From working for Oracle to joining PGDM at GIM Goa -By Utkarsh Rangnekar from GIM Goa

A roller coaster ride full of twists and turns, it is a mammoth task to summarise my journey of PGDM at Goa Institute of Management. Well, you could say that my actual journey began during my school days. However, this journey started during my undergrad days. I was pursuing a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from Siddaganga Institute of Technology, Tumkur. Since my dad worked at a power plant, I had grown up around engineers. I thought engineering was the best road ahead for me. And I did try to give mechanical engineering a shot. Although, it looked diverse, interesting and traditional at the same time. But it was not my calling. So here is my journey from working for Oracle to joining PGDM at GIM Goa.

My undergrad experience and my calling

My experience during my undergrad was interesting and fun. I found my calling in the voluntary student organization of the college, Pathfinder, where I met like-minded people, creatively inclined. Moreover, they worked on developing their interpersonal skills and knocking-at-the-door final placement processes. More than anything, my soft skills really improved during my tenure at the college. I was also the coordinator of the literary genre of our college fest, Halcyon. With my writing and creativity, I was committed to making this genre a more attractive compendium of intercollegiate events.

When I got a six-figure salaried job and started working at Oracle

Well, the final placements were about to happen. I was successful in clearing all the recruitment procedures that I faced and finally landed a coveted six-figure salaried job at a popular IT MNC, Oracle.

Now working at Oracle was a completely different ball game altogether. Initially, I hated it due to my really demanding shift timings and a fat cushy salary. Gradually, I began enjoying the routine and independence. Also, I began learning new skills and got involved in critical planned activities such as patching and upgrades in my team’s projects. I was also heavily involved in the automation and in-house development of tools. I realize how technical it sounds!

Well, I had always wanted to pursue an MBA. My independence at my job gave me more clarity. Having worked with ERP and HR systems, I realized that I wanted to pursue an MBA in HR while keeping my hand in IT Ops as well. So I started preparing for the entrance exams. My first attempt at all the lettered exams (CAT, XAT, CMAT) was a hit and a miss. The second attempt yielded somewhat promising results in XAT. I got a call from the Goa Institute of Management. GD and the interview were like a breeze. I got the letter which said, “Congratulations! You are in!”.

When I decided to resign from Oracle

So I decided to stop working at Oracle. My manager wanted me to stay. I almost wanted to stay as things were going great at work. I had carved out a very important and indispensable role for myself. But I decided to look towards the future and move on with positive feelings and congratulatory goodbyes.

That is how I ended up here, doing an MBA in Goa. Well, as I said, it was a rocky ride and a really confusing family feud type situation. But it has been a great experience. It will be interesting to witness the road ahead.

This article was submitted as a part of Become an Author conducted by Dare2Compete.

Utkarsh Rangnekar - GIM Goa

(Batch 2018 - 2020)

Has always been an enthusiastic writer. A Bachelor in Engineering, he worked as an Associate IT Consultant at Oracle. After a while, he decided to pursue a Masters in Business administration from the Goa Institute of Management.