M.Tech or MBA, which is better to choose?

This is one of the most common questions among final year engineering students. And the answer to this is not simple and just or no. There is not point comparing M.Tech Vs MBA or so, because both the courses are different and have different jobs and placements scope.

Answer to M.Tech or MBA truly depends on few factors such as where are doing engineering, what do you know and think about MBA job prospects, what do you want to do in long term and how any of these degrees help you to achieve this. I will try to mention my situation and decision when I was in engineering final year and had similar question in mind.

To start, I did B.Tech, M.Tech and PhD in computer science all in a row without taking a break and now want to do MBA. As mentioned in above paragraph these decisions depend on number of factors.

I was an average student in a private college and used to spend good amount to time in college library where they had subscription for some IEEE magazines and few general IT magazines. IEEE general magazines had last few pages of advertisement for professor jobs in different universities, average salary was around $60000 a year, which was around 25 lakh Indian rupees a year.

Apart from monitory benefit I also had in mind the social status of professor job, contribution to society and motivation to learn. Another reason was my dad’s respect to educated people compare to rich people. Rich were treated as normal people and students who scored good or achieved something great were always praised and remembered again and again.

At that time I know the only minimum condition for professor job and that was PhD in computer science, therefore I kept chasing it. But I never know the other conditions for that job such as publication, number of Phd, Research experience, Editorial memberships and conference organizing experience along with excellent teaching performance are just few to mention.

I did not opted for MBA after my B.Tech because most of MBA’s were from BSc. B.Com background. At that time with the name MBA I can only understand that if you are lucky enough you can get seat in some sate state universities. And I saw most of the MBAs working as either medical representatives or direct sales executives. With this vision of MBA it was clearly not my choice.

Wherever I went after B.Tech, I decided to learn more things there along with avoiding mistakes, which I did in past. The most important among them was making high scores. I had first class in B.Tech, I decided to make it distinction or university rank in M.Tech. I chased it again and gave tough competition, made maximum as my competition rather than some student. Good time started and I became one of the recognized ones and very independent. Good performance boosted confidence and I decided to move for PhD.

To cut the story short, I was very successful and happy with my decision. May be I made great decisions every time and reached to a place where I dreamed to go. Got PhD and joined as assistant professor in an institute of national importance. Then decided to see the software industry and resigned from professor job and join Samsung in Korea.

One day I was attending a lecture for new employees in Samsung and the presenter was from Harvard business school. He is a Swiss national and may be 5 year older than me but a vice president of strategy in Samsung. I met him during tea break and then we met many times in company. This made me think what a good MBA can do. MBA is not about just selling something. Its really about managing.

I decided to go for MBA, weird for many people and beyond imagination that MBA after PhD. But still I have a plan for it and I know an MBA form great school can do it. My view for MBA changed now, because I know what MBA’s does I feel confidant for that position and I m chasing it again.

To summarize, you should feel confidant about your future for the course you are opting for. This makes your work hard for it and you grow happy with that. I was confidant about M.Tech after B.Tech and thought that course will make me reach safe position, now I feel that with an MBA from Stanford or Harvard I will grow faster and server better.