There are a few classic bengali songs which are such classics, that even a non-bengali Calcuttan like me just can’t get enough of them. Some of the most soothing numbers in the Adhunik (modern) Genre are Nilanjana (A set of 4 songs, of which Song 3 is ultimate), 2441129 (yes, that’s the name of the song - good potrayal of a plausible real-life event), Anirban (1 & 2). Some older songs are “Akdin” by Kishoreda, “Ekiholo kano holo” (translated from the Hindi song “Yeh Kya Hua”), etc. Recommended even for people who cannot undestand bangla !
It’s holiday season here in Bangalore - and a somewhat unexpected one at that. Monday being a national holiday on account of Gandhi Jayanti, it was already a long weekend for some. With Wednesday (4th) having been declared as a Karnataka Bandh day, it didn’t take long for people to extend their weekend to encompass this day. So everyone who can, and wanted to, have taken off today and will be back in office only on Thursday.
Which means that the office will be empty these 3-4 days - an ideal time to get some work and study done 
… are a bit less to write a comprehensive case analysis.
Especially when the subject of the case does everything wrong.
Today’s edition of The Hindu Business Line has an article about the PGSEM course, and it’s unique value-add to software/IT professionals.
From the article :
“PGSEM endeavours to provide the most current executive general management education to middle and senior professionals of the software and information technology industry to pursue a career in management. The programme aims to transform professionals with strong technical knowledge to business leaders with equally strong management knowledge and a global perspective.”
This is the ultimate (so far) in Web 2.0 to the max .. meebo has come up with an ultra-nifty widget which allows web site visitors to chat with the owner - from the web page itself !
This even works when the owner is offline, of course. The utility of such a technology is enormous… adding a whole new dimension to web-based interaction and collaboration. A demo provided on this page !
So it’s been more than a month since I have joined PGSEM, and so far, so good. Since I was also interested in the Personal MBA concept and actually read quite a few books from the reading list, it would be nice to compare the two programs. Even though this is, in GMAT parlance, going to be comparing Apples to Oranges, hopefully it would be useful to people interested in management education avenues which really dare (pun intended) to go beyond the two-year full-time IIM course
So here goes :
- PMBA is a great selection of books to go through to learn the basics (and advanced theories, sometimes) of management, at your convenience and pace
- PGSEM is a part-time 2.5 year (minimum) course at IIM Bangalore, one of the premier management institutes of India, that caters to software professionals (but is GENERAL management course, like the ful time PGP)
- PMBA costs near to zilch, as the only financial investment required is the cost of around 40-odd books
- PGSEM costs a bit (INR 1,50,000 per year, for a total of INR 3,75,000 over 2.5 years) - not frightfully expensive, as students also work full time throughout the duration of the course.
- PMBA emphasises on self-learning, and requires a lot of dedication in reading the books in a paced manner
- PGSEM emphasises on self-learning, but being a formal course, has examinations, assignments, case studies which ensure application of theories
- PMBA books comprise of all fields, and are more “practical” oriented. They are the bestsellers in their respective areas, and the authors are generally well known business writers/management consultants
- PGSEM course material contains a lot of theoretical text books, augmented by case studies and demonstration of application of these theories through case study discussions/assignments
- PMBA does not have as much interaction and networking as does PGSEM, due to the virtual nature of the PMBA movement. PMBA Live is a great step towards enhancing interaction by live chats and e-collaboration, but this is still a limitation which has not yet been addressed fully (LUG-type meetings would go a long way in removing this disconnect)
- Both PMBA as well as PGSEM provide an opportunity for application of concepts learned to the student’s profession (something a full time course does not)
More to be added when I find time .. got a few assignments to take care of for tomorrow’s class
If you were looking for a verdict as in X was better than Y, sorry ! This is just to highlight some differences in the two courses. Both have their Pros and Cons, and both can provide as much (or as less) value as the person doing it wants. I would love to keep going through the PMBA reading list, as I continue with the PGSEM 
… does not apply to me anymore .. I do not have a week end.. it’s just a rotating set of days with work and studies ..
Hectic..but fun .. as long as there are not too many quizzes like the two next saurday..
PGSEM 2006 commenced on 17th June, 2006 with a day-long inaugural session. The activities for the day comprised of inspiring speeches by the IIM Director and the PGSEM Chair Person, a Case Study (which we were provided beforehand), and interaction with senior PGSEM students, apart from other administratrivia. And yes, a nice lunch !
A few take-aways from the speeches :
- “Welcome to PGSEM, all the best, and my sympathies with your families who will see a lot less of you”
- “You will not have to manage your life while doing this course - you won’t have one !”
- HRs mention “work-life balance” to manage. This is to become “work-life-study” balance
We received the books for the courses for the Quarter - Strategy Management (SM), Financial Accounting (FinAc), Micro Economics (Not sure what the IIM Lingo for this is). A few cases to read for next week, some stuff to prepare..
The fun has begun !
How is this for a life ? This guy has left his job(s) and is on a 22-month tight-budget tour of the world.
What is it about Americans (or should I say non-Indians) that allow then to live happily in diverse professions, and enjoy life as it comes ? When will we Indians get to this kind of life-style ?
I like the part where he mentions the source of his travel money to be the booming Real Estate Market.. with 20/20 hindsight, Bangalore real estate would have been a good bet
So Kaavya Viswanathan got caught, leaving the respected publishers red-faced. What can be done to prevent such incidents in the future ? How about using Google Book Search to check that the text has not been lifted from somewhere ? Sorry .. that is not possible: the publishers are against google. Too bad…