Why Distance MBA Sucks Or Not Worth It
Introduction
- The joy of every full-time MBA graduating student knows no bounds on the day of convocation. But due to various reasons, not everyone desiring an MBA would be able to pursue a full-time program. The reasons are not far-fetched – from lack of finance to pursue the program, busy work schedule to difficulty in securing admission, the reasons are numerous to mention.
- A Distance MBA presents an opportunity for those seeking to earn an MBA but is faced with the problems listed above. Whether you are a nursing mother or a working professional, you determine the pace when you pursue a distance MBA program. Plus, you don’t have to take lectures in a typical classroom, unlike the conventional full-time MBA program.
- When you finally secure admission after the hurdle of registration and in some cases taking an entrance test, one of the questions begging for an answer that usually bugs prospective students is whether or not a distance MBA program is worth your time, money, and energy.
- You may already know that a distance MBA program is cheap, flexible, and easy to follow through, but that’s not what we would be discussing today. In this article, we would be swinging the pendulum towards why distance MBA sucks or not worth it.
- So, if you are ready to learn, why not sit tight and read till the end to know why distance MBA is not why it.
Why Distance MBA Sucks
1. Less Exposure
- This is one of the major reasons why distance MBA sucks. Distance MBA students are known to completely lose touch with MBA market and networking trends, as they either juggle from one vehicle to another to meet up workplace demands or coordinating home chores, for stay at home moms.
- They are also not able to build relationships with fellow students and other professionals in the industry. That’s not all; case studies or live experiences from lecturers are not possible with distance MBA. This is completely different from what full-time MBA students enjoy, as they are always in the classroom with their instructors.
2. Certificate Not Recognized By Some Employers And Recruiters
- Let’s face it; even though the distance MBA program has received a huge hype in recent years, there are still so many employers or recruiters that prefer full-time MBA graduates over their distance MBA counterparts.
- The popularity of distance MBA has resulted in the rise of fraudulent operators which has affected the credibility of the certificate among prospective recruiters.
- Also, in some countries, the remuneration and bonuses paid to full-time MBA graduates are more encouraging compared to what distance MBA graduates earn.
3. Problem Of Staying In Touch With Instructors
- There are times you would have challenges with specific courses, assignments or project works, and there would be a need for you to talk to the instructor or lecturer handling the subject to gain clarity.
- With a distance MBA program, you are likely to face the problem of not getting the lecturer’s attention. Sure, you can send a mail to the lecturer but you’re definitely not going to get an immediate response to clear your doubt regarding the confusing subject(s).
- However, in a regular full-time MBA program, it is easy to talk to the lecturer either before or after the class. You can even plan to meet with the lecturer in his/her office.
4. No Direct Contact With The School’s Technical Team
- Sometimes the need to talk to someone in the technical unit of the school to resolve problems like technical glitches, problems of school fee payment, and course registration may arise during the course of pursuing your distance MBA program.
- If you live in a different state or city where the school is located, this challenge could hamper your progress unless you visit the school campus. It really sucks knowing that you have to solve all the problems on your own.
5. Difficulty Staying Connected
- Access to the internet or source of a power supply is very crucial to distance MBA students. If you live in a city or country where access to the internet or a reliable source or electricity is not guaranteed, pursuing a distance MBA would be tough.
- Due to your work schedule, it might be difficult to get to a friend’s house, a library, a café or wherever electricity or access to the internet is available to make research.
- Also, it can be annoying realizing that you have a faulty PC the moment you want to play a DVD where a particular subject was recorded to take facts and figures. But, with a regular MBA program, you can collect the facts and figures from another student.
6. No Placements Opportunities
- Big corporations like Coal India Limited, Tata Motors, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Tata Steel, State Bank of India, as well as Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited are always on the lookout for graduating MBA students for employment.
- However, these companies only prefer full-time MBA students, which make the whole process of pursuing a distance MBA frustrating. Only about 1% of organizations extend their placement program to institutions offering distance MBA.
7. No Scholarship Opportunities
- Just like the placement problem we mentioned above, pursuing a distance MBA program means you have been shut out of scholarship opportunities offered by spirited individuals, governments, and private organizations.
- It really sucks knowing that the scholarship funds would have gone a long way to help in your tuition and other sundry charges
8. Not Enough Network
- When you attend a typical MBA class, chances are that you will have the opportunity to network with great minds and captains of industry who are back to the classroom to sharpen their leadership, managerial, and administrative acumen.
- However, with distance MBA, you won’t get to see these people. All that would be of your interest would be your full-time employment or coordinating your domestic chores if you are a stay at home mom.
9. Not Comprehensive Enough
- A distance MBA program is not as comprehensive as a full-time program. As a full-time student pursuing an MBA degree, you are expected to be involved in several academic projects, research, conferences, workshops, and seminars.
- That’s not all; regular students form what is known as “group discussion” to harmonize their views about a particular subject matter and also look at possible ways to solve assignments. But it sucks to know that all of these are not applicable to distance MBA students.
10. Distance MBA Salary Is Low
- Another reason why distance MBA sucks or not worth the stress is that the remuneration, allowances, and bonuses paid to holders of distance MBA degree working in an organization are a far cry compared to what the same organization pays holders of a full-time MBA degree.
- In some cases, the organization might even decide to favor the latter in terms of promotion and appointment to senior management levels or positions.
11. Not respected as much
- Distance MBA holders are not accorded the respect they deserve like their counterparts with a regular MBA degree. On top of that, some organizations discriminate against them when it comes to selecting staff members that should proceed on further training or overseas courses.
- The painful part is that there are so many distance MBA holders that are more intelligent, smart, and would deliver projects to specification, but employers would not accord them that recognition.
12. Lack of Discipline
- Students pursuing a regular MBA program are more disciplined and focused than their distance MBA counterparts, as they are always within the school premises.
- Only in a few cases, you will hear of regular students misbehaving or playing truant. But in a distance MBA program, there is too much flexibility, as such; students tend to abuse the privilege.
- There is no compulsion when it comes to writing exams or taking virtual lectures. As a matter of fact, if one is not disciplined, he/she could lose focus and play tyrant with the program, and end up wasting money, time, and energy.
Final Thoughts
- No doubt, due to flexibility, cost, and ease of study, a distance MBA program presents an opportunity for working professionals or stay at home moms to earn an MBA while quitting their jobs or neglecting their domestic work. But the challenges we have highlighted above make the program sucks.
- If you have successfully pursued and graduated from a distance MBA program, kindly share your experiences with us using the comment box below. Your thoughts would go a long way to motivate those aspiring to earn a distance MBA in the future.
- And one more thing… Are you a distance MBA holder? What are your experiences in the job market? Use the comment box below to share your thoughts with us.
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