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Want To Pursue An MBA? First Consider This

By Perminus Wainaina

One of the popular advanced degrees in Kenya is the Masters of Business Administration, commonly referred to as MBA. It is in such a high demand that fresh graduates are pursuing the course a few months after completing their studies. And the course is being undertaken by anyone with an undergraduate degree. I have met doctors, teachers, chefs, engineers among many other professionals either pursing or interested with the degree. Saccos and banks are making good money advancing education loans. And majority residing in urban centers are dedicating their evenings and weekends to attending MBA classes.

Universities have also taken note of the demand and almost all of these varsities are now offering the programme. You can study for an MBA in Machakos, Mombasa and even Turkana. And if the nature of work cannot allow you to go for evening studies, you can study via distance learning or online. It has never been this easy to pursue an MBA in Kenya. To differentiate themselves in the market, some universities are offering the Executive MBA targeted to senior professionals.

In this article I’d like you to consider some points if you are thinking of pursuing this graduate degree. My reasoning is largely drawn from six years experience as a recruiter. I have interacted with employers and candidates alike and therefore know how the employment market in Kenya works. I know of Kenyans who made a wise move in pursuing an MBA and others who swear the degree is a total waste of time.

The first thing you need to do is interrogate your motives. What is driving you to pursue this course? Why do you feel the need to go back to class? Is it to follow the hype because everyone you know has this qualification? Is it because of undue pressure i.e. all your siblings have and you shouldn’t be an exception? Is it because your boss thinks you’ll be a better employee? Have you fallen for the marketing gimmicks by financial institutions through their loans and are considering taking an education loan and enrolling? Are you lonely or idle and need somewhere to spend time as traffic eases? Is it because you think you’ll be more competitive in the job market?

Whatever reason you have should be secondary to acquiring new and useful knowledge. The day you enter an MBA class with any other reason than pursuit of knowledge will be the day you mess big. There are many MBA graduates who pursued the course for the wrong reasons and are a disappointed lot. For instance, if you want to pursue the course to ‘look good’ to employers, I can confidently tell you that employers consider skills first before qualifications. Look at many job adverts, MBA is an added advantage!

How about the area of specialization? In Kenya, universities offer the following main electives; there’s HR, finance, strategic management, marketing, accounts, insurance and operations. Now, which elective should you go for? I have met candidates with an interesting mix. One individual who studied BA (Sociology & Communication), has a Diploma in Sales and Marketing and later specialized in operations management. He is working as a Regional Sales Manager in one of the top leading FMCG firms. I also know one with B.Com (accounting), CPAK and an MBA (Accounting).

Whichever elective you choose should add value in two ways; first is to impart you with knowledge in your area of specialization and second, whatever you pursue should be tied to your profession/job or career. For the Regional Sales Manager, the MBA in Operations does not tie with their job unless a big part of it is in operations. And having reviewed their CV, this is not the case. And in the second example I don’t see how specializing in MBA Accounts will add more knowledge to someone who already has a BCom (Accounts) and CPA. The degree and CPA has already equipped them with enough know how. No wonder such candidates find the MBA a ‘walkover!’ But do you want an easy course or one that adds value?

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The third point to consider is cost. Just like in any other part of the world and life in general, you get what you pay. MBA fees in Kenya range from half a million to K’sh 1.2M. I won’t mention the institutions because they are not sponsoring this article. Something worth noting is, expensive does not translate to top quality (by the way a lot of food poisoning happens in high end hotels and restaurants) and neither does it mean that a university charging reasonably will offer a substandard course.

However, pricing is a good indicator on the level of investment undertaken by the institution and how serious they are. If you are attending an MBA class where you are 300 and have to wait for a lecture to crisscross from one county to another then I don’t think you are getting value for money. If the last time your lecturer got paid was in 2013, how committed do you think they are? Do you want to be taught by a desperate lecturer? If you have never interacted with a lecturer one on one and only hear their voice through a micro phone, then you are better off investing in a matatu.

If the course content is not up-to-date and therefore not relevant to the market, then you are buying a piece of paper at a very high price. Serious institutions invite business leaders to give real life case studies that students can relate. My point is, the institution you study makes a whole lot of difference and you need to vet them. Do not make a decision blindly or too quickly.

Lastly and this is tied to point number one, you need to consider life after getting an MBA. Fifteen years ago MBA holders were very few. MBA was for a special few with majority having studied abroad. In fact, there were less than 5,000 graduates in the whole of Kenya! In the year 2000 University of Nairobi had less than 100 students graduating with an MBA. Compare this with last year where some universities had over 300 MBA graduates, and we now have 77 universities in Kenya. Do the math!

