Thinking of an orbit change in your career? Happy to help

Dear Student,

I am pleased to connect with you on the subject of your career. I am sure you are doing exceedingly well in your job. At the same time, I am also alive to and aware of your pre-occupation with the question –
What next?
How do I change the orbit of my career?
What will turbo-charge my career and help accelerate my ascent?

Having personally mentored and coached many a thousand, I feel it an important part of my duty to initiate this dialogue.  It has helped many.  If it helps you too, I will be most delighted.


Early experience is valuable. Put your best:
Early experience is invaluable. The kind of job or the size of company does not matter.  Blue chip sounds fine but remember, start-ups are in vogue too.  This is an era of disruption.  Start-ups disrupt. Small and unknown companies give way too much of great exposure to be ignored.  So, please don’t chase known names for the heck of it.

Stay true to your job and Maximise your learning. Build great reputation through your contribution.  Don’t shy away from the day to day challenges.   Don’t jump jobs randomly. Stay put. Go deep. Learn all that you can.  It will stand in good stead as we work on your master career plan.

Stay restless. Stay impatient. Search for next phase:
Youth is about energy, restlessness, impatience.  All these are your strengths. It is important to channelise them well. Stay restless.  Keep thinking about what will lead to your orbit change.  You and I get outdated if we don’t keep re-skilling ourselves constantly.  Higher education and global cross-cultural exposure are two important routes to orbit change.

Higher education crucial.  But, aspire high.  Don’t settle for a ‘tthappa’:
There is no scope to live in denial. Just an under- degree in Engineering or Math or Economics is not good enough.  Your peers are moving on and adding additional qualifications and skills.  The industry wants ready-made professionals.  They are willing to pay more if you have readymade skills.  It is the hard reality.   An engineer or an Eco-grad who gets Rs 4 Lakhs or so, as a beginner, jumps to Rs 12-15 lakhs, should he go to a top IIM.  All of us are aware of it.

There is a catch, though.  As a working professional, you have to factor in the opportunity cost of quitting your job and going for a GRE or GMAT or CAT.  Any random institute is not a goal.  Any degree or “MBA ka Tthappa” is not worth it.  Aspire high.  Aspire for a place that changes your career orbit.

In fact, I have advised hundreds of young professionals to aim for nothing less than the top-4 IIMs. Or may be, one or two more.  You can and must also consider GMAT as a worthy option.  The apparent cost of MBA education at a college in Singapore or Europe or Shanghai or US might appear high…..but, you know that it is not about cost alone.  It is about Return on Investment (ROI). It is about the crucial question – what is the payback period ???

So, stay open minded. Blue ocean strategy works (Google it, if you have not heard that one).

The World is your stage.  Don’t be myopic:
The world is your stage. No blinkers, please. Doctors are becoming managers. Civil servants are becoming entrepreneurs. Indians are investing abroad. Europeans and Americans are coming to India and Asia for on-the-ground experience.  Where do you want to go?  What is your plan?

Stay awake. Get started. Stay restless. If you are thinking of an orbit change through any route – MBA-2016 or 2017 or GMAT or GRE for higher-education abroad or entrepreneurship or even a job change, just write to me at satya@careerlauncher.com

A career path can be worked out together. Happy to be a part of your next orbit change. Happy to take your query

Satya Narayanan R
Founder CL
IIMB Alumnus

50 Comments

  1. Dear GP sir,
    Currently I am persuing B.Pharm and planning to appear for CAT’15 for which I ahve been taking CL’s classroon Coaching. In future I want to get into business. So which kind of MBA would help me- a general, specialization in pharmaceutical management or HR or some other? I am really confused. Please help.

    Thanks and Regards
    Vidhi Doshi

    • Vidhi, any business requires you to have a working knowledge of all aspects, HR, Mktg, Fin, Operations etc.
      Thus, think accordingly. A PGDM/PGP course from any leading institute will give you the required knowledge and exposure.

  2. Which specialisation should be taken by a B.Tech graduate who knows nothing about Finance or Marketing? How to get more information about them? Any books?

    • Mohit, specialization has to be decided in the 2nd year after you have studied all areas in the 1st year, so do not worry about it now.

