Is a Tier 1 B-School Degree Really Worth More Than 10 Years of Industry Experience? Let's Discuss!

Industry Experience vs. Tier 1 B-School Graduates

If an industry experience of 10 years with a part-time MBA can be replaced by a fresher or a candidate having 1 year of experience and a degree from a tier 1 B-school, kindly share your views.

Most employers, especially in India, are pursuing candidates with regular MBAs or degrees from tier 1 B-schools, irrespective of the amount of experience and knowledge the candidate possesses.

In my view, everyone should be given a chance to prove their potential. At least, this should not be a criterion for appearing in an interview. A change in the perception of Indian employers is very much required. What do you say...?

Dear Dipankar, perceptions always differ. It all depends on which side of the fence you are on and what kind of experiences your destiny tosses towards you. Recently, there was a discussion on the following thread. I, along with other members, have shared our views. To a certain extent, it matches with your challenge. You may go through the thread and give your second post on this thread.

Thanks,

Dinesh V Divekar

Thank you for your comment. However, my question here is not about knowledge and skill. My question is: if someone has obtained an MBA degree from a traditional full-time program, does that mean they are more knowledgeable or skilled than someone who has already spent about 4 to 5 years in the industry and earned the same MBA degree through distance learning?

Please share your insights on this matter.

Best regards,

I would like to add my views based on the practical experience I underwent over the last 3-4 months in the job market. The people who are heading HR or handling the recruitment function of an organization often think only about a master's degree obtained through a regular course and do not consider the work knowledge or expertise gained through experience, even if accompanied by a PGDPM obtained through correspondence.

This scenario in the industry can negatively impact experienced individuals like me in the job market. It might be beneficial to have some benchmarking, such as considering 8 years of professional experience as equivalent to a master's degree from a reputed university, or 12-15 years of experience as equivalent to a master's degree from B or A or other higher-level institutions in India. This could vary according to the size or nature of the industry.

Need for Change in HR Practices

I hope the HR community will focus on this issue and try to develop an amicable solution to support experienced HR professionals who do not possess a master's degree. Moreover, this concept is growing rapidly, and those responsible often do not even review profiles to understand a candidate's capabilities, considering factors like age. Please do not misunderstand or misinterpret my views.

Regards,
V. Murali

I would like to appreciate your thoughts in this regard. We actually need this sort of change in the selection process.

Regards,
Dipankar Kalita