“Kam se kam 30 saal ka toh time de re!”
“Nahi bachega main, marr jayega idhar hi!”
For a long time, these sentences were merely memes that I used to share across social media. And then, something dramatic happened, in July 2021.
Having confirmed IIM Nagpur for my MBA, July came across like a hard slap with a brick to my face. Itching to get into the MBA world for long, I was in a for a rude shock when I realized how unprepared I had been to get thrust into a world full of cases, assignments, deadlines (or should I say SACROSANCT DEADLINES!), exams, competitions, guest sessions, inductions - all at the same time. This, coming from a Mumbaikar who was used to managing the peak-hour Borivali-Churchgate hustle, lays credence to how insanely difficult it was to cope up with the pressure!
And then, going through the grinds is suddenly how the truth dawned upon me. The truth, the reality of what this multiverse of madness was really all about. If I could depict the exact moment cinematically, it would be the moment Thanos got the Soul Stone - suddenly, in his hands, after giving a part of his own soul. (Ok this got way more dramatic than it really was!)
The truth, my biggest learning so far, that this whole deadline-driven piece is about is this –
“MBA isn’t a course that is designed for you. MBA is a course that you design yourself, for yourself!”
This doesn’t really make sense, does it? After all, there is a fixed curriculum & a fixed process (did I mention fixed deadlines?). And yet, at its crux, MBA is like that modular PC that you assemble yourself with the different parts that exist in the market. In MBA, these components are studies, projects, exams, live projects, clubs, competitions, etc. You make your own course, your own MBA journey, based on the modules you choose for yourself. Every person assigns different weights, different degrees of importance to each component. Why? Simply because the torrential pressure, the insane burden, the incessant work and cut-throat deadlines are not merely a coincidence – they’re specifically made to be so. Similar to its qualifying CAT exam, there exists no possible way to attempt everything with full accuracy. And so, just like the real business world, a world full of limitless opportunities and choices, you must learn to prioritize!
Opportunity cost, NPV, modelling, branding, aren’t just technical skills that you must learn during the course. These are the concepts you unknowingly keep applying while making the above choices. And so, while one student’s MBA journey may be all about studies and getting a DML, another student’s journey may be replete with 20+ competitions, 5 live projects and barely a C- grade. In the end, given the same opportunities and same challenges, each one of us will come out with a totally different branding & different returns based on our own preferences!
It’s when you realize this gospel truth, is when you begin to really take charge. Like the real business world, you charter your course in a specific manner even if your competitors take a different path. The FOMO of alternate options is real, no doubt, but that’s what business really entails – having to choose only limited options with the best possible outcomes. And that’s what MBA really teaches you – MANAGEMENT, in a very real sense!
PS – I’d talk more about this, but did I mention I have some tight deadlines? :p
About the Author:
Shubam Jain is a PGP1 student of IIM Nagpur and an Executive Member of Finesse – The Finance Club. He has 32 months of work experience working for an e-commerce start-up. He is an avid writer, loves to travel & trek and is popular for making & sharing memes.