A Conversation Between A Senior And A Confused Junior

Heya Freshers!
I realised time flies when one of my juniors asked me whether to go for M.Tech in IIT, Delhi, MBA from XLRI or into the IT company she was placed. I stood numb, watching the calendar on my laptop and recapitulating my own dogmatic time of last year when I was thinking which way to go. Based on what all I could understand from my experience is what I replied to her and just did what a job of a senior is i.e. Confused her even more:

NOTE: Please try to understand that the discussion was between two Computer Science Engineers. 

"Actually, without workex, it is difficult to know where our heart lies. At this stage, we don’t know how good are FMCGs/Electronics/Automobiles or how bad are IT companies and vice-versa. We also do not know how an organisation works, how departments work how teams work, how problems are solved, how requirements are taken from the client, how code is developed how is it tested or How to Google everything. We just assume everything to be a cakewalk. And since we don’t know these things, It is difficult for us to know whether we will enjoy coding like a BTech grad, finding out gaps and providing business solutions as an MBA or to help the organisation by acquiring and retaining talent like an HR personnel or to do in-depth research in M.Tech. *Look,  it is not complicated or confusing. It's just that we are ignorant. That's all.* Zero on all this, we try to take an informed decision. We rely on others' opinions and based on what we PERCEIVE about life/lifestyle of MBAs or CODERs. When we hit reality..boom! Only if we are ready for come-what-may should we go for an unknown/Less known fields (like HR). And it is perfectly normal not to know what we want to do ahead in our career because by this stage i.e. final year of engineering we (almost) never had to make a choice and now when we have to decide, we are worried about letting go of an opportunity which is there now, but may/ may not knock again. Enter Introspection - a very simple task made complex due to external influences and sky - high expectations. At each point of introspection, be assured that both are good paths, sooner or later you will reach where you want, it is just about realising your interest. It takes time, dear. *I am still looking for the industry I should target with placements just a few months away but it is okay.* A friend of mine once explained to me, "The kind of lifestyle you desire is an important factor to consider your career" which is still abstract in many ways but might open up your horizons. Think!  We both are too young to discuss 'life and all' but since you have are an XL convert I am presuming things about your maturity level because I have faced the XL interviews, they demand clarity about yourself. So I think you can figure out. And about joining the IT-company for workex, you know how it is. Benches are full! Google baba is doing all the work. Confident enough about getting into XL or equivalent college again? Yes, for workex. And if that is going to happen then 2 years would sum up to a healthy workex including bench months. Who knows you might as well enjoy your coder life! Keep your timeline (Age) in mind. :P You procrastinate your MBA and then find it is too late now, or don't feel like studying anymore, or are sent on-site which create further delay? What about the emphasis on the diversity of students and you being an engineer and working in an IT-company in which every other (even non-IT) engineer is placed. These are all possibilities. Yet again, You never know. But still, the platform that MBA will provide, the growth opportunities, the diversity of options, the chances of going abroad and the fun is what you will get after MBA, especially after an MBA from XL.

• Enjoy the final exams and keep thinking.

• These will be extremely introspective and knowledge gaining times of your life.

• If nothing then try 'inki pinki ponky' aur Rambharose muh utha ke kahin bhi chale jana..sab thik hoga.. :P  "

So you just saw an excerpt on how confusing seniors can be. Starting from the importance of workex before MBA in the very first line of the first paragraph to trying to convince her to go for MBA right now to leaving her 'Rambharose'. Hence, aggravating her frustration even more. That is why it is important to ask seniors about their experiences and pieces of advice but it is more important to identify sane, mature seniors who would not only understand your situation but also give you enough insights so that you find the answer to your dilemma yourself. Otherwise, you will be as confused as my dear junior is right now. #AllHailSeniors     --------------------- About the Author:

Gaurav Bachhawat
A Small-Towner, A Dreamer, A Learner.

Gaurav is pursuing his MBA in Marketing from Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneshwar(XIMB)  and is currently in 2nd year. He has pursued his summer internship at Maruti-Suzuki India Ltd. He is a knowledge seeker and keeps himself updated about happenings in the entrepreneurial world. He likes to address queries of MBA aspirants and help them in their MBA preparations.