An MBA is a fast-track career growth option

…says Subid Chakraborty, a Bachelor of Economics from St. Xavier's College, Kolkata. He is currently pursuing his PGD-PMIR (Personnel Management & Industrial Relations) from XLRI Jamshedpur. In conversation with Reshma Majithia, he talks of his journey to XLRI Jamshedpur, his hobbies that include quizzing, debating & blogging. 

Tell us about yourself…
I did my schooling from Don Bosco, Park Circus (Kolkata). I did my graduation from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata in Economics Honors. Thereafter, I joined the PM-IR program in XLRI Jamshedpur. I love debating and quizzing, reading and blogging.

What led you to do an MBA and the particular course, which you took at your B-school?
I didn’t see myself pursuing Masters in Economics after graduation. An MBA seemed like a ‘fast-track career growth option’. Hence, I opted for it. I prepared for a year for the entrances and got calls from IIM-A (ABM program), IIM-K & XLRI (PMIR Program). I managed to convert the first and the last one. Between the two, I wanted to go for the more tried and tested programme. I sought advice from a lot of seniors, both in HR and otherwise. Their response was mixed. XLRI is the premier institute for HR courses and so I chose to opt for it. This one-year in XLRI has been a great journey and I am glad I chose XLRI.

How was your experience at XAT? Where did your weaknesses lie when you started preparing and how did you overcome that?
My XAT experience was not a very good one. It was undoubtedly the toughest and most well balanced paper among 2009 entrance papers. However, I became very nervous when I got stuck in the Quantative section. I managed to just clear the cut-off in that section.
My main weakness was the Quantative section and I have always been petrified of mathematics. I had worked on it for a year but even that wasn’t enough. I was always confident in Verbal and other sections. Verbal and LR-DI didn’t give me much trouble. It was only the Quantative section that I didn’t do very well in. I tried maximizing my overall score by attempting maximum questions in the other two sections. I also calculated backwards and guess-worked quite a few questions in the Quantative section. Luckily, most of my guesses were right and I managed to clear the cut-off scores.

Tell us about your GD/PI experience?
I have been a debater since my school days. So GD-PI wasn’t something I was too worried about. Nevertheless, I went for mock-GD & PI sessions in the coaching institute I was studying in. My GD-PI in IIM-K was the best though I didn’t make it to the final shortlist. IIM-A (ABM) was average because they quizzed me a lot on agro-industry, statistics and mathematics. My worst GD-PI experience was at XLRI. The GD started off on a bad note as we were swayed by one of the candidates who opened the discussion and took it completely on the wrong lines. The moderator intervened after five minutes and asked us to have a more focused discussion. We were asked to arrive at a consensus in ranking 8 points on a given topic. However, we managed to rank only 6. I knew the GD overall hadn’t gone very well but I had managed to make three-four valid points during the discussion.

The PI was perhaps the most interesting interview I have ever given. It started with a few preliminary general knowledge questions by the panel. I had to admit more than once that I didn’t know the correct answer. They asked me a few questions on economics, which I answered satisfactorily. Then suddenly, they said “Thank you. You may leave.” Not more than 5 minutes had elapsed and I knew my chances were over. I got up to leave when one of the panel members asked me to take a chocolate candy from the table. I picked up one. He asked me to take a few more. I said, “Sir, you had mentioned during the interview that sugar prices were going up (this was when I had failed to answer the correct sugar price then). Since sugar is a raw-material for this candy, I can’t afford to take more than one.” That was the last card I had – humor and it worked. All the three panelists started laughing. They asked me to resume my seat and the interview restarted. This time they asked me diverse questions – secularism, trade unionism, UID scheme, my interest in Physics, etc. The interview ended after another 10-15 minutes. I was nervous but satisfied when I finally came out.

Was there any special, unforgettable experience that you faced or enjoyed --- and which shaped your life?
There have been many special and unforgettable experiences in my life. I managed to enjoy some of those. The first was when I topped my school in ICSE 2005. It was one of the proudest days of my life. I tried to repeat the same in ISC 2007 but due to a lot of extraneous factors, including the death of a loved one, I couldn’t top my school. I managed to finish a close 2nd in the Science stream. These ups-and-downs in life taught me to be more patient, more confident and keep the faith in God. The other incident would be two of my debate wins at the national level – Outlook National Speak-Out Debate 2005 and Hindustan Times National Leadership Debate 2009. These two debate wins gave a huge boost to my confidence as a public speaker and as a human being.

However, I would like to mention that without the love, support and constant care of my parents – I would not have been able to do anything worthwhile in my life. I owe everything to them. My physics teacher, whom I fondly call ‘Sir’, is the guiding light of my life. He has been a teacher, friend, philosopher, mentor and much more to me. He has had a huge influence in shaping an important part of my life and personality.

What kind of life and career do you foresee for yourself after your MBA?
I have just completed the first year of my MBA degree programme. Currently I am in the middle of my summer internship with a consultancy firm. At this point of time, I am trying to learn as much as possible about the industry. I will be able to form a definite career path in my mind depending on the internship experience and the next year of MBA. Right now, consultancy is what I am keenly interested in. Like everybody else, I want to be successful and happy in life. I also wish to contribute to the overall economic, social and political development of my country. How? When? I don’t know yet but that I am soon going to find out.

Do you have any inspirational message for MBA aspirants?
I don’t know whether it would be inspirational or not but here it goes. MBA entrance is only a small hurdle. The real test is the two years in a premier B-school. I was plain lucky to have got through XLRI. I wouldn’t recommend the same approach for others. Work hard. Stay focused. Prioritize (everything else can wait). Listen to your parents’ advice (even if it sounds improbable) – they are always right. Believe in yourself. Motivate yourself every day. Above all, pray. Good luck.