Free Career Counselling Online | Indian candidates
Moderator: MBACrystalBall
-
- Posts: 234
- Joined: May 20th, 2012, 6:12 pm
Re: Jobs and Career Related Advice
Post by mbadropout » September 24th, 2012, 10:11 pm
If you feel that the future prospects offered by your current firm / position aren't promising enough, it is probably time for you to start thinking of alternatives. You simply cannot force yourself to do something that does not drive and motivate you any more. Here are alternatives that I can think of at the moment:
1) Another (better) job / role - Is there a different role at IBM that you would be interested in? After having worked for it for half a decade, it should be open to you moving across functions / divisions.
If you aren't interested in a role at your current firm, or if switching functions / divisions isn't really an option, have you thought about profiles at other firms that might interest you? If you are looking for challenges and the possibility of accelerated growth, maybe you could consider "smaller" (as compared to IBM) companies, or even startups.
2) Advanced degree - Some of my batch mates from IIT went on to pursue their PhDs after working in India for a few years. Is this (not necessarily a PhD, but an advanced degree that you think will further your already existing science + math knowledge) something that you would be open to considering?
Let us know your thoughts, based on which we can take this discussion forward.
-Amit.
Re: Jobs and Career Related Advice
Post by amol_2389 » September 25th, 2012, 10:19 am
About L & T , I am in R & D of offshore structures,so i am into core techincal part where I dont get any exposure to operations.Moreover,I could not perform well when things become super technical and most of time we do very critical assignments or we dont do anything at all.
Inshort, I am confused that whether I am on right track or I should change it.
So,If you could guide me in "WHICH WAY TO CHOOSE" scenario,it would be very helpful.
-Amol
-
- Posts: 234
- Joined: May 20th, 2012, 6:12 pm
Re: Jobs and Career Related Advice
Post by mbadropout » September 25th, 2012, 11:26 pm
From your posts, your "tracks" don't seem to be well-defined. Though it is clear that you have taken a strong liking to finance, and have graduated to being a successful trader over time, it is not clear how "International Business" comes into the picture.
Taking "International Business" out of the equation, your liking for finance / trading supported by your recent successes and efforts (NSE courses, CFA, etc.) indicate that this line of work might work well for you. Additionally, since you feel that you aren't getting enough growth opportunities (limited management experience, mostly technical work, etc.) in your current role at L&T, it might be a good idea to make the switch.
A possible downside could be that since (I am assuming) this is going to be your first foray into the world of finance / trading as a career option, even with a CFA + MBA (from your reference to GMAT) under your belt, you might need to start at a rung lower than where you are today.
-Amit.
Re: Jobs and Career Related Advice
Post by amol_2389 » September 26th, 2012, 10:29 am
I asked @ International business because I overgenerallized it.I thought its a mixture of finance+marketing and one of my friend who is doing MBA in international business he also gave me inputs which were oversimplified and unwarranted.After consulting MBAcrystall ball atleast I came to know what I want and it resolved alot of confusion.
Thanks.
-Amol
-
- Posts: 234
- Joined: May 20th, 2012, 6:12 pm
Re: Jobs and Career Related Advice
Post by mbadropout » September 27th, 2012, 11:33 pm
When you apply to bschool, all of your professional experience - L&T, relative's firm, etc. - will be considered.
Bschool admissions committees are going to be interested in your "story" in its entirety. In other words, they are going to look at all the different pieces of your professional life, assess your short and long term goals, and evaluate how how an MBA would fit in. In all of this, they are going to look for the "whys" - why join a family-owned finance firm after working for L&T, why pursue an MBA after working for a family owned business, etc. As long as you are able to answer these "whys" and build a credible and believable story, you should be good.
-Amit.
