Management studies opens up a plethora of career options from construction management, tourism management to luxury management and so on. We see MBA jobs opening up in an increasing number of unconventional domains.
One aspiring to land up in the non-profit sector can now achieve this through their MBA degree. Similarly, students with a strong inclination towards arts can now combine their vocation and avocation in placements.
A lot of hype is created by the best MBA colleges in India, about dream jobs like a brand manager at HUL, a consultant at KPMG or an analyst at Barclays. But careers after an MBA shouldn’t be restricted to these. Instead, there are lots of dream jobs waiting for those wanting to get into non-mainstream (from an MBA perspective) sectors.
We compiled a list of non-mainstream job areas that have taken in MBA students in significant numbers in recent years:
MBA JOBS IN NGO
NGO’s provide an excellent outlet for a broad range of society’s skills and labour force, remarked Peter Drucker, a management thinker. A research study indicated that there are 19 million people employed full time in this non-profit sector. When it comes to MBA graduates, they have the skills (strategic as well as analytical) and accreditations which non-profit segments need.
PRAQTISE Factfile: Habitat for Humanity International, which aims to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness, has recruited an MBA team that won the Hult Global Case Challenge for 2012. The students exhibited proficiency in planning and organising limited resources, much akin to the working environment in an NGO. Such jobs also offer good exposure since the stakeholders involved are large entities such as local communities, environmental bodies, governments, etc.
NGO’s: Teach for India, Goonj, SOS, Rotary Club, Give India
MBA JOBS IN PERFORMING ARTS & CULTURE
Every one of us has hobbies since our childhood whether its dance, drama or music. MBA careers have now opened up even in performing arts and culture. Today, there is a realisation of inculcating business and administrative skills in creative fields like those of entertainment, film, theatre and stand-up comedy. As a result, many companies look for a blend of management and artistic knowledge including Book My Show, Wiz Craft, Canvas Laugh Factory, Yashraj Studios, TVF and MTV Indies.
MBA JOBS IN AGRI – BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
Agri-business sector is growing rapidly with a CAGR of 13%. IFAMA, 2012 reports confirmed that food and agriculture business is going to triple itself by 2020. It presents huge opportunities with the scale of investment required in production and processing. Hence it is on an exponential trajectory and demands people with managerial skills. It opens up opportunities to work with government (NABARD, FACT, and FCI) and non-government organisations. Also, the scope is not limited to PSU and NGO’s but extends to FMCG; retail chains like Big Bazar, Reliance Fresh; organic food producers, biotech food manufacturers; and food processing companies. It requires one to be very operation and quality oriented.
GREEN JOBS AFTER MBA
Green jobs have been on the rise and are going to thrive for another decade. Clean energy and sustainable development are issues of global importance. Companies like ITC, HUL advocate the ‘Triple Bottom Line’ concept of ‘People, Planet and Profits’. As a result, firms are always on the hunt for efficient and diligent MBA professionals. Managing finance, law, logistics and marketing requires significant expertise. Many companies like Tata, SBI, Amul, Taj, and Godrej are adopting green marketing practices and policies. MBA professionals contribute by designing campaigns to educate customers and reach them. Some of the best MBA colleges in India like IIM Lucknow, TERI University, IMTS, Amity Institute of Energy and Environment are providing MBA courses in areas such as environmental management, sustainability & disaster management.
MBA JOBS IN SPORTS MANAGEMENT
Sports Management is one field that is growing with increasing grandeur of events such as RIO Olympics, UEFA league, T-20 World Cups, Futsal, IPL and EPL. A greater number of MBA graduates are taking up sports as a career option. Job profiles include roles such as organisers, managers for teams and spokespersons. NBA, NFL, MLB, EPL, NHL, and PGA – the biggest of sports leagues are expanding aggressively, with no signs of slowing down. This field is ideal for people who are sports enthusiasts as well as have credible business acumen. Today games like Football, which has a market size of $28 billion each year presents a plethora of opportunities for football freaks such as team managers for football clubs, customer and ticketing managers and officials of governing bodies.
A Praqtical Look: Strong and sincere passion should dictate the choice of going for a non-mainstream job. Entering into verticals such as sports management or the non-profit sector will require more than just a managerial outlook. In the long run, a person possessing the genuine interest in such fields is likely to reach further than one treating it just as a job.
What is the most interesting non-mainstream MBA job that you have heard about? Do tell us about it in the comments.
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