Hard Work Doesn’t Matter, Shovel Does

We all have heard about the idiom hard work paves the road success. An age old expression that is long past its expiry date, some might call me cynic but the reality is hard work by itself will never ever give you success. In order to covey my point, let me tell you a story. A long lost saga of men’s dream for fool’s gold and how it ended.

A Brief History of California Gold Rush

The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a period in American history which began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The broadcast of gold carried out mostly by sailing ships and covered wagons some 3, 00,000 gold-seekers to California. While most of the new arrivals were Americans, the Gold Rush also attracted some tens of thousands from Latin America, Europe, Australia, and Asia.

The ripple effect of the Gold Rush were substantial. At first, loose gold nuggets could be picked up off the ground, and since there was no law regarding property rights in the goldfields, a system of "staking claims" was developed. In 1849, a state constitution, governorship, and legislature were established, and as part of the Compromise of 1850, California officially became a US state. Agriculture and ranching expanded throughout the state to meet the needs of the settlers. Roads and other towns were built throughout the new state, and new methods of transportation developed as steamships came into regular service. By 1869, railroads were built across the country from California to the eastern United States.

My Point

As told in the story mentioned above 3, 00,000 desperate souls rushed in to get a bight of the alluring gold, or so they thought. Out of those lakhs of people how many of them found gold, forget finding gold how many people out there do you think were even able to make the ends meet. What the history does not tell you is that the  gold diggers were exploited by the house renters the equipment dealers and all forms of establishment set up to provide services. The cost of living in that smoldering cesspool of greed was too high. The people lived a hard life, they did back braking labor all in the hope that someday they would be rich by finding mound of gold.

So now you know the truth, out of those lakhs of people only a handful of people made any real money.so we have established hard work does not equate to success. Do you know for every single person out there digging for gold who made a profit? The person who sold them shovels. The person who sold shovel earned money whether the masses found gold or not, sitting comfortably in his shop he had a steady stream customer and hence an unending stream of revenue. He was one of the many who profited off other people dreams.

The important lesson I want to impart through this story is that people who cater for other dreams and aspirations will always be successful irrespective of the fact that the dreams have been fulfilled or not. Therefore Hard Work Doesn’t Matter, Shovel Does i.e. is the person who sells the shovels instead of being the donkey who does all the hard work.

Benefits of Virtual Education Counseling

The present market of consultancy is growing rapidly. According to a Source Information Services report released in August, 2013, the Indian consultancy market grew by 4% in 2012. Consultancy as a business has been growing in various fields like for Medical, HR, Management, Legal Issues, Education, Accounting, PR etc. Out of these, education consultancy is one of the most common businesses today. With the increasing technological advancements, it is obvious that counseling can also be provided offline as well as online. Here we have some of the benefits of online counseling or virtual counseling in the field of Education Consultancy:

Everything is easily available. Virtual counseling makes the counselor easy to available to the client whenever the client wants. Through the calls, messages, video calling and by providing online material to the phones and laptops of the clients, it is easier for them to have access of the data and to communicate with the counselor. Everything for the clients is just under their fingertips.

Providing traditional in-office settings. With advance technologies, it is easier for the counselor to provide his online services to the clients as efficiently as offline. There is hardly any difference in online and offline counseling services. Now, the online services are also capable of providing all the in-office settings of the offline counseling to the client.

Preferred by clients too. Providing online counseling reduces the cost and effort of traveling by clients. This is another reason why they are opting for online counseling over offline. It is easier for them to be in any part of the country and avail the services of consultancy.

In the end, this leads to higher customer satisfaction and more profitability to the service provider. These are some of the benefits because of which the market of virtual counseling is increasing day by day.

Confluence Education Services Pvt. Ltd. is working to show a right path to students to achieve their career goals. We, at Confluence, have our own dashboard where we are constantly in touch with our students, answer their queries and guide them towards the success. Confluence makes it easier for the students to train for various exams, plan their future abroad and be successful in their lives.

