After BCA, which course is the most preferable – PGDM, MBA or MCA?
BCA is a Bachelor in Computer Application Course designed for the undergraduates who wish to make their career in the field of Computer Applications. With the rapid growth of the IT industry in India, the demand of computer professional is increasing rapidly and more number of users are getting admission in this course to develop their core skills and have strong command on the computer languages.
Bachelor in Computer Application (BCA) is an undergraduate degree course in computer applications. The growth of the IT industry has created a lot of job opportunities for computer graduates, so several young students go for these courses to get jobs in software companies. BCA course is a three-year program along with six semesters.
But to understand which course is the most preferable, lets dig some information about BCA first:
BCA is a three year under graduation degree course. BCA is Bachelors in Computer applications; from computers, you can pretty much tell that it leads to the career in IT sector.
BCA teaches many languages to the students at a beginner level. Not just that, BCA also teaches about all those disciplines that can be effective for a students career growth.
The following are the subjects taught in BCA:
- System analysis & Design
- Computer fundamentals
- C- Programming
- Visual Basis
- Organizational behaviour, etc.
Now lets talk about the various options that a student can opt for, after pursuing BCA:
1. PGDM
PGDM is a Post Graduation Diploma in Management, which is a two-year course focusing on the area of Management.
There is a separate course on Management because Management is like the backbone of every organization. Management is an essential discipline to study because it is present everywhere. There is no such activity that cannot be without Management.
So, if a student wants to study Management after BCA, then PGDM is the best option for it. Also, one can choose the specialization in IT, which will be a career advancement opportunity for the student. Because choosing IT as a specialization would be a wise choice for a BCA student. He or she would study the two most important subjects, Management and Information Technology (which he or she chose).
So, suppose a student wants to pursue Management in IT. In that case, PGDM is the best option for the same because every organization expects a candidate to have keep knowledge about how the management works and the importance of the same. Because knowing Management defines efficiency!
2. MBA
MBA, i.e. Masters in Business Administration is a 2-year degree course focusing on the area of administration. This is the most significant difference between PGDM and MBA. PGDM focuses on Management of an organization and MBA focuses on business administration.
Business administration is the structure of an organization and how business is commenced in the same. Management comes under administration. Administration becomes the roots of an organization. Without an effective administration, it is nearly impossible to run an organization.
Administration defines the structure of an organization; it provides a systematic order to be followed. So, if a student who has an interest in business administration can pursue an MBA. Also, the MBA delivers numerous specializations. So, a student can always opt for MBA in IT after BCA, it will still help him or her in career growth and will open vast job opportunities for the same.
3. MCA
Masters in Computer Application is like the father of BCA, or in other words, its the next level of BCA. If you want to stay focused on subjects related to BCA only and wish to excel in those skills only, like that of languages, then MCA is the best choice for you.
MCA is a two-year post-graduation degree program which helps the student sharpens his or her skills in the field of computer application. MCA is the upgrade level of BCA.
MCA helps a student to gain knowledge in the field of computer science and sharpen the skills that can help him in coding shortly.
MCA is a very significant degree as its the next upgraded level of BCA, so students feel comfortable choosing MCA right after BCA. So, going for MCA is like studying the same subjects, but on the next level, this brings hope among students as it opens the option of learning more and more about their favourite topics. There is a broad scope of job opportunities after pursuing MCA; one can find jobs related to:
- Software developer
- Program developer
- Software manager
- Staff correspondent
- Programmer
- System architect
- Website developer, etc.
4. Job
After BCA, many students go for job opportunities. This option is also good. But if you have the time then try to get a post-graduation course because a PG helps you to enhance in your career not just that PG helps you in your self-growth.
But if we talk about the positive perspective of pursing job right after BCA, then a student gets to learn from his or her experiences, and thats all that matters.
One can find the following type of job opportunities after BCA:
- System engineer
- Software tester
- Junior programmer
- Web developer
- System administrator
- Project manager
- Software manager
- Software developer, etc.
So, as you can see, there are four options after pursuing BCA. Sure, there are many more, like cracking competitive exams, joining armed forces (which is fantastic by the way!)
Coming back to the question, a student can pursue PGDM after BCA if he or she wants to indulge a career in Management. And as I have elaborated above the importance of Management, so you can pretty much understand the importance of Management in any sector or any industry out there.
Suppose a student wants to pursue a career related to business administration and is hoping to join the top management of a corporation, because every top Management includes at least one IT professional. In that case, MBA in IT is the choice for the following student. Because you see every organization requires a structure to rely on. And that structure is what we call as the business administration.
And coming to the point of the job, then every student is eligible for a job after doing BCA, so its your call if you want to go for further studies to excel or sharpen your skills or you want to gain experience.
Overall, I would say that this your call. It depends on you for what you prefer after BCA.
My work was to clarify the difference between the various options, but your job is to find your interest and indulge yourself in the same.
