PGPX - who is it for (and who is it not for)

After having posted PGPX expectation management, I thought it is important to also do a blog on who is PGPX ideally suited for.

The PGPX program is designed for those who have been working for a while and are at a stage in their professional life (career need or personal need) to upgrade their skills either to take up more challenging roles and perform effectively (career need) or to upgrade their qualification and create a differentiator for themselves in the industry. In some rare cases, it could just be the aspiration to do an MBA from an IIM. So, one who is doing well and is aspiring to do better but needing business management skills to do so is the right candidate for the PGPX course. 

With this premise, I have listed the best probable candidature fits for the course.

1.       8+ years experienced people without finance background who are looking at moving into roles that involve small P&L responsibilities

2.       8+ years experienced people looking at entrepreneurial ventures (immediate or later)

3.       8+ years experienced people looking to further career through differentiation in qualifications and problem solving approach if the industry they work lends itself to these

4.       8+ years experienced people working in industry that typically has MBAs in management roles

5.       8+ years experienced people expecting to move into roles that involve commercial aspects (bids and proposals, negotiations, account management)

The 8+ years’ experience is expected to provide candidates with a flavor of the industry and its expectations so that candidates can make right choices.

More than listing who it is for, I think it is equally necessary to list to the best of my understanding who PGPX is not for:

1.       For those expecting to switch industry through this course (happens but far and few in-between)

2.       For those expecting a senior managerial role only through the course credentials (if someone has already been manager for some time before the course yes, otherwise no)

3.       For those expecting to move only into Consulting through this course (again rare entries do happen)

4.       For those expecting that this course will change the way they will be treated in profession

5.       For those expecting remuneration becoming multi-fold high after the course (the multiplication effect reduces in direct proportion to the salary range pre-PGPX course – higher the initial range lower the multiplier)

I hope, with these pointers (and other material and information available to them) people from different backgrounds in qualification and experience willable to be able to make informed and wise choices and decisions regarding their PGPX (and such like) courses.

PGPX Expectation Management

Expectation is something one has to manage well beyond a certain age if life. Amongst so many possibilities in life , we choose one over the other expecting to achieve something that we aspire to. It is not always that we look back and are able to say we made the right choices. However, the key is to be happy with the choices we make and one way of doing it is to manage expectations well all through the process (before, during and after). The same is true for the PGPX course (and such like) as well.

When someone goes for the PGPX course, career aspirations/expectations are the prime drivers. One embarks on this (and such) course to upgrade skills from a reputed institute that will bear well on their professional career. One needs to bear in mind that the course in itself will not lend an upgrade to one’s career. A candidate comes into this course with reasonable experience ranging from upwards of 7 years to about 20 years. She/he has already built skills/competencies industry areas/domains. The PGPX course might help build on that early career successes and even that it will do over a period of time. There might not be immediate results (exceptions can always be found).  Here, I am not talking about titles/money alone. 

For a PGPXer to establish in the industry through a role and remuneration that befits his/her earlier experience coupled with the PGDBA will take time. It depends not on the campus placements/outside placement that happen upon graduation but on the performance of the candidate in the assignment that she/he takes-up. Most PGPXers end up in the same industry as they came from for the course. When they go back, their ability to bring fresh ideas to the table, look at and solve problems differently and practically, demonstrate better understanding and appreciation of the business dynamics will all dictate how far PGPX will take them in life. 

Expectation management becomes key here.

One starts with an expected role and remuneration post the course. This may seem either to have been achieved during campus placements or otherwise. However, soon reality will take over and introspection will start to assess if the role was something not achievable without the PGPX course. This then is the beginning of self-doubt and can lead to many other issues. Hence the need to handle this carefully.

My take on expectation management from the PGPX course is:

1.       Expect to learn a lot about business management during the course

2.       Do not expect a ‘dream role’ and/or ‘dream remuneration’ through campus placements

3.       Do not expect a ‘Dream role and/or ‘dream remuneration’ through outside placements immediately after the course

4.       Organizations will not take you in just because of the IIMA PGPX tag. Big names do come for campus placements but the ‘role’ and ‘remuneration’ offered is a tricky thing to understand [will it hold something for you in future is more important than the present]

5.       What you make of the IIMA experience is greatly dependent upon how you can make it work for you and that takes time and effort. So, be patient.

6.       Look for and embrace roles that will provide growth opportunity not otherwise available without the PGPX course

7.       If ‘4’ is done well and you perform to your potential, you should expect to see results in 3-4 years’ time after the course.

8.       During the 3-4 year period, it is important to constantly be aware and expect that performance alone will get you ahead and not the IIMA brand/PGPX course/networking

9.       Expect to do well in life if you manage post IIMA PGPX expectations well.

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PS:

A.    According to me, if a PGPXer achieves something that could have been achieved without the course but through sheer experience in that industry in a comparable timeframe, it cannot be attributed to the PGPX course]

B.     All of this applies even for an entrepreneurial venture post PGPX

C.    This post is not a ‘GYAN’ post and is not a case of ‘SOUR GRAPES’ either. On the other hand, the intention is to place things in perspective what I saw 100 other PGPXers experience when I did the course

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