Education - A field free to all

The quality of Indian Education System was debatable for ages. Private sector can meet the demand, if the current government allows for changes. There is no shortage of private capital or entrepreneurial interest. School education, say professionals, is a $100 billion prospect over the next three years. But what is killing the growth of school education entrepreneurship is absurd regulation. The recent survey conducted by the economic times showed that dozens of education specialists, industrialists, former watchdogs, and responsible parents agree to one common fact. The consensus is that private schools need a few simple logical rules. 

Experts say the government should be a facilitator of quality education, not its supervisor. Allowing the government school headmasters more autonomy will ensure that they are no longer be a simple administrators but also evolve into education leaders.

Regulatory approval should restricted to ensuring the school has enough funds for infrastructure, appointing qualified teachers, getting itself certified or being rated by pre-appointed bodies. Policies shouldn’t be made by thinking of the worst but think of the best. The government should realize that some entrepreneurs do really want to contribute to a better future.
 So you all might ask what the way forward from here is.

Public - Private Partnership (PPP) is a finance model for a public organization project such as a new communication system and in our case education institution, airport or power plant. The public counterpart is represented by the government at a local, state and/or national level. The private partner can be a privately-owned commerce, public corporation or consortium of businesses with a specific area of expertise. There are certain flaws in this system too. One, it involves a massive transmission of resources from the exchequer to private schools. Two, the schools have unlimited freedom in all aspects of governance, including precisely the fees to be charged from the 1,500 students. The prototypical thus allows the so-called “non-profit institutions” to work for, and actually make, profits. Third, the government has little control over these schools. Except to insist that 1,000 students from the underprivileged sections be admitted and that they be charged a certain fee, it cannot do much.

As a result, the model, which claims that it is not for privatization, and that it will not allow the profit motive to enter the field of education, will promote the opposite: privatization and, in practice, a greater grade of commercialization. It is privatization and commercialization with a difference — utilizing public funds. Most significant, the PPP model does not feel the need to view education as being distinct from the production of moneymaking goods and building of organization.

From Textile Technology to MBA

When you'll ask, in what stream a 12th pass student wants to do his engineering, he'll say IT, CS or EC. Or no, that is too main stream. So he may say civil, mechanical, chemical or what, may be electrical. But Textile Technology, what? Do they allow it? Does it even exist?

Yes, Textile Technology is one of the most uncommon streams for engineering that exist all around us very commonly. We could not assume our lives without textiles. From apparels to household use, from automobile seat to a surgeons mask, its area of existence is beyond our imagination. Textile Technology is now gaining student’s attention and they are choosing it as their specialization. It consist of knowledge about the journey of fiber to yarn and then fabric, the machines and technology used in the process, chemicals used in the process, mathematics behind textiles, testing of textiles and its future scope. After graduation, a textile engineer if wants to do work in the industry he has so many options to choose from. He can work in manufacturing unit as a supervisor, or in testing department, or in fabric designing, or he can choose to go in garmenting. For further studies, a textile engineer can pursue M. Tech, M. F. Tech, MFM, or MBA.

MBA can be a real money maker for a textile engineer. After having a degree of MBA, a textile engineer would have the knowledge of market, economy, business and resources. It will be much easier for him to work in the market of textiles than others. Being a textile engineer, he has the knowledge of operations process of manufacturing in the industry. Whereas, the MBA degree will give him the knowledge of market forces, do's and don’ts of the business and innovations that will  enhance his business. Hence, he will have both the inside and outside knowledge of the business. It won't be exaggerating if I say that pursuing MBA after completing B. Tech from Textile Technology will be a right way towards success. 

GD PI PROCESS

GE PIWAT   -    Things You Need To Know

The second round of selection procedure after the SET (Symbiosis Entrance Test).When you get short listed for this round you have to undergo 3 procedures based on which a final short list is prepared. The SET scores are averaged and 50% of the actual percentage is taken in account towards the final score. So for those who haven’t scored well there is a huge scope to make up in these 3 rounds.

Remember to dress in a suit and bring all the document mentioned and you are all set to take the test.

First Round -Write an essay and A situation analysis

You are required to write an essay and do a situation analysis, the essay should be of 500 words on the spot with a time limit of 25 minutes. This round is to judge your creativity, writing skills, critical thinking etc.

