lecturers if they have worked in HR, etc., and the response I received was "No." So, in my humble opinion, it all depends on how much interest a student takes in the course, why the student is pursuing the course (due to parents' and peer pressure or self-motivation), how much time they devote, whether they work to learn or just to pass an examination.
At CiteHr, I have been in touch with students of all sorts: many prefer spoon-feeding, and a minority ask for guidance to ensure they are on the right track. I am sure there are thousands who do not seek help. Students from elite institutions are a different breed, in general.
From United Kingdom
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
About 15 in the last 2 years.
Plus, I have met/know a lot of those who did an MBA from full-time and part-time courses. Most of the students doing part-time are not doing it to learn. Most are also not doing it to advance in the same organization as they know they will continue to be in the same position after their degree. They are doing it to be able to jump into another company for a higher salary that an MBA generally gets. And mostly, they are badly disappointed as companies do not offer an equal chance to those graduating from a distance MBA course. Most HR teams will look at this in the same light as a note on the CV stating that he played cricket for his college team. Good to hear, but it does not change my decision.
The reason why this is so, I have already explained earlier. The absence of serious and equivalent efforts on project work, presentations, research, analysis, personality development, etc., is largely missing in part-time courses. There is just no time. And recruiters know this. They already factor this in. Do they care (as the original post put it) that the candidate had to take this course as he did not have an option, could not leave the job, etc.? No, they do not care. For them, it's your hard luck. Don't try to push that on me. I will hire from the pool that looks like will pass the muster.
Again, like I said, such candidates do get jobs, but because they have experience. The MBA degree is just icing on the cake. In a few cases, I know, it has helped to break a glass ceiling (e.g., a rule if not promoting a manager who is not an MBA to department head). That is what drives some of the candidates to do it.
From India, Mumbai
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Plus, I have met/know a lot of those who did an MBA from full-time and part-time courses. Most of the students doing part-time are not doing it to learn. Most are also not doing it to advance in the same organization as they know they will continue to be in the same position after their degree. They are doing it to be able to jump into another company for a higher salary that an MBA generally gets. And mostly, they are badly disappointed as companies do not offer an equal chance to those graduating from a distance MBA course. Most HR teams will look at this in the same light as a note on the CV stating that he played cricket for his college team. Good to hear, but it does not change my decision.
The reason why this is so, I have already explained earlier. The absence of serious and equivalent efforts on project work, presentations, research, analysis, personality development, etc., is largely missing in part-time courses. There is just no time. And recruiters know this. They already factor this in. Do they care (as the original post put it) that the candidate had to take this course as he did not have an option, could not leave the job, etc.? No, they do not care. For them, it's your hard luck. Don't try to push that on me. I will hire from the pool that looks like will pass the muster.
Again, like I said, such candidates do get jobs, but because they have experience. The MBA degree is just icing on the cake. In a few cases, I know, it has helped to break a glass ceiling (e.g., a rule if not promoting a manager who is not an MBA to department head). That is what drives some of the candidates to do it.
From India, Mumbai
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Full-time MBAs are beneficial because students attend full-time and are exposed to corporate culture and undergo training. It is not a question of distance mode or correspondence; people have the caliber and required skills to flourish. Experienced professionals who are working have exposure and advantages, and companies have a moral responsibility towards society. Additionally, if the candidate is suitable, then some people do not get the opportunity. Some are underprivileged, but today there are universities like ICFAI Business School (IBS) for working professionals that conduct regular classes on weekends. The study materials are of very good quality and are delivered on time. We are living in the 21st century; let's not differentiate. Ultimately, at the end of the day, you should get the right candidate. Let me tell you, nobody is born talented; talents have to be developed.
From India, Bangalore
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
From India, Bangalore
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
I have seen many candidates from reputed business schools performing poorly in group discussions/tasks. They either fumble or are silent! It makes me wonder where are the skills/knowledge they are supposed to have mastered in those schools? Mind it, management is not only the theory learned in the institute but it's application in the real practical world where communication skills are utmost important.
From India, New Delhi
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
From India, New Delhi
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)Looking for something specific? - Join & Be Part Of Our Community and get connected with the right people who can help. Our AI-powered platform provides real-time fact-checking, peer-reviewed insights, and a vast historical knowledge base to support your search.