Author, erstwhile magazine editor and writer-at-large Rashmi Bansal, who has published several best sellers such as Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish and Connect the Dots is someone who has tread her own path. Opting out of placements for a plum job when she graduated from IIM-A in 1993, Instead, Bansal chose to be a writer. “I gained a lot from IIM-A and I was able to give back to my institute,” she says.
Doesn’t slot you
“I want to convey this idea that an MBA doesn’t slot you into a particular role; it opens all kinds of doors for you if you choose to walk through those doors,” she says in a recent interview.
Bansal says what seemed quite astounding over 20 years ago, when she plumped for a writing career, is now quite in fashion on the campus of India’s top B-school. “We are seeing many MBAs opting for different careers, including offbeat ones. This year, 15 students have opted out placements to pursue their passions. Students should be introduced to the idea that so many careers are there to choose from right from the day they join,” she says. IIM-A’s maverick fellowships, where various alumni sponsor students who are not taking up conventional jobs to follow their passion, is helping newly-minted MBAs focus on their ideas.
Struck a chord
Asked how an MBA helped in her writing career, Bansal says, “I never had an end goal or objective that this is what I would become. I wanted to be a writer and then various options opened for me and finally I got opportunity to write a book, and it struck a chord and my career as an author took off. You can make sense of your life when you look back and connect the dots. But, you have to keep working with passion and dedication so that the dots get connected. I don’t know what lies ahead, but hope this formula continues to work for me.” - As told to Vinay Kamath
Click here to see a video of Rashmi Bansal speaking on her MBA from IIM-A >>