Ajay Gupta

I topped in BSc agriculture from a reputed university and am now an officer trainee in a cooperative bank. Some of my friends advise me to undertake management education. I want to grow based on my work performance. Will higher education help?

Different countries place different weightage on education and work experience. In India, education plays a major role in giving you a headstart in your career. Irrespective of high or low significance by your future employers, in my opinion there is no substitute for a good education. This education provides you with an insight into the complexities of management issues faced by firms over last 50 years. It also helps you improve your analytical and expression skills. Return on investment of two years of your life on a good management education will perhaps be the highest vis-a-vis any other effort made by you for career enhancement.

I have experience in working at a port, have 10 years’ supply chain management experience and now work as a trader in agricultural commodities. What are the career options open to me?

Your experience is versatile and covers about half the agri value chain, opening up a large window for you. A prospective employer may find your services useful in procurement, supply chain management, logistics, warehousing or commodity trading. Your familiarity with commodities also makes you eligible for banking and insurance jobs. You could also be eligible for a zonal or national role with a commodities trading organization, or head a state for supply chain management of agricultural commodities with a retail organization.

Ajay Gupta is CEO of ruralnaukri.com. Comments and feedback are welcome at askmint@livemint.com