It might have worked in the 90s, but having an MBA is no longer a direct ticket to getting a well paying job. You will not get a promotion on the strength of an MBA alone. And you won’t be unique in the job market because everyone with 500K in savings or a loan is pursuing this course. Before you join an MBA class, answer this question, what will I do or be after I get this qualification?

The good thing is that with an advanced education you get to make the decision yourself. For undergraduate studies others might have influenced your choice, including family, joint admission board or even the society. You are now 18 plus. You can think on your own. You now know better. You are experienced. Life has taught you a few lessons. My personal advice; take ample time and consider the direction you want to take. If an MBA will take two years and cost you so much, then you better give it some serious thought, starting with what I have highlighted.

Perminus Wainaina is the Managing Partner & Head of Recruitment at Corporate Staffing Services Ltd. Email. Perminus@corporatestaffing.co.ke.

24 Comments

  1. Best advice ever,thanks a million,this has just come at the right time.God bless your work,you are a blessing.

  2. Thanks for your insights,i have an undergraduate degree in Procurement & Supply Chain Management and a diploma of the same,should i consider pursuing my MBA first or Professional course,CIPS to be precise?

  3. Thank you very much Perminus for your advice. It is such an eye opener and it has changed my way of thinking as far as my area of specialization is concerned.

  4. Thanks for such a contribution,what has “cached” my eyes is there is no value addition in doing MBA and specialize in Accounting while you are an undergraduate with Bcom. Accounting Option….take a different recipe which will add flavor in your “meal”-CV.

  5. That is a great milestone of wise encouragement towards realisation for value of monies invested in any project.The environment of today is full of competitive edge that human being tend not to make clear analysis concerning fruitfulness of education as per as the aspiration of their professionalism.

  6. I salute you. Your words are very precise, “If you have never interacted with a lecturer one on one and only hear their voice through a micro phone, then you are better off investing in a matatu” Most Kenyans are pursuing MBA for the purpose of competitive salary. I have worked as a freelancer and what i have seen make me wonders why they opted to study MBA. On the other side of the hustle, they hire me to handle they assignments and projects, giving me a bread on the table. If you read the above article, then make the right decision.

  7. Thanks Perminus for this wealthy information. I am also pursuing an MBA and I am glad that I chose a University where I get specialized attention.
    I definitely believe most people pursue an MBA for all the wrong reasons especially to keep busy.

  8. Wow. Such an intelligent and well thought article. Thanks Perminus for sharing such a relevant article

  9. This article couldn’t have been in vain, it is insightful. I have been thinking for a while if it were not for funds I may have gone ahead without considering some of the things said herein. Now BA , CPA ll and 10+ yrs of experience is it worth pursuing or completing CPA final?
    Kind regards

  10. thank you so much for this article I have been enlightened a lot I didn’t know that MBA in accounting is a no value to a person with bcom (accounting) and CPAK all together

  11. This article is both enlightening and informative. As a final year B Com student am faced with the dilemma of either enrolling for MBA immediately after my postgraduate or at least attains some on job experience. After reading this i bet i know better. kudos!

  12. Hello please help me I am pregnant and due in the next 4 months …I desperately need a job and i have no experience though i graduated in 2013 and worked as an intern for 6mnths. what do i do ?

  13. thank you nso mjuch for such an enlightening article. i am an MBA student too fresh from my undergraduate degree. i still have no clear goal on what next after my MBA but am doing alot of research so that i can be sure on what i will venture into once am through

  14. Thanks boss,this article just came at the right time I was thinking to do my Masters degree,I guess Its time to think outside the box before going a head. With my Bachelors of Commerce degree-Marketing,experience in Business development and operations for over three years.What is the appropriate Masters course to pursue .
    Kind regards.

  15. Indeed Perminus, I have very many reasons to appreciate you; firstly, for sparing your time a midst your busy schedule to post such relevant articles.May God bless you because I feel much value addition to my life and to other readers who spare time to go through these articles.Unless we become wise enough, agree to think and consider other people’s opinions we may mess our careers and lose it all.Let us stay focused and pray that we don’t lose track of all we want to achieve in life career wise.Once more Thank you Gentleman.

  16. On the area of specialization it has enlightened me. For a student who studied Economics and works as a credit analyst what would you advice?

  17. Yea, very true for what you have shared. Am currently an MBA student’s and fresh from undergraduate what I can say is that when you only know the reason you are pursuing it then it’s worth it. It has became a fad…… And I still don’t understand why employers are relaxed in recruiting the MBA candidates as there is always an opinion that they are expensive and will demand high amount of salary, I think this is not true and employers should start seeing that issue.

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