Academic majors- Real-life decision

Acquiring a professional degree does give you a distinct advantage over the competition esp. in terms of exposure and experience it provides and this surely allows you to reflect upon the changing thought process and how you eventually work with such an ideology, which in itself forms the very core of what you do and why you do. 

On similar lines, an MBA professional is expected to possess a relevant skill-set and expertise in an area/sector of interest. Such industry acumen clearly sets you apart from being someone who not only happens to be a professional but has logic to reflect upon and insights to speak of.  However, one needs to be careful in his/her approach towards arriving at a Major Specialisation. 

To put this into perspective, you don’t choose a stream/ area of specialization as your major. In a way, you arrive at a point, given the learning thereof, that a field, logically appears to be the best of the options to go with. 

What you do at the back of it forms the majority of your learning, and that’s exactly where you more or less are inclined towards a field and/or area of interest and not in others. 

So what needs to be done first hand is a careful analysis of who you are and what you want to be in times to come. 

In doing so, how a major area of specialization will add-on to your candidature is the question you attempt to answer by way of your Hustle. You are particular about the experiences you want to go with, books you want to read, events you want to participate in, discussion(s) you want to be a part of, projects you wish to work upon, management bodies you want to get associated with, so on and so forth. This way, you allow yourself to REFLECT upon what can work out the best in your case, instead of asking your near and dear ones the specialization you SHOULD be going for. 

vision matches with the ultimate goal that needs to be accomplished. But is it enough to have a good vision? Or do we require anything else to float? Having a great vision is one thing but, it is also pivotal to execute that vision wisely and tactfully.

So it’s more about the environment you surround yourself with and as you dive deep into such experiences, allow your creative juices to flow in the right direction, and you shall have an answer by your side. 

Quite often, we seek an answer to our competencies by those who don’t know us much, and that’s exactly where we fall trap to the comparison mode resulting in choices not worked upon or choices which in their way, are a result of your preconceived notions.

In a good number of instances, you tend to go for the negative self-talk, which in a way, speaks to you that FINANCE is not your cup of tea, MARKETING appears to be something you don’t feel like doing and that you have a genuine unspoken love for HUMAN RESOURCES as if HR is not at all marketing!! One must attempt to explore the possibilities beyond his/her understanding of what that specialization is all about, irrespective of how far or close it is from reality. 

This is where top MBA colleges in India separate themselves from the rest of the institutional crowd. 

Additionally, it’s important NOT to view choosing a specialization from the perspective of earning money. You will mind earning a handsome salary in the finance department of a company when you know you don’t love finance and are not good at numbers. 

As such even if you want to go for the comparison mode, try to find out the career opportunities in each of the fields being offered instead of looking at placement numbers. 

This way, you should be rational in your approach and are more likely to make a decision that will reflect upon your willingness to grow and learn what the field is all about.

However, it’s important to understand that we all learn till the last breath of our lives and as such a specialization thus, chosen is not the end of the road. 

You choose something you are interested in and which has your undivided focus as long as you have your hands on it. So keep your thoughts open and be willing to understand what specialization is and SHOULD be all about when it comes to you.  

Until then, Happy Learning!

Mr. Deepak Chhabra

Assistant Professor, RDIAS