When I decided to join a management school -By Nandinee Majumdar from XIMB

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A career in sales and marketing teaches you optimism. Whether it is about handling a rogue client or turning an emergency into an opportunity, the life of a sales engineer will make you anything but a coward. And the same thing happened to me. While working as a sales engineer in an SSI unit, I got a chance to interact with a few of the most compassionate men who taught me to handle any situation. One has two options: Fight or flight. Sometimes, one doesn’t have the privilege of flight. You have to fight! So here is my journey when I decided to join a management school.

This reminds me of an important incident of my life which not only gave me an opportunity to rethink my goals but it gave me the courage to take the bold step to resign from my position and proceed for an MBA. 

Survive or Suffer!

It all happened when my previous organization was going through a very bad time due to the faltering steel market. It led to a cash crunch in our organization. As a result, all the employees were affected and there was a dearth of orders. In this situation, when we were trying very hard to meet our targets, we closed a long-awaited deal with one of the clients with less margin. Therefore, it created a bittersweet reaction within the top management. Yet the profit margin was not good enough to make the situation better. To add to the bitterness, when the design went for approval to the assigned consultant, he requested for a change. Well, the top management was not happy with the change. But our client was also not ready to give us the extra price. 

During one of the meetings, I came across this guy who was good at making negotiations. He left no stone unturned to put us in profitable situations. But during those tea breaks, he also took an interest in this young and fresh graduate who had come for the negotiation. Through these tea breaks, I could break the ice and come to a discussion regarding career choices. It would be ungrateful not to acknowledge the fact that this angry and non-negotiable person told me how an MBA would help me grow and sharpen my skills. 

The Realization phase: The decision to join a B-School

Although the meeting was not completely in our favor but I gained a lot. It gave me a new lesson and a new insight into the people we come across. 

The meeting gave me a chance to investigate my present situation. It ignited the zeal to grab opportunities. Also, it gave me a chance to think about my career choices. It was a turning point in my life as it made me think and decide to try for the management schools through the most coveted exams like CAT, XAT, and IIFT.

Although, it was very difficult to manage time during the busy schedule of the office. But I was determined. It helped me get through the situation. Besides that, the following authors like Robin Sharma helped me improve my daily routine. I could successfully transform my daily routine in such a way that I could utilize every minute of the day. This also helped me understand the importance of time.

The Beginning of something new

With a little help from my friends and a little cooperation from my colleagues, I appeared for the exams and secured a decent percentage. But this was not the end of the journey. From preparing for the GD-PI rounds in between lunch hours to arranging my office work, the experience was more about gathering knowledge. I gained a new insight into my strengths, qualities which I had never noticed before. My habit of reading random things to meeting strangers and gaining knowledge on a very different topic came in handy during these GD-PI sessions. 

Guess what? I landed an offer from one of the management schools like XIMB. When I try to remember my interview here, the only thing that I can remember is the changed perspective towards life and my decision-making skills. Finally, this change helped me join a management school. 

I once read “If you are born poor it’s not your mistake, but if you die poor it’s your mistake”. All these experiences will not only help me in the future but it will also make me the best version of myself. Also, it will help me inspire the younger generation. I believe it is not how we live but how we inspire others to live which brings meaning to life. So, this all my journey to join a management school. 

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