The Hindu Business Line : Full-time vs part-time MBA

I am 32 years old and working as a quality manager in the automotive component industry. I have been in this line for over seven years now. I am contemplating doing a full-time MBA (Finance) in one of South-East Asia's reputed B-schools. I have done a one-year diploma in financial management and am interested in finance, investments and insurance (am qualified to sell insurance too).

I plan to do an MBA because I feel it would give my career a lift and also because I think I have been in my field (quality assurance) for too long. I would like to know if this would be a good move for me. Am I too old to do a full-time MBA? Or, would it be better to study part-time? I am not married and have no major financial commitments.

M. Gupta

As you have already done a diploma in financial management, you may follow it up with a regular one-year MBA programme with specialisation in finance from a reputed institution. This would cut the lead time by one year compared to the two-year regular MBA model. You can move away from quality assurance to finance/insurance with confidence. A full-time MBA from a renowned institution has its own advantages in terms of better placement opportunities. This is the right time for you to switch, and your age is no bar for studying MBA. While choosing the institution, take into account especially, its credentials in placing students with work experience. From full-time work to full-time study, you should be prepared to put in extra hours and the maximum effort to stay on top.

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S. Kannan