“Life Begins at the end of your comfort zone.”
Driving past the wings of wisdom standing strong within the boundaries of Top of the World (TOW as they call it at IIFT), dreams in my eyes of achieving something big out of the coming two years, a feeling of nervousness within my parents on seeing their daughter move out of the home for the first time, I finally reached OH (old hostel) on the twenty-fourth day of a very hot month of June in Delhi. The past 15 days at IIFT have been a time of my lifetime, full of memories that I will cherish forever. This was the first time wherein I went through a series of different emotions from apprehensions and stress to excitement and astonishment. The whole induction programme that we, as a batch were introduced to, has build some long lasting life lessons and friendships. This has been a really unique experience that IIFT offered and will help me in becoming a better MBA aspirant.
Every minute at IIFT since the day I was introduced to the induction team has been filled with wonderful activities, peer-learnings, bonding and teachings. As we were welcomed in the new world of challenges, trials and opportunities, we walked away from our comfort zones and opulent lifestyles. Suddenly, there was a lot going around in the campus around us and we were left with no option but to just go with the flow and adapt ourselves to the world changing around. There were a number of activities arranged for us by the seniors at IIFT. Group presentations and assignments having strict timelines which included discovering your group members as well, GDs, Guest Lectures by renowned industry professionals and alumni, city visits, treasure hunt, sports activities, mock interviews, KT sessions, skits, quizzes, competitions, interactive sessions with the coordinators from different clubs/cells/committees and many more collaborative events always kept us on our toes. It was great to learn that how these activities and sleep-deprived nights could bond some strangers over a common goal of achieving significant results, exhibiting creativity and proving ourselves at the very beginning of this rigorous programme. The most amazing part was that for every activity, we were a part of a different group that expanded our horizons of networking with the peer group. And, later did we realize that we had turned into the “Batch of 2018-20” from just a group of people with diverse backgrounds and native places. The cultural differences we had just blended into one voice of GoIIFTGo.
The feeling of finishing an assignment at 5 in the morning, the adrenaline rush of reaching the auditorium on time after an hour of sleep, the joy of ten people eating from the same plate, the excitement of disconnecting from the world you left behind, the nervousness of experiencing the day-0 and taking interviews for positions of responsibilities at various college clubs, the pride of being a part of one of the best B-Schools in India, the amusement of seeing some new love interests cropping in, the bliss of attending the lectures by faculty members who make you understand all the new concepts of management in the simplest and most efficient way possible, were a lot of emotions that one can feel in such a short duration, but IIFT is the place to experience such a roller coaster ride.
We crinkled at times, challenged ourselves much more than our capacities in the initial days itself, sobbed at times, laughed our hearts out, but at every moment, we learnt something new and constructive. The journey has just begun and I am looking forward to a plethora of more learnings and opportunities. Not a long time back, I was one of the many aspirants seeking the opportunity to call oneself an IIFTian and now when I do, I do it with a lot of pride.
And, I firmly believe that this place will give me the right mix of expertise and experience to follow my dreams. Working as a big data developer in the financial markets domain has exposed me to various concepts of finance which I was unfamiliar with as an engineer. I was involved in a project that aimed at creating a Risk Storage Layer for a Global Bank’s entire investment risk data across various asset classes. It also aimed at storing the bank’s entire accounting and financial transactions data into a data lake that provided a 360 degree view of any customer. With such an experience, I have developed an interest in the domain of Finance and wish to pursue my career in it. I believe that Aditya Birla Capital Limited (ABCL) is the right place for me to be in. As one of the largest financial services player in India, with presence across all possible financial service areas, a much wider reach under the umbrella of a fortune 500 company, and with its comprehensive LEAP programme, it will provide me a great platform to learn and grow in the field of finance.