My father has never been good at speaking English. In today’s world, where the English language is a pre-requisite, it has been a roadblock for him in achieving the highest goals. He often tells me that if only he had better English speaking skills, he could have achieved a lot more. So, he has always paid special attention to education and ensured that I have studied from the top schools in the city. I have performed consistently well throughout my studies and I can proudly say that my father has played a huge part in it. Not many fathers would stay up all night watching their children studying for board exams. He was delighted when I was a rank holder in 10
th Boards in school and topped in English.
Based on my 10
th results, I got admission in DPS RK Puram, one of the coveted schools in the country. I had worked hard for it. My parents were proud. I could see it in their eyes that they wanted me to be there and make them proud.
That’s when the tough part of my life started. After 2 years of preparing for JEE and AIEEE entrance exams, I could not do well. I did perform well in my 12
th board exams but could not crack either entrance exams. My parents were distraught. Their dream of me studying in one of the top engineering institutes in India was not possible anymore. I had two options: to take a year drop and prepare again or take admission in a decent college and perform well over there. With me and my parents on consensus, I took admission in University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun.
Engineering college was filled with fun. I enjoyed, studied, played cricket for college, represented the college in cultural events and much more. But I did not maintain a good CGPA in my college. Although I never failed in any of the subjects in all my 8 semesters, my first 4 semesters’ grades didn’t bode well for me in the end during placements. It was one of the major factors that contributed to me not able to convert final interviews of Maruti, Honda and Mahindra, although I had secured placement in Infosys before these companies came for interviews. These were core companies and it was a top priority for everyone. So, this was another setback in my career.
After 8 months of completion of my college, I joined Infosys. What a training campus it was. Five-star hotel type rooms, state of the art classrooms, amazing gym and sports facilities and what not. It was a city on its own. I really enjoyed my life over there. It was as if I was occupied all the time. 7 hours of study daily, then classwork and assignments, playing and going out with friends were part of my daily routine. I did well during my training program. After completion of my training, I was transferred to Chennai and worked there for a year.
After working for a year in Infosys, I realized that I wasn’t really satisfied with what I am doing. I didn’t want to do desk jobs and write codes all my life. I wanted something different and something more. That’s when I started preparing for MBA. I researched it thoroughly and I thought this is the best path for me. I joined Career Launcher for coaching classes during weekends. 5 days working in the office and then spending 6 hours on weekends studying was not something I liked to do. But to achieve something bigger in life, these types of sacrifices have to be made.
But I received terrible news a couple of months before my CAT exam. My father was diagnosed with Spinal tuberculosis. It was one of the most turbulent times of my life. I had to take a couple of months to leave and take care of my father. I juggled studies with it. I did study well but I felt it’s might be a little less. And my fears came true. I did not score well in any of the exams.
But this time, I was determined to crack the MBA exams. I wanted to be a part of one of the top institutions in the country. I took a transfer to Chandigarh so that I could be near my parents and hence could visit them frequently. After 6 months of thorough preparation, I gave my exams. A couple of exams did not go my way but I did well in others. And the results showed. I received a call from NMIMS and converted it.
Finally, after a couple of years of struggling, I had cracked one of the top institutions in the country. Now being part of this institute, I can achieve the goals I have for myself and make my parents proud.