Post MBA life! Phew!!

Ok, so I now have a job (a good one too), but apart from getting the right job, there are so many aspects that one has to consider post MBA, especially if that city you live in, ain't your home town or is not in your home country. For example:

1) Is this the place where you want to settle in? Do you go for the permanent residency or citizenship?
2) Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years from a job, life and location perspective?
3) Are you ready to buy a house?
4) And most importantly, how do you finance your life to success? You definitely have the outstanding student loan to pay for - remember?

Those are the rather broader questions that any MBA will have to answer somewhere down the line. You change locations, jobs and functions post MBA, so it kind of becomes important to answer these as well.

Some find it easy to answer, as they take a 'tackle life as it comes' approach personally or have enough expendable funds to support their post MBA life decisions as they come and go. For the ones who totally depend upon post MBA job income, the 'tackle life as it comes' approach works too sometimes, more so when there are too many things going on in parallel, and you want to sit back and enjoy the daily pleasures of life - ordering a pizza and watching a movie with friends, or catching those Pokemons! But you see, if the Googles and Apples of the world started taking this approach, they would just hit an all time low on their stock performances in a span of few years (a few days in the current world scenario) as the stakes are too high! And if you find yourself in such high stakes situation, then planning your life takes the number one priority!

As far as I am concerned, I am still trying to answer all the 4 questions, and I am yet to successfully plan my life at least for the next few years in the horizon. As I'm trying to figure things out, my simple motto, in the meanwhile, is to reduce my debt to earnings/savings ratio! That definitely does not mean that I'm not enjoying my day-to-day life! It just means that I'm not indulging into actions that require me to take on additional debt - such as buying the house of my dreams! To that end, I'm having fun with my friends, I order pizza when I want to (hahaha), play Skyrim on my Alienware, and often give in to my tech savvy needs [a new super awesome smart phone and/or an HDR 65 inch TV?].

Let's see when I come up with my immediate future plans, but there's one thing I can certainly say: owing to my MBA, my life is not commoditized enough [yet] in the job world, which buys me some time to sit back and breathe, while Google and Apple strategize and act on their respective game plans day in and day out! What does that mean for you? Go get an MBA of your dreams - if you really want to, while MBA still holds the prestige and until it doesn't turn into the (For instance: Male + Engineering + IT job profile amongst millions of prospective MBA students from India) commoditized career path of tomorrow! 

HaPPy NeW Year 2015!!

With the advent of a new year, comes in new hope!

This New Year I wish that everyone gets what they want and deserve. Without getting much more philosophical - and I can see to what length I can blabber philosophy right now - here's wishing All Rotman alumni, current students and incoming students a very happy and grand new year!

P.S. A new year wish to all the Professors and Lecturers, Career Center, PSO, Graduate House and everyone else who's involved in making our Rotman experience a wonderful one so so far away from home!

BE SAFE.

Best wishes,
Dranzer

The frenzy over Consulting Case Competitions!

Major chunk of 'it' is over!

After braving 2 grueling weeks (Microsoft Case Comp - people did win XBox'es!!, McKinsey Case Comp - this was about elegance and 'class', and of course - every significant event packed right into any breathing time that you thought you could get - slept for an hour or two on most days) , it's finally time to get that well deserved sleep, and get back to focusing on the extremely neglected classes.

Term 1 almost felt like a breeze. It's still on, but exams are here like in two weeks. And there's almost no time yet again to read through and practice everything. But I am not complaining - all I'm saying is, it's now or never!

I got to admit, case comps ('it') were super fun and exciting experiences. Working with different groups of people, is what I value most. Case comps to me were more about extracting those diverse experiences and insights - how do individuals from different backgrounds think about and approach a given problem - I must admit - it was phenomenal to go through that process. More than what you learn from your peers in class, you learn via case comps in those action packed weeks.

If you do get to come to Rotman, be ready for some amazing fun times - the delight of those late night pizzas when all you had in the day was a cup of coffee, those discussions about - this idea definitely does not feel right; this is not the right data to back up the hypothesis, use all those time crunched hours to discuss about every other aspect of life that you shouldn't be discussing about, but you only end up doing because you have so had it with the process of creating that 'beautiful deck'. It's worth every second. Whether you win or not, it will still make you a better 'Consultant'! It's all about that experience.

