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My tryst with computers and finance started when I landed up in 53, Nagarjuna Hills, Hyderabad to take up admission in PGDBA course. I remember our Portfolio Management Professor asking us to do some equity research assignment and my struggle with friends in getting the information. Internet and E-mails were just catching up and they were a wonder to me and most of my classmates. We were fascinated by something so radical, which could allow us to communicate to some one so far away, yet so fast. These were things of awe to us. Soon, I remember, I forced my dad to buy me a computer – A 486 system, with a meager configuration of 256 MB HDD, 4 MB RAM for a princely sum of 70,000 bucks, which was later discarded as a scrap. Today I can not imagine my life without internet and e-mail for every basic activity of work life.
Careerwise, I started in Marketing, as a Management Trainee in Zuari Cement and moved on to Banking with erstwhile Global Trust Bank. It was the phase where Banking was being liberalized and several new changes were seen in the traditional method of banking. Introduction of core banking solutions and consequent introduction of any branch banking, Internet Banking, ATM’s, Phone Banking, e-Commerce were ushering in a new era of Banking. Luckily, I happened to be at the Right Place at the Right Time.
I started working in Treasury Operations in Mumbai. Work experience in Mumbai is something I will cherish through my work life. The work professionalism, dedication and hectic pace of life in Mumbai cannot be bested by anyplace in India if not the world. Mumbai simply rocks! It’s a city on the move and it did teach me few important lessons in life viz:
1. Work comes first. Duty is worship.
2. Plan for each step in life.
3. Do not take things for granted.
4. Prepare for the unexpected, do not be surprised by anything and
5. Have a backup plan in place.
I am of the strong opinion that all freshers should have a stint of experience in Mumbai to learn from all that it has to offer. However, I spent about 5 ½ years in the Bank through various departments and the final feather in my cap was when I was given the charge to handle the Bancassurance initiative for the Bank and was given the opportunity to work with the Top Management of the Bank. This was my first preview into how the top management worked. The professionalism they exhibited in handling day to day work, managing human relationships, importance they gave on networking, time management, multitasking and most importantly, doing your home work right for each assignment were some of the things I learnt working with the Bank.
These lessons help me all through my career. I had the opportunity to move on to IT as a Domain expert in Banking and this is the role I play currently with IBM as a Senior Consultant.
Family.....
We complete 5 blissful years of marriage this year. Prashanthi, my wife is a double MBA holder with specialization in Finance and HR. We are blessed with 2 lovely daughters, Aditi Pallavi (3 yrs) and Srikari (6 months). Prashanthi is a house wife. She provides me with lots of support and advice. My daughters are our source of joy. Their curious questions on the ways of the world always help me to look at the world with new perspective.
Stint in IBS....
IBS played a significant role in shaping my career. I believe my personality had undergone a sea change through the 2 years I spent in IBS. Those numerous presentations and assignments played an important role in helping us lose the stage fear, teaching us how to plan and execute any given task. Management concepts, learnt in IBS still hold true. I have a confession to make. I was an average student in Finance and never wanted to make a career in it. In fact, me and few of my friends had formed a club – “We hate finance Club” in IBS and had made resolve, not to work in finance. As things would have it, almost everyone of us in that club today work in a finance related area.
I belong to the 2nd batch of PGDBA. We were relatively new in Industry and had to compete with students from established institutions like XLRI, FMS etc for work opportunities in the corporate world and the going was tough for us. We were not sure if we would be able to break through into the corporate world. As things stand today, it was proved beyond doubt that the quality education from IBS was way above the standard of education imparted elsewhere, probably comparable only with the leading institutions of the day. IBS students were/are still recognized for their enthusiasm, depth of knowledge and innovativeness. Today, it’s heartening to know we are welcomed and sought after by every corporate of repute in India and abroad.
2 years at IBS has helped me shape my career, personality and have assisted me in moving ahead of most of my peers at my work place.
Perfect life………
I wish to have a perfect balance between work and personal life. I would like to be at the forefront of cutting edge technology and would like to make a difference in everything I do. Being a responsible member of society, I wish to contribute to the society in whatever manner I can.
Relax and De-stress....
I spend time with my daughters and my family members to relax and de-stress. I love spending time with my dog Boney, a German Sheppard, and love the walks I have with it. My family helps me maintain sanity in this demanding pace of life by helping me relax after an eventful day at work.
IT Industry....
IT, perhaps, has brought about change in every sphere of life that we can think of, be it Medicine, administration, finance etc. Today, we have so many opportunities available and opening up as one could have never imagined before. Remember, technologies come and go. People and their needs stay. We would be successful if we can Re-skill and Re-tool ourselves. Update your skills on a CURRENT basis to be in a position to make use of the opportunities as they present themselves. Those lax on this front will find themselves being pushed to extinction like dinosaurs.
I am glad as well as envious to see that the latest batch of IBS students have ways and means to update their skills in line with the latest happenings in the technology sphere as we never have had before.
Advice to youngsters....
- Be open to change, remember change is constant. Anticipate change, plan and prepare yourself to adapt to the changing needs of the opportunities as they arise.
- Have self-confidence.
- When presented with an opportunity, seize it and deliver it to the best of your ability and most importantly
- Have fun. Learn to relax and enjoy each moment to its full.
Suggestions / Ideas to make IBSAF experience better....
- It’s nice to see the new campus coming up; I am sure as things fall into place, current and future batches of IBS students would come one step closer to having a world class education. It would be nice if we could try and see if we can have “Re-Orientation” sessions, where possible, in areas of interest for the alumni. This would be an important way to re-establish contact with the alumni.
- IBSAF currently has the largest number of alumni for any management institute in the country. It is important that we explore new ways to network and bring the people back to their roots for each others benefit.
- IBSAF should encourage Entrepreneurship not only by offering infrastructure support as it currently does, but also offer specialized courses in Entrepreneurship.
60th Year of Independence....
As we enter into the 60th year of Independence, I try to see and comprehend the strides we have made in various fields and the areas we still need to improve. Take for example: Education. This sector has seen a sea change in ways education is imparted. Gone are the traditional ways of classroom teaching. Online courses, distance learning are in. Today, my 3 year old daughter knows how to operate a computer and ‘google’ for information. This was something unimaginable for me until recently.
India today is recognized for its vast talent pool of youngsters and we owe it to the robust education system that we follow. Indian students are recognized as leaders in their spheres world over. It is important that we do not lose focus and maintain this momentum for times to come by leveraging on this vast talent pool of youth. Rather than looking for a job, try and be an entrepreneur yourself and provide job opportunities to others like you. Risk of failure is high. So are the returns if you succeed. I am happy to note that some of my batchmates from IBS have been bitten by the entrepreneur bug and have quit the security of a well paying job to find their reaches/riches in entrepreneurship. I, on my part, am sure to follow this route. It’s only a question of time and opportunity presenting itself.
Institutions like IBS and individual members of society, like you and me, have a huge role to play in promoting entrepreneurship. One of the reasons cited for the US to emerge as a leading economy of the world is said to be entrepreneurship. More number of students in US opt to start something on their own before they decide to settle for a job. The spirit of entrepreneurship should be encouraged as an alternative to job and this shift is needed if India is to be recognized as leading economy of the world. Its heartening to know this is happening in a small way but the journey has just began and I quote from Robert Frost’s poem “I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep”.
So long friends, come let’s embark on this exciting journey together. ◊
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