Second Round – Group Discussion or Make a story out of pictures

You are divided into two teams usually 7 members per team there is 2 minutes allotted to note points and then the presentation starts. My test involved a story out of pictures, all seven of us were handed a picture and we had to make up a story out of all 7 pictures

Third Round - A Personal Interview

The final part is a personal interview with an interview usually conducted by 2 faculty who teach at the institute or are brought from outside. Here, your conversation skills, confidence, interests are judged. This also gives you an opportunity to explain your past academic performance, any prior voluntary work you have done and academic/non academic achievements. This lets the admissions understand if you would be able to manage the course expectations as well as if you would fit into the college's culture.

NOTE: The bulk marks are from personal interview so you have to make a good impression,

Your CV should be in order as majority of Question would be asked based on it.

MBA IN INDIA

                                    MBA IN INDIA

For most kids of middle class families, doing an MBA after graduation has become the norm.It has become the next stepping stone after the country's obsession with engineering.But the harsh reality is that there are very few B schools in the country that actually impart the oh so important quality education required to turn a regular fellow into an MBA professional.Due to the rising demand for the course, MBA colleges have spring up like weed in every nook and corner of every major city (even villages!) to cater to this demand.Getting yourself enrolled into on of these is more detrimental to your career than beneficial.Because of this demand,most colleges worth getting into have huge competition with the annual CAT (common aptitude test) now becoming a  yearly drama of its own.All this coupled with the immense stress which a student goes through while preparing for entrance exams and you get a disaster waiting to happen.
The only way to beat the competition is by smart thinking and planning

STEP1: ORGANISE YOUR THOUGHTS AND GOALS

you should have a clear view on what you are looking for to gain from an MBA. Keep in mind that MBA doesn't add much value in terms of skills to your resume apart from time management.The initiative has to be completely your own if skills addition is what you're looking at. you should be able to clearly define your career path till 5 years from now and then decide weather an MBA will hepl you get there. Once you answer that question, then the process begins

STEP:2 SLOG

you have to face the fact that you live in INDIA and every year around 3 lakh students give CAT to try to enter the gates of the prestigious few institutions around the country.There is no way you would be able to compete with students preparing for years and attending professional coaching if you yourself don't put in the effort.However smart studying is more preferred than blinding walking into mountains and mountains of books.Remember,the aim is not to top the test but to get a decent enough score so that you get a call for the next round

STEP:3 INTERVIEW AND PROFILING

once the whole drama of CAT is done, you now move on to the interview rounds.This is where you get to differentiate yourself from the others.Always remember that you are much more than what a few marks on a sheet of paper present you to be. Everyone has done a lot more in their life than just studying and now, its just a matter of presenting it in a way that makes an impression in the minds of the interviewer as well as shows you to be an individual well deserving of the seat you a are vying for.
Make sure that your profile is presented in a way that shows clear thought process and all your ideas and claimed field of expertise (mentioned in your CV) are well researched.If you wish to refeer to Lying, make sure it is convincing enough or the negative impression made would be hard to overcome

STEP:4: SIT BACK AND RELAX, HOPE FOR THE BEST

this is the part where you know that you've put in the best of your efforts and now all you need to do is to wait for a final confirmation call from a premiere b school. travel a little and pick up a hobby.Your next two years is going to be very hectic and you wouldn't have time to breathe.
Always remember that if you don't convert, there is always a next time.Besides the best businessmen in the world never had an MBA degree

MBA after Btech

Lot of people will criticize you for wasting your engineering knowledge by getting into a B-school while some may applaud you for moving towards a successful  amalgamation of the glorious combo.

But do not get swayed by any of these contrasting  notions.

While MBA and Btech is considered as a holy mix for an attractive CV  in our motherland but going with the FAD or just blowing with the wind might not be the best approach to take admission into a Bschool.
Although it is true that most MBA aspirants and students are Btech students and also btech students have a higher conversion rate into top B schools than other graduates however it does not lead to one getting any advantage out of the Btech curriculum and be able to put it to use in the Mba curriculum as such.

I myself am a btech graduate pursuing  MBA so I will step wise guide you to the advantages/disadvantages which I have faced up till now through  my journey.