Good luck to my class and good luck to all you guys out there, who look forward to coming to Rotman!

The other side of the MBA coin

If you are reading this, either you wish to know more about my life than you already do, or you yourself are interested in pursuing a career via the MBA route.


For the former ones, I hope this post does serve the purpose (and I'm forever thankful to all my well-wishers - thank you for being there always - lots of love, Akz); for the latter - I wish to congratulate you on taking this important next step in your lives - be it you, just starting your research, or you, trying to take that decision of our very own 'to join or not to join' dilemma.


So where do I begin... Hmm.


For starters, I have always been passionate about pursuing an MBA abroad (I'm from India, and you all know how many options we do have here, pun intended: hint - the very versatile Quota system, and the undue importance to the 10th and 12th %age).


India no doubt has some great colleges that are successful in making you win your bread and butter (well lots of it), if you relatively do well in those colleges. And I'm glad that our colleges are enjoying much more limelight than before at the international level.


But here's the catch - the education system - 'that' gets to see no change. You still have those hankerings for that 1 grace mark. You still are less practical. You still are more inclined to be theoretically adept. You still do not wish to share much and silently learn at another's expense. There is that 'buttering' that still works at an MBA college in India, and then there are a few of us, who take less interest in what other people perceive us as. We wish to do well, and we wish to make our mark: without fighting for that impression based last mark ( oh well GPA is still important at any college, pun not intended at all); or without that careless attitude that it's yet another college, where we get to secure a decent enough placement; and without an attitude that screams 'not a care in the world about the actual learning, as we are so intelligent that we can just think on our feet when the need be'.


Now you might say that I'm a hypocrite - if I get selected by a prestigious college would I not do the same things?


Again, here's the thing. The sentiments shared above are just the surface emotions - the ones you say to yourself and to others to prove that MBA abroad is the right decision. Now whether it's true - I will only know when I actually study at one of the top Indian colleges.


My passion to study abroad is fueled from the simple fact that I get to inculcate a global perspective on business - which I will never get at any Indian college - let's face it,  most of the students are from India and have an experience on how things work in India: but most firms have an origin outside India and the Indian offices are mostly the technical divisions of much global, varied industry related, firms.


I wish to grow, and not just have a limited growth - I wish to spread my invisible wings that simply cannot be put to use here in India.


While I sit here implementing the solution proposed, the actual solution is brainstormed and proposed at some US or UK or Canadian office ( considering the major clients, in general, in a consulting firm for the Indian offices). While I sit here and perform more complex tasks at my job, a fellow employee at the same level as me, has a more valuable job than me in the Americas - in terms of responsibilities, in terms of superiority and in terms of returns.


A business technology analyst or a consultant, or a manager or anyone for that matter, in the US still gets to dictate his terms on his Indian counterpart - Why? I'm afraid I really don't wish to attack that notion.


That said, I really wanted to get out of this cycle once and for all, and actually understand what happens and why, by self indulging into the business world abroad. After all, I cannot sit here in India and keep judging why something happens when it happens.


Why do I wish to convey this other side of the reputed MBA coin on this blog? Because nothing is ever as smooth and shiny as it appears to be.


Bottom line - you need to know why you really want to do an MBA and why from that particular college? Mere rankings on FT MBA or simply following your peers - 'well what the heck - everyone else is doing it, so will I' : just won't work. Without the soul searching - an MBA is just another degree that gets you a decent job - you still won't like your work, coz you never spent time on yourself to really understand what you would have liked to do.


This was just the beginning of the long journey ahead of : taking the GMAT, shortlisting the colleges, applying to those colleges, getting shortlisted for the interviews, receiving the offers from the colleges, securing scholarships, accepting one offer, and then breaking the news to your family that you are yet again ready to drain their valuable resources, part of which they might have set aside for your marriage by now (esp. If you are a girl), or part of which they intended to use to buy their own house.


This post was just a trailer to what you can expect from this blog in future. (hint - do count 'stark reality' and 'the world as I see' amongst a few)


Stay tuned to 'The life and lies of MBA served hot!' for more juicy bits of my MBA life as I chronicle my thoughts and experience in the upcoming posts.


P.S. After much research and my needs and my finance capabilities ( read my family's ), I narrowed down Rotman School of Management, Toronto - which is where I'll be heading for my MBA this fall.