I am writing this blog to share the motivations behind my career and education decisions after engineering and some learnings along the way. I hope some of this is helpful to you in your own journey.

My Story:

2005 - One year before graduation - MS vs MBA vs a Job:

About a year before graduation, my friends started giving their GRE, scouting for MS programs or preparing for CAT in earnest. For me, I deferred because I just did not know. I really enjoyed my engineering courses, but I was apprehensive about whether an MS would give me good opportunities if I wanted to come back to India. I had a really good job offer from campus placements, one that I was excited about, so I decided to go to work to give myself more time.

2008 - Two years after graduation - MS vs MBA vs a Job…again:

About 18 months into my first job, I started seeing my friends and room-mates apply for post-graduate studies and I started thinking, it was time I decided what I wanted to do for myself. I had 3 options – an MS, an MBA in India or an MBA abroad. For a couple of reasons, I decided to go for an MBA in India – a) I heard that my work experience would not count in job placements after MS, and b) I had a strong preference for staying in India for family reasons.

I still had a little more than a year to go before I would join a b-school. My current job was not giving me enough exposure to business problems, and I had some savings and family support. So I decided to join a start-up in a business-oriented role.

2008-2009 - MBA admissions, take 1

I gave CAT and GMAT that year. I did fairly well in both and got calls from ISB, IIM-L and NITIE. As a backup, I also submitted applications at a couple of US b-schools, I do not know why. On the job front, the 2008 financial crisis had just hit, business had been slow and frankly, with the distraction of my b-school applications, I did not do much. I did very poorly in ISB and IIM-L interviews, but I got through NITIE.

Looking behind I did poorly because I did not feel good about the work I had done at the startup. I felt bad having not made a contribution and I feel this showed very subtly in my interviews. I was claiming 3 years of work experience on paper, but it really was not 3 years worth of learning. I thought about waiting another year and trying to get into a better school, but social considerations, the slow economy at the time, and angst about “doing something about my future” got the better of me and I joined NITIE.

2009-2010 - Job and MBA admissions, take 2

The first few days are NITIE were great. I experienced hostel life and met great people, many of whom are still my close friends. However, academically I soon started getting dissatisfied. I wanted more, I wanted better. So very soon after starting, I decided to quit the program, go back to the startup and apply to US b-schools. After I got back, business took off. I immersed myself in my work. I got the opportunity to work on a new product, lead projects, meet senior executives and lead the company’s business development efforts into Africa. To date, it had been the most exciting year of my career.

In parallel, I applied to top US b-schools, this time with much more confidence and conviction. I got admits from 3 schools and was waitlisted by 2 others. One of them, a top-10 b-school offered me a healthy scholarship and that school is now my alma-mater. (I will write another blog soon about my learnings navigating the US b-school admission process).

Post-graduation studies vs job….

In hindsight I would say, if whether through your undergrad education or through other experiences, you really like a subject, feel like getting advanced training in it, and have the means to afford the education, go ahead. An advanced degree from a reputed institute in a subject you like will open up better job opportunities for you, 9 times out of 10, and will set you up for long-term success 10 times out of 10.

If not, spare a year or two, identify an area of interest, get some “real-world” exposure, and then take a call. If you are considering business / management education, which relies heavily on personal experience in addition to academic theory, I think relevant business work experience almost always helps approach your education more pragmatically and get more out of it.

Subject of study

I would say, follow your passion. Look to acquire a skill that has some utility but don’t chase the money. You will have a 30-40 year long career and everything will even out in the long-term, Eventually, you will be able to make enough money for all your needs and wants, if get good at something. But, you will not be able to get back the time you spend at work nor will you be able to live with the regret of not having taken a shot at experiencing true love of labor. So, it is crucial to try to find what you love and try to get really, really good at it.

Study abroad versus study in India

Looking back, I made a risky, perhaps even a rash decision in quitting NITIE without anything else in hand. And I would not recommend that anybody follow the path I did. Perhaps a better way to go about it would have been to be patient and not accept the NITIE offer at all. But at the same time, I would strongly urge you to stay away from something that you don’t feel like doing whole-heartedly.

An MBA program or any other post-graduate study is a big investment of time and money, it will take 2 years out of the prime of your life and I suggest you only spend those years in a way that really make you feel like giving it your all, makes you feel that you are maximizing your potential. In summary, get the best education that your capability and your means can afford. Slightly over-estimate your talents, be conservative about your means and be patient so things can work themselves out.

I have had a good time since my MBA. There have been troughs and crests, but I have been keeping company of very smart and disciplined colleagues, learning from senior business leaders and working on interesting problems. I enjoy economics as much as I enjoy physics and whether to spend more time on business or technical problems continues to be a constant inner struggle for me. So does living in India or abroad.

So in some ways, you can say I have not come too far from where I was 10 years back. But there is more to it. My education and my experience have given me confidence and insight. They have given me the permission space in the job market to flex in either direction. Any technology idea requires a market to blossom and any market requires technology to develop further.

There is more mobility in global job markets than ever before. With a little luck and hard work, I can position myself to work on the problems I would like to work on in the geographies I prefer. This give me a lot of hope and conviction, and I wish the same for you. Also, mine is one of many stories, you must seek out others’ and then do what resonates most with you. Goodbye for now and good luck!