How To Choose Between A Regular MBA Program And An HR Specialization Program

1.     HR vs Other Domains in an MBA

The criteria for joining an HR program cannot be reduced to whether one has people skills or not. One should look at the various roles and responsibilities that are undertaken by the graduates in each field.

Both HR and Marketing programs require you to possess strong communication skills; however, comparing the role of an HR department and an Area Sales Manager would be akin to comparing apples to oranges.

2.     On average, HR Salaries might be lower than Other Functions

Salaries of most departments have a strong variable component which is usually measured on a year on year basis. This provides them a huge margin in terms of incentive.

Though the HR professionals also carry a measurable target; however, it is not as high as the other functions. While the Marketing and Finance functions are rewarded with high incentives, these functions also entail a huge risk factor

3.     Growth in an Organization

In other fields, there are various avenues for growth, but the HR professionals are constrained in a way because it takes a longer period to reach the top management position. You would also usually find a CEO from domains such as Marketing, Finance or Operations.

Other roles have a direct impact on both the top-line and the bottom-line revenues of a company; however, it is difficult to chart out the same for the HR domain.

4.     HR provides a Good Work-Life Balance

Since an HR professional does not directly drive the monthly or the yearly targets for a company, thus, this function carries a comparatively lower stress level. However, this does not necessarily imply that the HR department also has a lower workload. The working hours in the HR department are usually fixed whereas, it is not the same for other fields.

The end of the month is usually a time of high intensity for other fields since it’s the culmination of all your efforts.

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Summing it up, simply choosing an HR program based on the prestige of an institution is a very skewed plan and the choice might be an incorrect one. It is important to weigh all your options and look at long term career prospects and their alignment with one’s interest and skillset to finally arrive at a conclusion.