Re: Jobs and Career Related Advice
Post by Avin92 » September 28th, 2012, 3:29 pm
I've read about your journey till now in another thread and am really amazed at the things that you have gone through and how far you've gone
I am at a similar point in my life as you were in 2002. I am in the penultimate year of my life at IIT desperately looking for answers about what to pursue. I know now that I dont want to continue in an engineering line (I just see myself as having more aptitude in the investment banking or consulting fields). For this purpose I have really set my mind to go to a top B-school in the US. What I wanted to know is what do they look for? What qualities did you have that actually led them to hire a fresher with no job experience. Another option is giving CAT, something that I find very similar to my JEE days
What do you think is the best path for me? I know the eventual goal, but how do I get there. Do you suggest the way you went ahead? What I feel is that if I take up a campus placement, I will not have the 'courage' to walk out later
I am really confused as to what to do. Could you also take me through how and why you finally decided on GMAT over CAT, and give me a brief overview as to what you did to 'crack' GMAT (as they popularly say in IIT)
Thanks in advance for the help
Regards,
Avinash
-
- Posts: 234
- Joined: May 20th, 2012, 6:12 pm
Re: Jobs and Career Related Advice
Post by mbadropout » September 30th, 2012, 12:11 pm
Let me start with my standard question:
How are you so sure that you have more aptitude to pursue IB or consulting as a career option? Also, IB and consulting being such starkly different fields, how did you come to realize that you would be a good fit for either?
//What I wanted to know is what do they look for? What qualities did you have that actually led them to hire a fresher with no job experience.//
Bschools are going to be interested in your complete profile. Therefore, you will need to do a good job in telling your story. For every significant decision that you have taken in your life, admissions committees are going to want to know the "why" behind it. Though your story does not necessarily need to have a string of stellar achievements, a few "peaks" (with a couple of "troughs" explained well) will help.
Admissions committees are interested in prospective candidates that have some form of meaningful work experience. All through my IIT years, I was deeply involved in extra curricular activities. I also had two great internships under my belt. These, rolled into a cohesive and believable story, are what I believe got me my admits.
//What do you think is the best path for me? I know the eventual goal, but how do I get there. Do you suggest the way you went ahead?//
In hindsight, if you ask me, I think it is a good idea to have at least a couple of years' work experience before venturing down the MBA road, and here's why:
1) Experiential learning - US MBA programs are designed to be experiential - you learn more from your classmates' experiences than from books or professors' lectures. To be able to extract maximum benefit out of such an environment, you need to have real world experience. That way, you will be able to contribute to discussions in a meaningful way, as well as relate others' experiences with your own.
2) Employment after MBA - With zero experience, when you graduate, a small subset of recruiters will be interested in you, and they are going to offer you a position a rung or two lower than your experienced classmates.
3) Cost - Those with a few years of experience are able to use their savings towards MBA expenses. With zero experience, your will need to depend on family, banks, etc.
//What I feel is that if I take up a campus placement, I will not have the 'courage' to walk out later//
It is quite natural for your to feel this way now. However, in a a few years, when you see people around you getting admits, you will no doubt gain the drive and motivation to give it a serious thought.
//Could you also take me through how and why you finally decided on GMAT over CAT...//
I personally feel that as compared to US bschools, the learning in Indian bschools is not experiential. That is because of the style of teaching (lecture-based) as well as the average years of work experience of entering candidates (back then, most successful MBA candidates that cracked CAT and got into the IIMs had zero work experience). I was interested in the former, and hence decided to apply to bschools in the US.
//...and give me a brief overview as to what you did to 'crack' GMAT...//
I hardly got the time for serious preparation. I remember practicing questions from the Official GMAT Guide, as well as revising material from guides published by Kaplan and Princeton.
To ace the GMAT, I think you should invest some good time in preparation. My personal belief / opinion is that since GMAT is more of a test of practice, to score well, you will need to spend days, if not weeks, with your head buried in books. Take a look at GMAT preparation forums on this site, as well as those on GMAT Club.
- Amit
Re: Jobs and Career Related Advice
Post by 2013100 » October 2nd, 2012, 9:48 am
-
- Posts: 2
- Joined: September 29th, 2012, 9:22 pm
Re: Jobs and Career Related Advice
Post by abhinav16rai » October 2nd, 2012, 11:19 am
I hv started working for Central Bank of India as PO this year. After some experience i plan to do MBA for better job opportunities.
Please guide me.
-
- Posts: 234
- Joined: May 20th, 2012, 6:12 pm
Re: Jobs and Career Related Advice
Post by mbadropout » October 2nd, 2012, 7:58 pm
Do let us know a little more about your profile. That way, we will be able to offer relevant guidance / advice.
-Amit.