I have had a very interesting career. I went to IIT Madras for my undergraduate degree in chemical engineering, and my urge to get a Masters degree with a research focus took me to the US. I realised my love for numbers while I was finishing my Masters. After working a couple of years in a high tech start-up, I realised my dream of getting an MBA by joining the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University.
How the MBA helped me in my corporate life
It has provided me with a structured way of looking at things. It has equipped me with small and big ammunition. It’s my judgement as to how, what, where, why and when I use this. The deployment sensitivities come from the first- hand experience in business.
The key learnings from my MBA for me
Setting goals is critical; planning to achieve those goals, with as much detailed SWOT is mandatory; it’s never an individual but a group which achieves the goal and being open to new things, that’s the only way to progress.
What I would have liked to see as part of my MBA course?
Practical hands-on business experience and insights, through updated case studies and being embedded in the corporate culture is what I would have liked.
The chief ingredients in my success
A single-minded focus and determination is what has taken me so far in life
My best and worst moments
Seeing Voylla grow to the place it is today is definitely the best moment of my life!
My advice for young MBAs
* Don't take anything for granted.
* Take risks.
* If you have a distinct thought, flesh it out properly and go ahead with conviction.
* Aspire, think and do. The corporate can at best provide you with an environment to succeed
Am I happy with the way the MBA is structured and taught today?
Not really, a drastic shift away from rote will always help.
And, what young MBA aspirants should be reading
Apart from course work do read the biographies of great business leaders of our generation. I wholeheartedly recommend Tony Hsheih’s Delivering Happiness, Jack Welch’s Winning, and the book on Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future.
Be a voracious reader, but do remember that a written material is somebody's point of view and/or experience. Do not copy but become aware.