Post slowdown, techies head back to school

CHENNAI: Four years after she graduated from an engineering college in Kelambakkam, Infanta B M is now planning to go back to school. Having worked as a technical analyst in one of the leading software companies, Infanta will soon be studying business management in the US. "I have worked in the IT field and have a sound background in my subject, but I want to move into a management position soon," adds the 25-year-old.
Better job opportunities and the potential to turn entrepreneurs are luring many techies to enroll in B-schools, says C Vijayalakshmi of the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF). "This year quite a few techies are quitting their jobs and going abroad for higher education," she adds.
Natarajan, a mechanical engineer working with an automobile firm is also headed to a business school in US. "I always wanted to do a management course as I feel it will control technology in the coming years," says the 27-year-old.
Vignesh V has been head hunted by a leading IT company, but the engineering graduate is now preparing to go to a business school in New Jersey for an MBA. "I always wanted to be an entrepreneur, and the US degree will give me an idea of how businesses are run," says the 24-year-old, who is prepared to pay the sizable course fee. The high salary offered to MBA freshers (US $100,000 a year) is one reason for the preference for MBA courses, say HR heads.
"MBA courses have always been an attractive option and if people are quitting solid jobs to join a B-school it is also a sign that the recession is on its way out," says E Balaji, CEO, Ma Foi.
Unlike a masters programme, which will cost between US $10,000 and US $ 15,000, an MBA will cost upwards of Rs 50 lakh per year in a top tier college. There is no tuition fee waiver for MBA. But depending on how well a student scores in GMAT tests, he/she can get a merit scholarship of 10% to 30% of the course fee.
Many students are beginning to explore engineering management course, which covers both engineering subjects and management principles, says Vijayalakshmi. "These courses are less expensive than a regular MBA and more comprehensive than a MS course," she adds.
"I came upon the course after a senior told me about it two years ago, and it has opened up many options for me," says S Karthik, a civil engineer who took the engineering management course, and is now employed in New York. Like him, Dinesh N, a fourth-year engineering student, is planning to take up engineering management next Fall.