A 2nd Global MBA or Masters: A growing reality for many IIM and premier Indian MBA graduates

I have been a participant in this journey towards a global MBA post having an MBA from a premier Indian school. Upon joining the Berkeley Haas MBA program, I realized that many of my IIM and other premier Indian MBA peers were taking the same step. Click here to read my story. 

Having worked in Berkeley MBA admissions as an alumni interviewer since 2009, I’ve witnessed an increasing number of Indian MBAs from premier Indian schools such as the IIMs, JBIMS, FMS etc. pursuing a 2^nd global MBA. Now you may say – “Hold On. Don’t these schools attract the cream of India’s emerging managerial talent? Aren’t they supposed to set you up for success for life?” Then why this trend?

A case in point is that of Indra Nooyi, an IIM Calcutta grad who pursued masters from Yale and then went on to become the global chairperson for PepsiCo. Majority of peers in my ivy plus schools network agree that the Yale degree accelerated her ascension to the global CEO role. Having spoken to these individuals and having subsequently helped many elite Indian MBA grads make the 2^nd MBA journey, I have summarized below the common reasons behind this trend of going for a 2^nd global MBA.

-          Accelerate journey towards a global career: Global schools provide job opportunities in global HQs and it’s well known that operating out of global HQs allows you to be in consideration for roles that colleagues in affiliate countries don’t have access to. In a global organization that I worked for in beginning of my career, only the top 2 % of employees (the listers) were considered for global postings and that too after spending a significant amount of time ‘proving their worth’ in the affiliate country. Broadly this means less than 5% of your peers from IIMs and other premier schools will make it global – the rest will remain local. A global 2^nd MBA is a great way to accelerate your career globally because it gets you on the global career track vs. the local (India) career track. You can reach your desired career position earlier and enjoy the perks that come with it.

-          Global Network & Acceptability: Let’s face it; IIM may be a recognizable brand name in India but not so in the USA, EU or even APAC. Hence, if you want to global, your IIM degree will only help you so much. However, a Stanford, Harvard, Berkeley or MIT are global brands with worldwide acceptability. What’s more, these schools have a global network and while the common person on the street may not know these schools, the people who are the real decision makers on careers in these respective countries know and value these schools. Hence the journey from global back to your home country and vice-versa is always possible and easier due to this global network. Did you know that super elite schools have alumni network in over 175 countries? That’s nearly the same as the number of countries participating in the Olympic Games.

-          Grow as a person: In addition to accelerating your career, living abroad in a developed country can drive your growth as a person. By ‘living’ in these countries, everyday one gets exposed to the cultural and professional nuances that set you up to succeed in a global workplace.

-          Better lifestyle: Places where one can actually ‘drive’ a car vs. getting stuck in jams every day exist. People even ride bicycles to work and transit time from home to office is less than 30 minutes in many cases. Besides infrastructure, green spaces, parks for kids along with school facilities for overall development vs. academic focus only are other reasons why many pursue a 2^nd global MBA in search for a better lifestyle.

-          Funding: Super elite school networks have access to funding – angels, VCs, PEs, they’re all part of it. This network can be leveraged for funding your new business idea and get authentic advice. More so, they’ll share how the idea can be taken global at the right time.

So if you’re thinking of getting a 2^nd global MBA, you’re not alone. Go ahead and take the next step. 

For more tips on this or other topics or to get regular updates on new articles, write to me:

sumeet [underscore] verlekar [at the rate] berkeley [dot] edu

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