Hello all,

Greetings to all the forum members. I have just joined this forum.

I am a Mechanical Engineer with Indian Navy. I did my M.Tech. from one of the Indian Institutes of Technology, a premier world-class institution. I have also done a distance MBA from a Tier II school in India and a PG Diploma in Management Science (approx 6 months duration) from a reputed Business School in India. I have 22 years of experience in the Navy in various fields viz. operations and maintenance of naval assets/ infrastructure/ ships etc, training, design and development in complex engineering projects, information technology, quality assurance and project management. Like most other naval engineers, I am a jack of many trades, but am not sure if I am a master of any. Notwithstanding, I have been in the business of "getting things done" in hostile conditions and with minimal resources. My academic school/ college records are impeccable. I am an author of a book. However, I am 42 years old.

I have been seriously thinking of retiring from the Navy by middle of next year and working in the corporate world. I am seeking higher level professional challenges, would like to stay and work in the "developed world" viz. northern/ western Europe, US, Australia & Canada, in that order, and would aim at reaching the top management levels in a mid-size company within the next 5/6 years.

I have the following questions for this esteemed gathering:-

(a) Would an MBA from a good university help me at this stage? If yes, which would be better - a Full Time one year MBA or an International MBA or an Executive MBA? Travelling regularly from India to other country as part of my course at regular intervals for traning sessions (as done in a few MBA courses) is not possible for me. However, as far as academics and course work is concerned, I am confident of completing any course anywhere.

(b) Due to my financial status and the need to bring up a family, I would not be able to afford an expensive MBA and would like to know about "value for money" MBAs from reputed schools which are highly acknowledged in the corporate world.

(c) After the "quality of education" from a good MBA school is taken care of, I would prefer to study in a school/ college where there is a high probability of getting scholarship/ financial aid.

(d) I would prefer to stay back in the same place for work after completing my MBA, and hence would prefer countries where norms for staying back to work/ look for work are more flexible/ friendly.

(e) Would a school like the Aarhus MBA School in Denmark (which does not feature anywhere in Top 100 rankings of any ranking agency) be a good choice if looked at in a holistic manner and of they are likely to offer a decent scholarship?

(f) What are the pros and cons of doing MBA from schools which are otherwise reputed, but are in countries whose economy is doing not so well e.g. Spain?

(g) How would one rate MBAs from reputed schools in Japan - a highly developed but "ageing" country where chances of working for a good Japanese company after MBA could be higher. Anyway, where do MBAs from this country stand in the overall scheme of things?

Looking forward to some incisive inputs from the members, which would help me arrive at some decision soon,

Best regards,

You're asking all the right questions, which means that you are on the right track. A couple of things to consider:

You are probably aware that you are on the older side for an MBA, with more work experience than most MBA cohorts have. This will put you at a disadvantage at some schools, but at others your maturity and military background might be an asset. This thread has a good discussion of some of the issues:

http://www.find-mba.com/board/6256

I personally like the Aarhus MBA - but if you don't have a command of Danish it might be hard to land a job in the country after graduation. This is probably going to be true for many of the countries in Europe - without language skills you face many challenges in post-MBA careers. See this discussion for more on that:

http://www.find-mba.com/board/34713

Your theory about Japan sounds good, but you'll want to look into what kinds of jobs are available to you (assuming you don't speak Japanese.)

Your English seems quite good - if I were you I would focus on the countries where English is the primary language and go from there.

Dear Mr. Ralph,

Thank you very much for your kind reply. I appreciate and understand the points brought out by you. My desire to work in Europe stems from the high quality of civic life there, particularly in countries like Denmark, as well as the possibility that with my background of Navy, I could think of the marine industries in that area including those involved in shipping operations, manufacturing of marine engineering equipment/ controls/ instrumentation etc.

Japan open up a completely different possibility. There is so much possible if some sort synergies are evolved between the world-class Japanese companies (not the biggest ones, but a large number of "middle-scale" companies) and the huge appetite for quality goods required in India.

Perhaps the "cultural" aspects of being in these places also appeals to me somewhere. Finally, at this age and time, the "cost-effectiveness" of the MBA matters a lot, since I cannot afford an expensive education due to my family commitments.

Thanks again. Hope to read some more inputs from you and other senior members of this forum,

Regards,

Like I said, a lot is going to depend on the language, so start there.

Also, I would connect directly with the schools you are interested in - and ask them what they would think about your chances for admittance based on your profile. A lot of them will be up-front with you, especially if your age presents a handicap.

And finally, why not look into Copenhagen Business School? It's in Denmark, and furthermore Copenhagen is a port city (so the shipping/logistics industry is well-represented) - and English is commonly spoken, at least in the international firms.

Dear Mr. Ralph,

I am actively considering the Copenhagen Business School. Also, there was the MBA Tour fair at Mumbai yesterday where I could meet a large number of representatives of various reputed business schools. It was encouraging to learn that many amongst them do not find me "old" for their programs, even as a few advised that, if admitted, I would need to dilute my military command and leadership style to fit in as a member of a younger group of students and learn to "obey". I guess I can manage that.

The Lally School of Business in US looked promising due to their technology focus, even though I wonder why one does not hear much about this excellent school.

The UBC and Queen's School of Business MBAs also looked excellent, even though the "total cost" of both is pretty high - living expenses are very high in Vancouver (for UBC) whereas the tuition fees is very high for the Queen's School of Business MBA. The total cost of the programme is one of the most important criterion for me.

Hope to be able to finalise something soon though.

Best regards,