"EPGP program has been a great learning experience for me. I wanted to do an MBA since long but because of constraints could not. The EPGP program has helped me in making myself a better professional overall. The program has been meticulously planned and executed. It’s a very balanced program and really forces you to learn without stress. If you really attend all the classes sincerely you will never feel the pressure.

The exams are conducted with proper spirit and not just for the sake of it. Usually you see colleges taking executive education very casually but this is not the case with IIMK. The program is run just like any MBA program is supposed to be conducted.

You get enough opportunity to connect with faculties and classmates during the 3 in-campus modules and during interactive sessions. You can network with your fellow classmates who are from diversified industries and places which in itself is a great learning experience. The diverse experiences shared by faculties and the classmates are truly enriching .The workshops like leadership workshop, blue ocean strategy , entrepreneurship workshop and consultancy workshop are an added advantage of this course .

There cannot be a better executive program than this which has a mix of in-campus and out of campus modules.

Once again I thank IIM-K for inducting me for this program. Now I am a proud alumni of IIM-K"

"Based on the feedback gathered, before joining this course, I was sure that this course is going to expand my business knowledge and help me understand the various business functions succinctly. But what I couldn't realize that time was how dramatically it would change my overall thinking process and enable me to create opportunities for myself.

I began my course in December, 2012 and soon after, I was able to experience the impact on all facets of my life - social, professional and even personal. I would call this an 'IIMK Impact'. It has not been just the classroom learning during the in-campus modules or ILP (Interactive Learning Platform) sessions, but the spirit of collaboration has been infused throughout the course by bringing together experienced professionals from various industries, helping them create a huge peer-network who enrich and support one another in their learning and work endeavors.

Every moment of the EPGP program has been a blissful learning, which has enabled me to draw my career-path with expanded opportunities and helped me grow as a person as well. Thank you, IIMK."

Learning business management 'without' taking a career break! "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest" - Benjamin Franklin

Management is a complex subject while its learning can only happen in a practical way. It makes sense to take a business learning program while pursuing a career especially when you are going good at your current career. Many B-schools today (including some IIMs & ISB in India) offer the opportunity to take up the alternate management skill learning path towards your next big role. The key is to identify the right program suiting the needs.

MBA program usually offer a mix of knowledge and set of methodologies & frameworks based on research & experimentation, amalgamated around case studies about various companies to make it application oriented. An executive MBA program specializes by tweaking it towards developing the managerial capability of young executives on verge of transitioning into the leadership profiles.

I recently participated in one such post graduation program, and do find a value proposition in obtaining the clarity towards core operating dimensions of any business. For any large scale business, the inter-wiring of its corporate strategy, culture and operations drivers sustained success. These get defined by the top management, yet the middle managers carry the baton to have it in execution sprints with the appropriate information flow. These operational managers need to be equipped to appreciate the big picture. As part of these executive program, the 'value add' happens in understanding the integrated perspective of aligning various functions such as economics, finance, marketing & human resource towards developing a model around the 'Organizational Design' for unleashing human potential, 'Strategic Thinking' towards marketing & growth plans & 'Operational Efficiency' for controlling the cost.

Though the part-time Executive MBA are understated, the secondary benefits of such program would be -

    Opportunity Cost - Your earning potential is not impacted, you will soon be surprised to learn a new skill on juggling priorities and effectively manage time. It can be challenging to begin with but possible. Thus, you can make the most without losing your income.
    Adopt the concepts in your daily routine - We all know skills are best learnt when applied. Your work will provide ample opportunity to test the concepts / framework into the workplace straight away.
    Peer learning - Enjoy richness and diversity of experience as you meet amazing people who excel in their current role participating in the program.
    Company sponsorship - In today's knowledge based economy, many companies encourage its employees to take up the skill based learning. You may find sponsorship to share the burden associated to the course fee.
    Convenience - Wow, you don't have to stay away from your family & friends.

Continuous learning is the success mantra for today's disruption-oriented economy, when the managers are constantly challenged to adopt the change.

While these specialized courses may not suite everyone & can get taxing in case the time is not managed well, they can turn out to be great opportunity to break-out from regular work routine and explore challenges of a CEO.

One thing is for sure, it will accelerate the shift in thinking process based on the the acquired competencies and confidence.

Find a way to re-invent yourself though these business management program, and you will be surprised to find new skills up your sleeve!

URL:https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/learning-business-management-without-taking-career-break-saraswat

"Of course, this program is not for the feeble hearted. But it prepares you for the worst of the situation one would face in managerial endeavor.
I went with an open mind willing to enhance my knowledge and they gave me something of great value to my career."

"The experience & learning's was incredible-completely life changing which put me 10 yrs ahead of my professional career. My career would not be where it is at today without this IIMK-EPGP program. Thank you all for putting together such a well-executed program, the cross functional topics explained the moving parts of a business, and how each react to, and are prejudiced by, one another. The instructors are top notch!".