PGSEM - Myths and Reality

For starters, why PGSEM? Before applying, I think that each one should have realistic expectation with respect to what you will achieve once you are done with this course.

A few expectations that might not be fulfilled at the end of the course are:
1. You will sprout wings and become superhuman and start flying without airline tickets - what that translates to is that domain shift is something that would be really difficult if not impossible to do once this is done.
2. You may or may not get super perks and roles/responsibilities based on your completion - my hope is that this is possible, but I'm still very low key about that.
3. You will not have a super duper network across all the hotshots in different organizations. This seems to be one of the drawbacks of the program since interactions would happen only twice a week max .
4. You will not be a part of the recruitment that would happen for the other MBA folks. You will still continue with your current job, though you can use the degree to search for more lucrative jobs elsewhere.

So, I have shot out 3 main reasons (#1, #3, #4) why people do MBA out of the window right away. So, did I hear someone whisper as to why do people do this course? I'll try to give you a few reasons that I had:
1. A degree is a degree - you will get the same degree as what a normal IIMB guy gets at the end of the course. Moreover the course content is the same as that of the PGP MGA program (including the electives). There are even times that you do your classes with the PGP folks (if that happens on a Friday or on a Saturday)
2. This course is a more flexible approach to getting a degree - in case there are any problems with you attending a trimester, then you have the option of skipping it (though I would definitely not suggest that, and neither do I plan to do that.)
3. The sheer exposure that you will get when you talk to your peers and your profys should be a great experience. IIMB has got a world class faculty (or so I've heard :))
4. Though networking would not happen much, chances are that you could get lucky. Case in point - there was a former collegue of mine who joined my company via another collegue of mine whom he met in the PGSEM course. So things like those are possible.
5. At the end of the years, you will get a better perspective on all the mundane things that you keep doing in and out (project planning maybe?)

Hopefully this blog helps someone understanding what could be expected off the course.

Cheers,
sidvish