It is almost the admissions season, and you have not decided on a life goal. You look around to find people with definite career goals, ambitions, and dreams to achieve. It is probably safe to say that admission time is one of the most significant critical points in anyone's life. Consequently, numerous questions come up in one's mind throughout this phase. As I sit down to write on whether BBA is overrated or not, I am reminded of how much I pondered this question last year. Am I making the right decision? Would I regret it or be happy? Now, if you're hoping for a definitive ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response, you're out of luck because that's outside the jurisdiction of this article. Instead, we would be looking at what criteria we might need to consider to answer this question.
The days are gone when MBAs weren't so popular and BBA was the only pathway for executives to open the door to the corporate world. So, does that make BBA a useless degree now? Pretty much so, in case you are still holding on to the belief that it is an all-in-all degree.
"In our country, there isn't much of a distinction between a BBA and an MBA degree. People from diverse backgrounds can now readily enter the corporate sector by completing a basic MBA programme. As a result, if someone does not constantly upgrade themselves and integrate new features into their portfolio, BBA will not get them very far,"said Pritthi Hironmoy Aurko, a third-year BBA student at IBA, Dhaka University.
Simply put, BBA is a generalised degree that helps you to be exposed to a variety of ideas. Accordingly, it provides surface-level knowledge on different topics without diving into any particular one.
Abu Zafar Md Saleh, a BBA graduate and currently working at BAT, explains how the bookish knowledge acquired during this entire programme doesn't really help in the corporate world.
"BBA itself wouldn't teach you much. It only gives them the incentive to stay open to new ideas. If you really want to have in-depth knowledge on any particular topic of interest or the use of a particular tool, you'll need personal interest and enthusiasm." As an example, he elaborates how he more or less used PowerPoint and Excel during his undergraduate courses but learnt very little through them. Rather, he realised the importance of these tools during participating in business competitions and decided to learn more about them personally. Thus, his control over these two significantly used software gave him an upper hand in his work life.
Now, whether BBA is useless for you would mostly depend on two important aspects: your expectations/concept of the degree and how much personal effort you'll put in over the course of time. Being a generalised degree, BBA is a watered-down version of several subjects and might even seem overwhelming due to the plethora of topics the students are expected to learn over the short tenure. Again, this particular characteristic has both positive and negative sides.
On one hand, it helps students to see the links and interdependencies between different academic domains. Even though you'll only get a superficial idea of most topics, it would still help you find common ground in conversations with people from different academic arenas. In the ever-evolving world, you'll have the opportunity to recognise ideas from different fields, and with a little self-learning, you may even participate actively in such conversations. Thus, the skill of networking will become far easier for you than for someone who has intensive knowledge only of a particular subject.
On the contrary, someone who has an interest in any particular topic or skill may find this programme frustrating. Moreover, without an interest in self-learning, you may find the courses unnecessary. "Knowing what you are signing up for is important for how you'll perceive it later on," remarked Abu Zafar Md Saleh.
Because academic pressure is relatively minimal in this programme, students have more time to pursue their other interests outside of academics. Business contests, case competitions, marketing competitions, and so on are among the most essential avenues for gaining practical knowledge about business and the corporate sector. Furthermore, students may participate in extracurricular activities such as debating, public speaking, content writing, etc., according to their own interests. Thus, they can create a more holistic profile rather than just an academic one.
Is BBA overrated? You'll always get arguments both for and against it. Some will argue that it gives you a range of skills and interdisciplinary knowledge. Others would say it doesn't give you an advantage in any field.
I believe the more appropriate question would be, "Does BBA fit in your life context?" The answer will depend on multiple factors, like what type of learning process certain individuals prefer. Do they want to straight jump into something you know you're absolutely passionate about or do you want to touch into various dimensions and later choose whether or not to delve into a certain one? Are you more of a self-learner or a person who needs a constant push from the external environment?
The writer is a BBA student at IBA, University of Dhaka.
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