Making a Difference of a Lifetime with an MBA

Better work, better pay and most importantly, friends of a lifetime are what you take home from an MBA, feels Gaurav Agrawal, the topper from the 2008 PGDM Class at S P Jain Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai. In conversation with Satarupa Sen Bhattacharya:

a) Tell us a bit about your educational background.

My schooling has been at St Mary’s School Bijnore (UP) and St Joseph’s Academy, Dehradun. I finished my B.Tech (Hons) in Electronics & Communication with a Gold Medal from the Institute of Engineering & Technology, Bareilly. Then I worked for three years with Infosys, serving global clients in Chennai, London & Chicago. I also happen to hold the first rank in academics in my batch at SPJIMR.

b) Given that you were working, how challenging was the preparation for entrance and the GD/PI rounds?

Yes, I had worked for three years with Infosys. The first two years were very demanding in terms of work and I could not take out sufficient time for preparation. But then I realized that if I missed out on an MBA, it would be an opportunity lost; so, I consciously decided to devote at least 3 hours everyday for four months before I wrote the CAT. It required careful time management, cooperation from my boss and colleagues and the excellent support system of my CAT study group of five friends. GD/PI, being the most critical step, took more time and required interaction with faculty, college seniors and friends as well as a very detailed preparation of my resume, strengths, work-experience etc.

c) Did your stint at work help you in making a decision about MBA? Has the education fulfilled your expectations in terms of career shift/enhancement?

MBA for me had been a long cherished goal since engineering college. At work too, I could realize the difference between the granularity of work that I did and that which my managers, the Business Development heads, were doing. In particular, while I was working abroad I could understand that the horizon would be much wider with a quality degree like MBA. Furthermore, software as a long term career hardly appealed to me, so I decided to leave my job in the US and come back for an MBA.

My MBA has been phenomenal in terms of fulfillment of expectations. My main expectations were-

 Improving Quality of Work - from being a software engineer to a strategy consultant – that’s dramatic improvement.

 Long term career growth - The opportunities and choices after MBA are much varied. From FMCG to Banking, Consulting to Media, IT to Logistics, we start at positions that graduates would have to take a very long and winding route to reach.

 Remuneration - The Indian salary that I have been offered at McKinsey is six times my last drawn pre-MBA salary. That speaks for itself!

Overall I am very satisfied with my decision to join MBA, it has made a difference of a lifetime.

d) Tell us about the specialization you chose in B school and why you chose it over the rest.

We have four specializations offered at S P Jain – Marketing, Information Management, Finance and Operations. We are supposed to indicate our choice of specialization at the stage of application and are adjudged for suitability for same during the admission process. Changes after the first year are rare and dependent on superlative performance and genuine reasons.

I chose Information Management as it built upon on my work experience and also was closest to Marketing in the High Tech industry, which was my initial interest. During the course, I got exposed to Consulting as a career, especially in Strategy, and my interest changed; this was reflected in my choice of electives in the second year, for example, Financial Markets.

e) What were your initial expectations when you went in for Placements? In your opinion what is the most important thing that one should weigh before accepting an offer?

I was looking at a position in core consulting and client facing work. The brand name of the recruiter, and long term growth potential (in terms of profile as well as benefits) were also important. I think the balance between all three aspects mentioned above would be a good scale to measure successful placements. That said, we learn a lot during MBA and interact with so many people from different sectors. Choices and preferences get crystallized, so this decision is better left for the first year in a
B-School.

f) In what position are you going to join McKinsey? What is your perception of the role that you are going to perform in the new position? What aspect of it appeals to you the most?

I will be joining McKinsey at the starting position in their famed consulting cadre as Jr. Associate. I will be working as part of teams solving strategy/operational/efficiency issues for biggest corporates around the world, drawing roadmaps for governments, and studying sectoral developments. The most appealing, as well as challenging, part of the job would be working with C-Level executives in clients, learning from some of the best minds in the industry and also a lot of travel around the world!

g) An MBA is an expensive proposition both in terms of cost of education and opportunity cost (given the current job market). How would you advise aspirants to decide on the MBA option? Also how should one measure the RoI from business education?

An MBA gives an edge to one’s career and that is an established fact. If one is ready to invest two years, has the capacity to put in very hard work and is ready to learn from one and all, she should go for it! With availability of easy loans (90% of my class had them), funds are not the biggest problem.

RoI should be measured by the shift in your work profile, the kind of company you work and not just financial benefits, though the latter is also important. Also count in the amazing friends you make – that is perhaps the best return on investing these two years!

h) What has been your most memorable experience in B school?

We went for a three-day personal growth lab in Lonavala in our first year. Those were amazing days of fun and frolic – knowing each other, working as a batch and team and understanding the days to come. Those were the best days of my MBA.

i) What would your advice to MBA aspirants be in terms of making the most of the two years in B school?

A lot will happen in two years – make sure you learn from every experience. Study hard, and smart, as the MBA curriculum is much more practical than whatever education you may have pursued before this. Group work and projects teach you how to co exist with people who are at least equally brilliant,
if not more. And yes, make friends that last a lifetime - they will make the life that follows B-School much more worthwhile!!

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