Many job profiles across industries favor top-notch MBA candidates over those who choose to settle with less-convincing degrees. There could be many reasons behind giving your CATs, again and again, to get that near-perfect score – landing a high paying secure corporate job, getting promoted quickly and frequently, networking with the best minds of this century, or to simply enjoy the ethereal hostel experience (stop thinking about 2 States now!)
MBA is a privilege, not an option for many
Recently, a lot of people have started questioning this decades-old MBA tradition. And rightly so, an MBA becomes such a heavy burden on our pockets. A hostel experience is great when we are in school. For, that is the age when we hardly understand anything to take on the dreaded task of ‘taking care of our family financially’. So, that is the age to share a room, bunk lectures, and bully people – all in good faith, to build genuine lifelong bonds.
But a hostel life in the mid-20s is not a privilege available to many. Though I’m sure, the fortunate who get into IIMs enjoy better work opportunities. “The returns turn out to be far better in the end”, they say. Hmm, Consulting Firms do know how to keep their employees happy.
An MBA can change your life for good. But is it the right choice for you?
An MBA from an IIM remains the most coveted possession for an individual on the education front. The experience polishes your personality and gets you in touch with a mixed group of people. It forces you to think differently and climb out of your comfort zone. But an MBA might not always be the right path for you. We will discuss that in a bit.
I call taking care of family members financially a dreaded task because people choose to stick with their soul-sucking jobs for the sake of their family’s happiness. So much sacrifice makes me wonder that if people did this for non-family members, the world would probably be a better place. In the Simon Sinek masterpiece ‘Leaders Eat Last, I read that people stick with their jobs because they prefer the demon they know over the demon they don’t.
Those who gather the courage to bet on themselves enjoy better life paths. Aditya Kulkarni and Raj Kunkolienkar have done just that with their 24-week Startup MBA Bootcamp called Stoa School.
stoa
/ˈstəʊə/The great hall in Athens in which the ancient Greek philosopher Zeno gave the founding lectures of the Stoic school of philosophy.
Stoa: A Startup MBA
If you are someone who enjoys building things from scratch and likes taking ownership of work till the time it is completed, then Startups could be your calling!
Till now, breaking into Startups used to be very difficult. There was no intermediary to connect Startups’ needs of quality talent and quality employees looking to break into startup roles, and mentor them along the way. This was majorly because most Startups did not publicize their job openings. And when they did, it would get seized within days.
Luckily for those looking for Startup job roles now, Stoa is mentoring students to land profiles they are best suited for.
How can Stoa help you?
At Stoa, the curriculum has been designed so that managing sessions with work would not be a big deal. Recently, they have revamped their session coverage to include several practical case studies and group sessions to handle real-world problems. They will evaluate whether you are fit for a Startup role and help plan your way ahead. This plan would be tailor-made to your requirements after having considered your strengths and desires. An ICF-certified coach will conduct one-on-one mentoring sessions with you to understand your needs and guide you accordingly. They constantly invite esteemed guest lecturers so that their students can interact with them directly. Ankur Warikoo, Kaushik Mukherjee, Nithin Kamath, and Gagan Biyani are guests they have already invited! Currently, they are conducting free workshops every Friday; you can check them out as well. To top it all, all this comes at the cost of two – two and a half lakh rupees!
Well, a Stoa School degree is not as esteemed as an IIM/ISB degree. That could be because Stoa is a startup in itself. As Ankur Warikoo believes, ISB wasn’t famous when it had started too. It took consistent efforts to reach where they are today.
Nevertheless, Stoans believe that they have found a great place to meet people from diverse fields and backgrounds, so much so that it has enabled them to think from different perspectives. If anything, Stoa could turn out to be a worth-it investment in the end!
Please note that this is not a paid promotion.
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