Yes, you guessed it right, ‘Patel’ this surname does belong to a typical gujju boy whose life events are very much aligned with Iron Man of India - Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, (born at the same place as him - Vallabh Vidyanagar & my B. Tech alma matter was Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology Surat). In the spirit of full disclosure, here is my short CV.
CAT/Work Ex/Grad/12th/10th: 96.23/25/70.40/84/95/08
Fast forwarding to my work experience:
As a mechanical engineer, I wanted to apply my B. Tech learnings to the real world. Therefore, I decided to start working in an industry called “Pumping Industry” (and also it was my favourite subject.) During the 25-month period at the company I got to implement some strategic changes in the company. (this was one of the reasons why I went for an MSME company, where I can get exposure of an overall company rather than a confined department with a bureaucratic system.)
Although, during that time my interest grew beyond pumps to a bigger picture. (This is where my typical ‘why MBA’ comes into a picture.) To cut short that story, we used to have 2 biannual audits in our company, when third-party consultants used to come and talk to each person on the floor. They would gather the information at the ground level and present a viable business idea to the management, which the management would agree with smoothly. I was fascinated with the way they connected the dots and the way they convicted the management to go with those ideas. I had a quite firm grip on my technical knowledge, but I felt like I needed to improve my business skills. That’s where an idea of CAT comes into the picture.
Resignation – August 2017
Preparation phase began from that month for CAT. (This was my first attempt with a preparation less than four months.)
I know a lot of articles out there regarding a correct strategy to crack CAT, but since you are here, I’ll share with you the 3 things that my well-wishers had shared with me at the beginning.
1. Go through all the fundamentals in one month from any Institute material (if you are not part of one, you know which books to follow). Just go through all the concepts at least once.
2. After done with the basics, its Mocks time. Get 2/3 mock series (again you know the names) of the reputed coaching institutes and close the questions which you were not able to close during the test-time.
3. Read ‘Knappily’ as much as you can. (I know we are not preparing for UPSC, but the certain amount of GK is expected from MBA aspirant.)
4. This is the important one: Apply a principle of ‘Positive Conditioning’ (this one I stole from BBT). Treat yourself half an hour daily with the thing you love whatever that might be, i.e. a favourite TV series episode, song playlist, a walk or a quick phone date. This will keep you motivated to learn throughout a day as you will be looking forward to performing your favourite activities.
5. Finally, rest well before the D-Day. (Most Important)
From February 2018:
Appeared for interviews of different colleges (wasn’t sure of the field.) Converted: SIBM Pune, NMIMS Mumbai, IRMA, IMT G & New IIMs.
After a lot of SWOT analysis, I chose IIM Rohtak as my home for next two years.
About the Filed:
I still remember a day when I called one of my batch mate who was about to become alumni of IIM (& yes I am a 2015 graduate, it’s called experience, not old). He understood the dilemma I was in and suggested to pursue few online courses in each field. During that time, I came across the Ascent of Money BBC documentary series by Niall Ferguson. It was fascinated by the world of finance. That was the beginning of my inclination for the bonds and futures markets. (& did I mention a beginning of my CFA preparation as well.)
Expectations From Rohtak I have following “KATHOR” expectations.
K – Konnect with my entire PGP 09 batch along with at least 80% of my senior PGP 08 batch to amalgamate all of our caste, culture, religion, ideas and learn from them.
A – (to see) the ranking of IIM Rohtak Ascend to the top 5 IIMs. (USPs broaden from NCR factor & CFA affiliation to All round opportunities.)
T – To create Memories for a lifetime to tell our progenies. (I believe this would be the expectation of everyone.)
H – Hard work. As Rohtak was mentored by Lucknow (Hell itself) for first 3 years, rigorous curriculum is what I would expect from Rohtak. Although, I am somewhat relieved to hear that Rohtak is CFA affiliated, as 80% of the course curriculum (for finance major) would be parallel to the CFA curriculum. (again it’s an expectation.)
O - Overall growth (curricular + Extra-curricular) by giving my 100% to classes and surprise quizzes and participating in clubs, committees, live projects, competitions, while maintaining harmony between those two.
R - Reach to the hallowed place of Investment banking and get a chance to work with visionary minds. (I know they typically limit themselves to top 5 B Schools) But hey, as Walt Disney said: “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”
PS:
I know it was succinct (pun intended), but that’s what work experience taught me: Learn to give “Elevator pitch with bullet points.”