24M, Should I leave my PSU job to do an MBA?
9/9/8 profile Obc-Ncl male. Completed my BTech in Mechanical engineering from a top NIT in 2024. Landed a job through campus placements in a PSU in a technical role. The pay is around 80kpm.
But, I didn't like the work I was doing and the pay growth and intellectual growth seemed to be very sluggish. Hence I had the MBA plans in my mind as it could pay me well with the quality of work being better.
With that in mind, I wrote CAT 2024 with zero prep, as I decided that I would attempt next year with some work experience which would improve my chances. Surprisingly, I got 95.7 %ile and I got some PI calls too. But I was able to convert only low tier IIMs. Hence, I thought that I would try next time with good amount of prep.
I appeared again for CAT 2025; this time with 6 months of prep, and I had hoped that I could get at least 99%ile as I got a good score last year without even knowing the exam pattern. But alas, I only got 94.8 %ile and I was devastated. I felt like all my plans had gone down the drain.
I am really under confident now and I am not sure if I have it in me to crack CAT. I am thinking that I will give CAT once again this time, and I hope to get at least 99%ile. I would have around 3 years of work experience under my belt if I join a college in 2027. I would also be 25 years old by then. I am not sure if that's old for an MBA.
I just want to know what colleges I should aim for, given my profile and experience. Will my technical PSU work experience hold any benefits? What should be my realistic expectations about doing MBA and life post MBA? Also, what if I don't make it this time too? What should be my course of action?