MBA or IAS

Can you please suggest me what to pursue Master of Business Administration (MBA) or Indian Administrative Service (IAS) after completing BA course in India?

[Kiran Chandar]

Career means a job which you shall be doing for a long period, just to sustain a social identity and further a family.

This will be a longer and monotonous period and most of the benefits would be reaped only after a long time (3-7 years in a field).

So while deciding on career, better be sure OR be ready to sacrifice 1-3 years spent in self-realization.

IAS is the gateway to power whereas an MBA from IIM opens door to Dollar Salaries Working in Dream Companies and so on.

The graduates from these institutes are offered start-up salaries which an IAS, IFS or IPS officer would make close to the end of a career spanning three decades.

The salary imbalance often lead to uncomfortable situations, putting one in a dilemma whether one should go for an MBA or a Career in Civil Services. The IAS is seen as an illustrious career-path that could do wonders to one's self-esteem and could rocket the family repute as well.

Pros in IAS:
Power
Prestige, challenging work in district, divisional and central levels
Facilities, respect , contacts etc
If you move back from any service to corporate world after some years, you is paid more than your peers.

Cons in IAS:
Less money.
Remote working places in the beginning of the career or any rural district
No metro life...no multiplexes, no pizza huts, no pubs and discos...this is the one most disliked for me
Requires hard work and dedication to get in
Political pressures


Pros in IIM (MBA)
More money, luxurious life
Challenging work life
Metro life...hospitals, international schools for children, fun and entertainment
Independent thinking and innovation

Cons in IIM (MBA)
No power in society, may be in one firm.
No govt facilities
Lots of working hours, of course as an IAS servant you should be promised to work 24*7

A true assessment shall help you, So its a personal choice whether to go for IAS or IIM depending on what u want from life.