Diversity of experiences, united at IIM-B

A doctor, a formal Railway officer, a LAMP fellow who worked with a Parliamentarian, a lady who worked in the liquor manufacturing industry with a passion for rowing, and a nuclear power scientist! This may sound like an eclectic group that has perhaps got together for a weekend trek. But these are some of the multi-faceted talents that have come together to pursue a two-year MBA at IIM Bangalore.

As it happens every year, this year too, there’s a set of students with disparate experiences who have joined the management programme, ranging from working professionals who have taken a career break, to freshers with unique skill sets. All looking for new experiences and learnings that a management degree from a top-notch institution can give them.

Industry-government linkages

Vinaya Jadhav, after graduating with a degree in electrical engineering from Pune, worked for two years in the power sector and later went on to assist a Parliamentarian as a Legislative Assistant to Member of Parliament (LAMP) fellow . “ I had the opportunity to work on various policy issues in the field of education, health, environment and agriculture. I believe it was this experience in the policy-making domain that made my application stand out,” she says.

Vinaya, who intends to do courses in economics, social sciences and strategy, wants to eventually consult in the public sector domain. “I believe that learnings from the PGP course would enable me to help forge industry-government linkages to contribute with relevant interventions,” she explains.

From shopfloor to kayaking

Neha Koli, has perhaps had the most interesting career before she joined the 2018-20 batch. The first woman to work in the production department of a liquor company, she faced many obstacles before being accepted in a male-dominated company. “ But without being bogged down, I soon proved with my work that I’m no less than a man, and created a place for myself. I started handling all the responsibilities of a shift in-charge and managed one shift with a manpower of 350 single-handedly. I involved myself in training and development activities for the workforce in behavioural, technical and functional aspects,” she explains.

Neha, a State medallist kayaker with one silver and two bronze medals, representing Maharashtra in the National Games, wants to specialise in supply chain management and operations, given her manufacturing experience.

Ask her how she thinks an MBA will help her, and she’s lucid. “An MBA helps you develop your problem-solving skills and critical thinking. It develops the right kind of attitude towards challenges while opening new avenues and career paths. It would improve my professional skills, broaden my enterprise knowledge and help me understand the nuances of operating in a global marketplace,” she says.

The bigger picture

While most of those who have joined IIM-B after diverse work experiences are looking for different skill-sets or to pick up the ability to look at the big picture in a corporate set-up, Sourav Kundu is very clear that he wants to move to the business end of things from the technical role he has had all these years. As a scientific officer for the Nuclear Power Corporation of India, Sourav, as part of R&D, was responsible for the design and development of computer-based reactor control system for the upcoming 7,000 MW indigenous nuclear reactors.

“I joined a B-school because I am very keen to know about all the business functions. So, I will be looking for a good mix of subjects, from finance, marketing and operations to strategy and HR, for a truly holistic learning experience.”

Sourav thinks the timing for him to switch to a business role is just right. “I have worked in a technical role till now. An MBA will help me a lot by opening up avenues which would otherwise have remained out of reach, had I continued my career as a Scientific Officer at NPCIL,” he elaborates.

Others, such as Dr Soubhagya Behera, an AIIMS-qualified doctor, say entering the portals of IIM-B is to come in with an open mind, without any biases. While he doesn’t want to go back to being a doctor after his MBA, he’s fine with entering the healthcare industry, perhaps as an administrator. “ Coming in here with a bias would have been a huge mistake. I hope to learn the how and why of everything. I am open to (joining) other fields; I am not biased regarding any field,” he elaborates.