Why should MBAs consider analytics as a career

Ivy Jan 23, 2015 No Comments

Last month I had mentioned why Analytics reigns supreme among Engineering graduates.  Now I shall tell you why MBA degree holders are also opting for analytics as a career!

To begin with, a significant chunk of analytics hiring is happening across all industries. Work profiles are crossing over to various functional skills. Middle and senior positions now require management degrees with add-on certifications and skills.

What else is new?

• Start-ups have joined multinationals in the race for recruiting MBAs equipped with analytics training.
• E-tailers, Retailers, Banking & Financials, Consulting firms are the highest recruiters
• Top notch Strategic Consulting and Financial firms are looking for Analytics training in their Management graduates hiring.
• Highest salary offers in Analytics are from Insurance, Banking and Financial.
• More international firms are scouting the Indian landscape for both entry-level and senior positions, that call for management + analytics
• KPOs /BPOs have notched up their demand for MBA + analytics
• MBAs in Finance / Retail / Marketing + analytics are in highest demand, followed by Operations, Logistics, Risk and HR.

Consulting firms are emerging as ‘one-stop shops’ for multinationals, the government and Big Data implementing companies and start-ups. With innovations and emerging techniques driving expansion plans, a balance is much needed for an effective ROI. The traditional hiring of MBAs now additionally requires i) analytics skills, ii) software experience and iii) knowledge of the Big Data ecosystem.

Hiring companies and captive centres want MBAs with technical skills and high competencies for deriving data-driven insights.

All of this adds up to one thing. You need to add an analytics certification to your MBA degree.

An MBA degree + Analytics = career trajectory that crosses over to senior management

How to know if you are analytics-ready

Are you a data geek?

Do you like to work on the Cloud or with Dashboards? 

Is domain knowledge (digital marketing, insurance, banking, ) your forte?

Does new technology excite you?

Do you like working with software models?

Is working in a high profile consulting firm on your wish-list?

Are you a leader?

If you are an MBA and tick any of the above, then you should consider Analytics as a career.

Advantages are plenty:

• You have the opportunity to thrive in a functional area of your choice (Digital marketing, Retail, Supply Chain, Backend Operations, Management consulting, etc.)
• You can leverage your MBA in a data-driven decision making environment.
• You can command a premium salary package with minimum investment of time and money.
• You have the edge over other analytics professionals, with your MBA degree.
• You have great scope of working with global firms and shorter time-to-senior management.
• You have great potential of career growth with excellent packages & benefits
• You can create your own niche /expertise to establish your unique professional standing in the domain you choose to focus on.

If you are still wondering who hires an MBA with an Analytics add-on, here is a pointer:

Big Data Players, E-Commerce / Digital Marketers, Retail groups & chains, Insurance companies, Banking & Financial Service providers, Pure-play Analytics companies (offering customised solutions / products in Retail, e-Commerce, BI, etc),  Analytics/IT     Vendors, Analytics / BI providers, Analytics Apps Developers,  ITES. FMCG, Consulting firms, Start-ups in various sectors, and so on.

Bottom line: A stand-alone MBA is not sufficient to succeed in an increasingly data-driven environment. As MBA + analytics becomes the latest rage in the hiring landscape, it is time to look up an IVY Professional Course in Analytics