Second MBA

Many Indian MBAs end up getting a second one from an international b-school. Around 50% of Indians in my promotion are getting their second MBA at INSEAD. I also thought this strange before I came to INSEAD, but after interacting with many of these second time MBA students I see the value of a second MBA.

One general observation is that there are many roles in business which are performed by local MBAs in India, but by undergrads in other countries. Many of my non-Indian classmates who were working as marketing manager, sales manager etc are undergrads who are taking an MBA to transition to higher management positions. While most of the non-MBAs from India were working in engineering/technical roles.

Another observation is that INSEAD at least does not seem to discriminate against people trying to get a second MBA. Also due to their previous experience and education, second time MBA students tend to do well in both recruitment and academics.

Here are some of the reasons why some people in my class came for a second MBA:

1) I want an international career These are the guys who were doing well in corporate jobs in India after getting their MBAs but wanted to break into the international scene. This category I think forms the biggest chunk of second MBA getters. I have classmates from FMS, MDI etc. who while doing well in India, wanted to transition to global headquarters of multinational companies and hence chose to get an international MBA. There are also a couple of students that worked in the Gulf (Kuwait/Saudi Arabia) straight out of Indian b-school but now want to move on to either India or the west, but could not find any opportunities for that staying in the gulf.

2)I need the brand of a top school there are guys who want to remain in India, but want the brand of an international b-school. For example there is a guy, MBA from IIT that was working with a Private Equity firm, and felt sort of intimidated by all the big-name-school graduates working with him. So he came to INSEAD to boost his confidence, and get on an equal footing with his peers.

3) I want to get (back) into Investment Banking A classmate, IIM graduate, who was working for a global bank's investment banking division, left to start his own company. When his venture did not really take off, he tried to get back in banking but did not succeed. So he came to INSEAD to get back into IB.

And in fact, it is these second time MBAs that form the strongest candidates for many jobs because of their relevant previous experience. Most of the Indian students that have gotten offers from Private Equity, IB and even Consulting are second-time MBA students.
I feel jealous of these guys because they seem so capable during class discussions, but then I think that the increment in learning from the MBA are much greater for me, a techie with no foundation in business than for these guys.

Two disclaimers here are that none of my observations are hard and fast rules, and that Indians that studied abroad (US/Europe) for undergrad are in a different game altogether.