Deep Kalra, founder and chairman of the online travel agency Make My Trip, claims that, like other things in life, an MBA degree is also in flux, particularly in the wake of the epidemic. Even before the epidemic, according to 53-year-old Kalra, many began to question the worth of an MBA, which generally takes two years of your life. “More online education and the availability of professional courses on various forums changed this attitude, I believe that change was prompted by technology as people have begun assessing the advantages of taking such a course while working.
Kalra offers the following advice to anyone considering earning an MBA: always consider why you want to do so. Is it only for the degree, or will it genuinely help you reach your goals or learn more about courses on cutting-edge technology like cryptocurrency? “Expecting your business schools to prepare you for emerging technology is unfair. I completed my MBA in 1992, therefore I had no method of learning about the internet at that time, he continues.
When Hyderabad-born Kalra was preparing for his final exams at IIM-Ahmadabad in 1992, he hardly ever considered entrepreneurship to be his cup of tea. “I never imagined that I would become an entrepreneur. I truly intended to pursue a professional career, and I doubt that I would have founded a company if it weren’t for the internet, he recalls.
In retrospect, he wishes his business school had provided him with more entrepreneurial courses and opportunities to network with business leaders. Additionally, being in Ahmadabad far from major cities didn’t help. However, Kalra did benefit from the well-rounded education that a business school offers, which is necessary for any kind of employment one chooses. The second benefit, according to him, is that it equips you with the necessary knowledge and abilities to deal with novel circumstances and venture into unexplored realms. He continues by saying that a business school often trains students to dissect any issue into numerous “little mini-solvable problems.”