CultusOnline MBA is one of the most successful examples of an e-learning course. However, we still remain a little skeptical about it. To understand about what online MBA is all about and how to manage your time is extremely important before you opt for this course. We are living in a day and age, where education can no longer be ignored. Sometimes through situations life happens, which makes it quite difficult for many to leave everything for a degree. Money, work, and time makes it hard for people to even consider the possibility of a higher degree. Leaving the luxury of earning for even a year is a no-no for anyone who doesn’t have the bank balance to support them. Taking out time for education is not possible in today’s fast-paced world.
Why MBA?
Being a graduate holds no more standing in the corporate world, it seems everyone is a graduate. After a point growth becomes stagnant and you struggle for some sort of a change. That is when the option for an MBA hits you. But then quitting and going back to college is something you are not looking forward to, and you tell yourself to forget about it. Have you ever considered – Online MBA? We are all born skeptics, we doubt and judge everything that is not hard and real especially when there is the ‘money’ factor attached to it. So the truth being said, when you are told about a degree that could be achieved by just sitting at your home, going on by your daily routine – is far fetching, right? Well I am here to tell you, that isn’t the case.
What is an online MBA?
This is an equivalent to any MBA degree the only difference is that these colleges/universities use e-learning techniques to impart lessons. All you need is a strong internet connection. Online classes are of two ways: Synchronous: You would have to log in at the same time as your teacher or the professor from the university/college that you are associated with. This is more like a face-to-face interaction, which could range from one class to an entire semester. These classes could be over video conferencing, websites etc. Asynchronous: These are pre-recorded lectures that would be available online, and you can download/view them whenever you want. Most of the time, the courses are asynchronous – made for the working professional.
Why online MBA?
The online learning method removes the gaps that distance learning leaves. It gives you the feel of a college and the opportunity to learn from an expert, rather than just read books and notes. This is an interactive way of teaching which doesn’t require you attend real classes. Since the invention of the internet, the world has become smaller, with the possibility to communicate at a global level – making work much easier and allowing us to achieve a credible qualification too. The evolution of technology has made a huge transformation from chairs in a classroom to an online tutorial in your bedroom. These Online MBA degrees are not some fantasy fiction, this is as real as a full time MBA degree. Most of them are affiliated to some university or the other. They are UGC recognized, DEC approved etc. Some of the colleges/universities that provide Online MBA are Symbiosis, ISB, SMU etc., they provide various MBA specializations like Finance, Human Resources, and Marketing etc. You also have the top global schools incorporating the e-learning technique in their MBA degrees like Harvard, MIT etc.
Time management for an online MBA student
One of the major problems faced by a student who doesn’t go to regular college, or is working is the ‘Time’ factor. We have an innate nature of postponing, whenever we can, we try leaving things for tomorrow. It is not that you are not dedicated enough, just that other things seem so much more important. So to help you further, Few tips on how to time manage yourself.
Learn to manage time!
8 Tips for Time Management
#8) Tomorrow never comes: Read it, learn it and live by it. Never ever even think about postponing something to tomorrow. More you procrastinate work, more pressure would add up. You have to remember one of the basic things about any online course – they are equivalent to any regular college degree. Even if they don’t demand physical presence, they do require your virtual dedication. You must be regular in your work, no one will ask you to give up everything, just do whatever you have to do today, because tomorrow would come with its own workload.
#7) Divide and rule: This is a policy that would do wonders for you. Don’t clutter your time table, do not over load yourself, make sure you have work properly divided. Each semester you would be given a specific set of workload etc. Make sure that is spread out evenly. Too much together would make you exhausted and eventually you would lose interest. Especially for a working professional, you need to keep the interest in the subject going, otherwise studying can be very difficult.
#6) Make an agenda: Access how much time would be required for a particular task and according to that spread out your day. Each day have a ‘to-do’ list. In addition, keep on ticking as you complete it. As you spend more than 8 hrs in office and approx 2 in travel, try to make sure you are not over working yourself. Each day set out time, for your studies and follow it religiously. Pick a time when you have minimal distractions like early morning to late evening, which ever you are comfortable with. Even 1hr -2 hr each day would prove to be beneficial in the end.
#5) Prioritize your work: While you make the list, make a priority list too. You would have a lot of other important things to do in a day, make a list of all of that, so that you have an order to follow. Priority is very important. Sometimes when you have low work load, you could also incorporate your studies during work hours, but before you do anything prioritize your day’s schedule. Each chore/work in your day has a time and importance, when you try substituting something with the other, the whole cycle gets disrupted. For that, you need to make sure that you have made a list of priorities first.
#4) Learn to multitask: Multitasking is a great attribute especially when you try to work and study together. But at no cost should your work suffer, try to multitask only if you can manage it. Otherwise, try avoiding it. You could club daily routine with your studies also. For example when you are eating, you could combine it with looking at the online tutorials etc.
#3) Laptops, smart phones, pads and tablets are your best friend: Forget social media, WhatsApp, messaging etc. During the duration of your course, your devices would be an easy access for your e-learning courses. While travelling, or sitting Idle, or eating etc. would be the perfect time for you to catch up on your course. Provided you have an excellent internet connection.
#2) Balance is the spice of life: All work and no play would definitely make you extremely dull and bored. Balance your life. Don’t be someone who is either cooped up in his/her office or home. Make sure you go out, meet people, interact etc. You need to have the perfect balance to have a healthy life.
#1) Eye on the prize: Be constant in reminding yourself, why you are working hard. There has to be a constant reminder for you to not loose ‘focuses. The e-learning platform has proved beneficial to more than a thousand working professional, getting an MBA degree no longer requires you to quit your job. Also the fact that once you have that degree, your growth would be tremendous and sometimes, within the same company your promotion and other added benefits are bound to happen. It is never too late to get your master’s degree, just go online, and apply.
Author’s Bio: Trisha is a professional writer and adviser on education. She is an ardent reader, a traveler and a passionate photographer. She wants to explore the world and write about whatever comes across her way.
