Is pursuing an MBA after BTech a viable option for graduates?

Graduating with a B.Tech degree offers a slew of promising career prospects before aspirants. Aspirants can also opt for jobs straight away. For instance, students who’ve completed their BTech in Computer Science / Information Science / Civil / Mechanical / Electrical / Chemical Engineering can secure employment in the IT / ITES, e-commerce, BFSI, and an end number of sectors. Doesn’t it sound promising! But, many start thinking of further studies and here comes the dilemma. Many aspirants think whether it is a good choice to study an MBA after BTech. So, here we will focus our discussion on this dilemma among students regarding pursuing an MBA after completing BTech.

Is an MBA degree a right choice after BTech?

Honestly, there’s no direct answer to this problem. All it depends on your priority. If you go for a job after your BTech, it will bring forth a whole new experience before you. Students will get exposure to the corporate environment and learn about new technologies and tools. Also, students will get a taste of entrepreneurship during their work experience as software engineers often start developing their apps. This often leads students towards an MBA later.

On the other hand, many will like to explore the field of management immediately after BTech. For them, an MBA is a good option as technical expertise will always keep them ahead of their peers, and many corporates prefer candidates with a technical background for management roles. For example, IBM or Cognizant hires Human Resource professionals possessing a BTech or Engineering degree along with an MBA degree. So, an MBA is a great option after your Engineering degree. The below stats represent the IIM Bangalore’s Last Year Batch Profile; these facts will highlight that the MBA is one of the popular choice post Engineering.

From the table, you can see that colleges like IIM Bangalore have a majority of students from Engineering backgrounds.

MBA aspirants get an headstart after completing BTech

Yes, completing BTech somehow puts aspirants at a better place to compete for various exams. Even it helps you in preparation for CAT, XAT, GMAT, and other tough exams. Not only do you easily fulfil the eligibility criteria (as BTech aspirants easily score 60% in Graduation), also it will be easy to get familiar with the CAT or XAT exam patterns. Engineering students will be more aware of all Mathematical Terms, Logical Reasoning, Data Interpretation than students from General streams. So, in a way, your MBA preparation gets a headstart after completing the Engineering.

5 Genuine Reasons to study MBA after BTech

Most Engineering students are confined to technical roles and want to climb up the corporate ladder through management roles. As discussed earlier, many software developers get a taste of Entrepreneurship and even launch their products and apps. All these create an urge among Engineering graduates to take up MBA in further studies. Let’s discuss five reasons why BTech aspirants can opt for MBA.

1. Develop Managerial Expertise – As a BTech graduate, students already have technical skills in them. The knowledge of Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, and other science subjects are present in the students already. However, BTech does not teach about Management terms and terminologies, and other skills required in a management professional. The entrepreneurial zip is often missing, thus studying an MBA becomes imperative. Post-MBA, students will learn about Human Capital Management, Finance Management, Time Management, Marketing & Sales, Business Ethics & Etiquette, Business Laws, and many other areas.
2. Demand for Dual Specialization – A Btech degree coupled with an MBA or vice-versa is always an excellent qualification to have in a fast-paced and modern corporate environment. Technical expertise always helps along with management abilities. Many corporations, especially the Tech Giants like IBM, Adobe, Google, Cognizant, to name a few prefer technical graduates or at least candidates with technical qualifications for various management roles. These companies also prefer to hire technical candidates having some managerial experience or management degree. Thus, the combination of BTech & MBA is a deal-breaker on various occasions.
3. Higher Salaries – Salary hike is one of the major concerns for which Engineering students opt for an MBA often. Software engineers are paid well if they have the required skill, but with an MBA degree, the value of an individual increases many times. Along with leadership and managerial roles, the pay package of an individual shoots up. With a BTech degree, the average salary which is about 4 – 8 Lakhs INR PA, can suddenly increase to 12 Lakhs INR PA after MBA.
4. Enhanced Career Prospects – Doing an MBA after Engineering increases job prospects. The profile of a student becomes multidimensional. Some students opt for MBA after 3-5 years of experience in the technical field. This adds further value when they approach companies post MBA. Even so, many students decide to do an MBA just after Engineering. In that case, the chance of getting selected at colleges like IIM Bangalore is also greater. So, prospects before and post an MBA is always good for Technical students. One can get jobs in various sectors like – IT, ITES, BFSI, Consulting, Oil & Gas, Automobile, etc.
5. Self Development – This is also one of the reasons among the BTech graduates to think of doing an MBA. Obviously, in an MBA, one will learn working in a team, Public Speaking, Presentation skills, Convincing Skills, Etiquettes, Ethics, and others. These are something which one will develop after proper guidance in an MBA course. Leadership & management qualities get incorporated into students during the tenure of the course. Also, an entrepreneurial mindset develops in the students, thoughts of serving the community with goods and services comes to the forefront. Hence, many Engineering students decide to pursue an MBA in their higher studies.

So, these are the five reasons for choosing an MBA after BTech. But again, it is up to the student’s choice whether to specialize in the same field or continue with their job or pursue an MBA. Priorities of individuals vary. But if students are thinking about whether an MBA is a good choice or not? Then the answer will be, the MBA is a very good choice for BTech students to have a secure future.