Confused About Pursuing PGDHRM After PGDBM? Seeking Advice on HR Education Choices

Dear Seniors and Friends,

Greetings to All!

Firstly, I want to give a brief introduction:

I have completed PGDBM in Marketing (Regular) from Pune and have 2 years of work experience in marketing. As I got married last year, I left the job.

Currently, I am in Goa and worked for around 6 months in a Recruitment Consultancy. Presently, I am working as an Assistant Officer - HR in a Manufacturing Company in Goa itself, handling core HR responsibilities such as manpower planning, PF, gratuity, ESI, compensation and benefits, Performance Appraisal, etc.

I am planning to pursue a course in HR as I am in this field. I have considered PGDHRM from Symbiosis Distance Learning and have already obtained the prospectus, but I am very confused. My queries are:

1) Should I pursue PGDHRM since I have already completed PGDBM?
2) Should I consider other short-term courses?
3) If yes, please suggest some courses.
4) Does a degree or diploma in HR really matter significantly in the HR field?
5) I prefer not to spend a large amount on any course as I have already invested 4 lacs in my PGDBM.

Please provide me with your valuable suggestions. It will help me resolve this dilemma.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Neha Roy
HR

Neha,

How long to keep learning and spending money on education? All that we learn may or may not help us in the long run. Sometimes irrelevant jobs may knock on your door with good salary. For that reason, you cannot immediately enroll in a course. Many job opportunities pass by us, and we have to let them go deliberately.

People would say, 'Grab the opportunity that comes and don't say no.' For freshers, this is okay, but for an experienced person, this is not applicable.

I will tell you an incident from my experience. Recently, I got an offer from a Gulf-based Telecom Infra company locally. The CEO found me to be competent in everything and compelled me to take his offer 'Head - Supply Chain Management' on a salary of 65K.

Oops!! When I thought he was going to give me a good title in HR... my God... it was the other. I wondered how he is offering this to me when I knew nothing about SCM or its basics. For that reason, all of a sudden, I cannot enroll at IIPM for PG Dip. in Supply chain, Logistics, and Warehouse Management. That is not my cup of tea. I may excel or fail in this new profile. I can only be a learner and not a performer in this new field.

So, we have to think logically and practically before choosing a different job. Hope I have explained much.

Regards, Chandru

Hi Neha,

In my opinion, you should try out the course as you have been working in this field for six months. I hope you have liked the job profile. Since HR requires a lot of patience and interpersonal skills, and you are from a different field, but you have already adjusted to this field.

So, it is expected that you would stay in HR for the rest of your life. Therefore, you are still young and can try out the course. However, since HR is a very vast field, I would rather ask you to go for some short-term courses on HR, such as courses on Human Behaviors, Labor Laws, etc., ranging from six months to 1 year.

Best wishes for you in this new area. If you wish, you can email other questions to me at akashd29@rediffmail.com.

Akash

Hi Neha,

Learning is an unending process, so you must keep updating your knowledge. Any learning undertaken solely for the sake of qualifications will not naturally add value, not only to your career but also to you as a person.

Therefore, firmly decide on your future career goal and pursue your studies accordingly. However, never give up on your studies.

All the very best,
Ramram

Dear Neha,

As per my knowledge and experience, I want to suggest to you that it would be good for you to continue in the field of HR as working in marketing is sometimes difficult for girls due to family constraints. I feel that you should pursue the PGDHRM as we have to keep learning things regardless of our age.

A postgraduate course would be better than any short-term courses. Yes, a degree or diploma does matter in any field; it is an addition to your qualifications as well. If you want to earn something, then you have to invest. Don't worry if things go the right way; you will earn much more than what you spend. All the best.

Hey Neha,

If you are planning to work in the same organization for the next 7-8 years, there is no need to enroll in a heavy HR course (PGDHRM, etc.).

However, if you are looking for a change in the near future, then please enroll in a formal course of 1 year or so. As others have said, it might not necessarily add value to your performance (like an MBA in Marketing or Finance while working in HR), but it will definitely help your profile get shortlisted at the initial stage (that's what I used to do in a recruitment agency as the company's direct instructions were to look ONLY for MBA HRs).

Open to critical feedback.

Cheers,
Devashish.

Dear Seniors and Friends,

Greetings to All!

Firstly, I want to give a brief introduction:

I have completed PGDBM in Marketing (Regular) from Pune and have 2 years of work experience in marketing. As I got married last year, I left my job.

Currently, I am in Goa and worked for around 6 months in a Recruitment Consultancy. Presently, I am working as an Assistant Officer - HR in a Manufacturing Company in Goa itself, handling core HR responsibilities like manpower planning, PF, gratuity, ESI, Compensation and Benefits, Performance Appraisal, etc.

Now, I am planning to pursue a course in HR as I am in this field. I have thought of PGDHRM from Symbiosis Distance Learning and have the prospectus as well. However, I am very confused.

My Queries are:

1) Should I pursue PGDHRM since I have already completed PGDBM?
2) Should I pursue some other short-term courses?
3) If yes, then please suggest some courses.
4) Does an HR degree or diploma really matter so much in HR?
5) I don't want to spend much on any course as I have already spent 4 lakhs on my PGDBM.

Please give me your valuable suggestions; it will help me out of this dilemma.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Neha Roy
HR

Hi Neha,

Since you have already completed a full-time PGDBM course and are interested in transitioning to HR (I am assuming that), I would recommend pursuing a PGDHRM from NMIMS.

Instead of opting for a short 6-month or 1-year course in HR, which may not add much value to your resume, consider enrolling in a 2-year distance learning PG program since you prefer not to undertake a full-time course.

In my opinion, specializing in HR may not be crucial as what matters most for an HR professional are qualities like being customer-oriented, empathetic, and adaptable to change. Some HR professionals with only a PG in HR from a full-time course may lack empathy towards employees.

However, it is unfortunate that recruiters and senior HR professionals often prefer candidates with formal education in HR.

I hope these comments are helpful.

Regards,
Ranjit