First of all: The entrance test:-B-Scl entrances are aptitude based and by aptitude i mean based upon elementary knowledge so honing calculus in engineering would not be helpful however we engineering students are exposed to writing various mcq based engineering entrance exams hence we have an idea and experience for time management,paper attempting strategy and quick calculations also most b-school exams have negative marking, a concept similar to engineering entrances.

Secondly:Profiling: Most B-schools do a profiling whether in the initial stage like ISb ,NMIMS or IIMS or at the GD-PI stage so there is doubt whether engineers are favoured or not? the thing with these elite institutes is that they want to keep a well balance in the batch i mean a good mix of engineering,science,commerce,arts background students also with regard to balanced sex ratio and a ratio between freshers and experienced students .So to achieve this target it is not viable that any b-school has a policy to favour or disregard engineering students altogether.

Thirdly: The Interview: Generally Bschools interviews are not technical in nature but they can get technical for engineering students specially if one of the panelist is an engineer and in most cases there would be one.So engineering students have an added burden of brushing through their engineering concepts before giving an interview.Also adequate knowledge about minor and major projects must be present as it is a favourite topic.

Fourth:The curriculum:Mba curriculum can be strenuous specially for arts students not habitual of attending so many classes and writing assignments hence engineers really take advantage of the situation and leap frog the others in academics while other graduates might get demotivated or disinterested engineering students can multitask as well as leapfrog the others.However the core content of the curriculum is not linked to engineering knowledge by even an iota.

Fifth:Specialization:As per popular notion Engineers fit into all specializations except finance however as per my experience although limited engineers take finance majors but the toppers in the finance batch came to be all engineers and this is by trend.Also engineers have an advantage of taking operations specialization which other graduates cannot.

Is getting into a good MBA college enough?

When students are about to complete their UG courses, they already have their life plans set in front of them. That can be a job, further studies, going abroad or something like that. Out of these, one of the most common option is MBA. You ask why? Well, it's a fair deal. It promises a managerial post, good reputation and obviously a huge package of salary. But is getting into a good MBA college enough?

No, because MBA is not a course where you can mug up some stuff, pass the exam and boom, it is done. If one wants to be successful after MBA, only mugging up won't work. MBA, is not only about 15 subjects a semester, lots of events and cut throat competitions in placements. It is more than that. It requires an individuals efforts to improve and grow as a business person who can start from the trash, grow fast, sustain against the odds and when tends to decline, innovate to stay in the market. It's all Product Life Cycle.

So yes, being in a good college helps but as a student, one has to work very hard to be a student manager and convert himself into a corporate manager. It takes everything one has got. He has to adopt practical approach of studying in a MBA college. Taking part in case study competitions, making B - Plans, organizing events and competitions, solving live case studies, working in a team, over-night projects, communicating to the masses and a hell lot of pressure to perform well, is needed to be faced to become a successful MBA. And this all will not be forced by the "good college". The student has to take initiative to evolve as a manager. The iron melt has to go through the furnace to become an idol.   

Thus, getting into a good MBA college is the first step that students take but there is a huge staircase is left to climb.

All the Best.  

What MBA teaches you

Most of the people join MBA to become employable , to get a good salary or to get to  a administrative position. I also thought about only these things when i joined my MBA , money and  managerial position was only in my mind.

But now when i look one year down the line , halfway thru my MBA i have actually changed a lot. MBA has made me a  more analytical person where in i try to judge every person thru his body language , i have become a confident speaker a person who can now easily talk to strangers and most importantly it has made me  a person who constantly tries to learn and become a knowledge source.

MBA is a Course where in you actually learn not only in class but thru your interactions and experience with those around you. To sum it up doing  MBA is the best choice i have ever taken and what i have learned in MBA does not equal to all my leanings i have done in my school or during my engineering  mainly because MBA is a practical course and here you will not be spoon fed by your teachers.

For those who are in doubt about what value addition MBA will do to you i will say it will definitely make you a person with a clear vision  and  will make you a competitive and  a confident person and help you get a step closer to your dreams.

Why MBA?

That is the first question every aspirant has to answer his Parents, Peers, Colleagues, Mentors Interviewers and most importantly oneself. MBA is one of the most sought after careers in India and has 23 entrance exams and hundreds of Test preparation centres for the same.

There are 19 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) which offer Post-Graduate Diploma in Management. These autonomous bodies are independent and therefore have their own system of selection of students into their Institutes.

Once these Tier I colleges are covered, other premium institutes like TAPMI, Symbiosis, Great Lakes, IRMA etc. are considered Tier II.

With the evolution of Job roles per se, MBA is opted by students from all fields of education be it Engineering, Medicine and Pharma, Commerce, Law etc.

MBA needs a great deal of general awareness, presence of mind and analytical skills. The kind of exposure one gets through studying Management as a course, not only prepares the person for a manager’s role, but also teaches Management for life.


Competitive exams:

The major exams considered by the premier institutes for selection of Candidates are:

1. CAT – by IIMs
2. XAT- by XLRI
3. NMAT – by NMIMS
4. SNAP – by Symbiosis
5. IIFT – by IIFT 
6. TISS – Tata Institute of Social Sciences
7. MICA – by Mudra Institute of Communication and Advertising
8. IRMA 
9. MHCET
10. CMAT
11. ATMA
12. IBSAT
13. JMET
14. MAT

Preparation:
Based on the skill set and competency of the aspirants, they can choose prepare for the exams on their own. However, if an aspirant needs to know where he stands in competition to other aspirants, it is always better to join a coaching center.

This would not only help him/her gain knowledge through classroom sessions, but also be able to rank himself in competition with others through mock test results.

Applying for Exams:
The application dates for each of these exams are varied, as they range from September to December. It is required that one is always on a look out for the dates. However, there is a decent period in between to apply. The fees range from Rs.1500 for CAT to Rs.3500 for XAT and TISS.

Another thing that students must be cautious while applying is the ranking of the college as related to their preferences. A student interested in core Finance would never be happy getting a seat in XLRI, as it is more HR centric. In the same way, a person looking for a career in HR would not be interested in applying for IIFT Delhi if he/she is an HR or Marketing Enthusiast.

These intricacies must be taken into consideration without fail as they not only might involve the risk of landing you in an unwanted place, but also deny another worthy colleague the opportunity to achieve his own goal.

Selection Procedure:
Once the exam is done and dusted, the next challenge ahead is the selection Procedure. Most B-Schools follow the similar procedures of WAT (Written Aptitude Test), GD (Group Discussion) and Personal Interviews.

Though the general norm is that the Panel looks at the overall profile of a Candidate, having these processes done smoothly would induce confidence in the candidate.

Guidelines for WAT:

1.      Structure the framework for your topic into Introduction, Body and Conclusion.

2.       In Body again use different paragraphs for different stances that you take.
For Example: If there is a discussion where you are listing out positives and negatives, make sure they are in different paragraphs.

A structured essay projects to the panel that you have clarity in thought and analyze situations carefully. Also, it would be inferred that you think before expressing. This would be a major benefit in shortlisting for the next round.

Guidelines for GD:

1. Do NOT be aggressive. As much as it is important to be speaking in a GD, it is also important that you do not come off as a person who just wants to make his own point irrespective of what the other person feels or thinks. This perception of insensitivity may gain you only negative points.

2. Be your own Moderator: Make a decent and relevant opening statement, Keep your own time, Be polite while being firm on your stance.

3. Do NOT point out or cut somebody when speaking, it is regarded impolite and unprofessional

Campus Life:

Once all these hurdles are crossed, you find your letter of Admission in hand. MBA in most cases a two year programme, reforms a person to a large extent. It teaches not only business fundas in classrooms, but also real life management lessons. One is exposed to various types of people, makes friends for a lifetime and also realizes that these friends are also cut-throat competitors.

One learns to change their attitude towards life and behavioral habits also change due to the pressures and expectations from the rigorous schedules. Such changes, while gulping up your fast paced life, also give some chances to pause for introspection.

MBA might be Masters in Business Administration as a degree, but in real-time, it could be called Managing ones Behavior and Attitude.