  3. Respected GP Sir,
    I am in dilemma whether to focus on CAT or GMAT or should I try to switch to other company?.Below is my profile:
    10th – 75.50, 12th – 60.00, BE – 68.24. In April I have completed 4 years of workex in TechMahindra in Pune. I really want to make my career in management. Last year I have given CAT and I got 85.4%ile.Most of my friends switched to other company and now they are earning 50% more than me, but I am afraid that if I try to switch whether I can give my time for MBA exams preparation or not,because management is my ultimate goal.I am ready for 2 years MBA also.
    Please Sir suggest me what should I do.

    Thanks & Regards
    Shishir Shrivastava

    • Shishir, with 5 years of experience by the time you join an MBA program in 2016 it is advisable to take GMAT and target a 1 year MBA from ISB Hyderabad or PGP Ex from top IIMs or from top institutes outside India. Great Lakes Chennai 1 year program could be your back up option. Let me know the city you are from and will try and connect you to someone who can guide you on GMAT.

  4. Hi GP Sir
    This is a very long post and requires a lot of patience to answer. If you can manage some time comfortably, it will be a great help for me.

    My name is Urmanpreet Singh. My profile is as follows-

    10th- 93.4
    12lth- 85.83
    BTech ECE- 77%(from Jaypee University of Information Technology, Solan)

    Work ex(as on 30th april 2015)- 19 months(Systems Engineer at Infosys Limited)

    I have MBA offer from IIT kharagpur this season

    Career Goal: to start a start-up based on an idea I already have in HR analytics domain.

    part A of the query-

    I have the following alternatives-
    1) If I don’t join MBA this year at IIT, will I ever be able (say in 2-3 years) to create a profile for top 15 colleges across US, Europe or Asia with my academic records and profile(provided I am able to score well in GMAT)? If yes then what shall I do to create such a profile(in terms of extracurricular, initiatives, NGO etc)?

    2)If I don’t join MBA at IIT, prepare for next year CAT aiming an elite college. Do you recommend quitting my job and engaging in family business so that I have more time for CAT and at the same time show family business as a work-ex.

    3)If I join MBA at IIT Kharagpur, what is the way ahead. What is the way ahead.
    a) Will it help me create a stronger application to these top global colleges
    (MBA at IIT-> Doing job for 2 years in relevant area-> Apply internationally)
    or
    b) Are there any advanced management courses in the top colleges which I an look forward after MBA at IIT?

    Again
    My GOAL is to do work that matters and create a social impact- which I see possible through my startup. I think MBA from a top university will help me maximize the impact, upgrade me(in attitude, personality and approach) and increase the chances of my success.

    Please comment on all the above three alternatives with the aim of achieving the goal.
    ———————————————————————————–
    part B
    Currently I am thinking to join IIT kharagpur as it seems to be a good fit for me for the following reasons-
    1) IIT good for analytics(start-up based on analytics)
    2) IIT kharagpur starting a joint program with IIMC on business analytics- will benefit from those courses run by IIT Kgp
    3) IIT have good Entrepreneurship cell and there is opportunity to team up by Btech students for my startup(which is tech based).
    4) Anyway I have a good motivation to study. I can access curriculum of top universities such as Wharton, Stanford through online MOOC( Coursera) and learn good and then apply it to real-life problem(my own start-up).

    Request you to please review my criteria and suggest me whether it is a good perspective and decision to join or do you recommend me giving another CAT and XAT. I am quite confident regarding elite colleges in India-XL, MDI. (not old IIMs due to GEM drawback).

    • Urmanpreet, this is really a long one. Please call me at 9811155160 tomorrow evening to discuss the issues.

  5. Hi Sir,
    Can you please throw some light on how to select the specialization.. The college that I am going to join(IIFT, New Delhi) is known for Finance. Even I too have some inclination over the subject. But I have 2 yrs of IT experience which is not going to be of much use for Financial Companies placements. I also have liking towards IT too. But I am not sure of the job opportunities available for IT in that college. Please share your experience on how to choose dual specialization, bearing in mind the work-ex and job opportunities.. Thanks Sir..

    • Ganesh, actually past experience of 95% students is useless in MBA. In the 1st year you will learn about all areas while specialization has to be decided in the 2nd year. Hence choose the specialization based on the subjects that you enjoyed or did well in the 1st year.

  6. Thank Sir!! So, a good CGPA and utilizing the opportunity for using it in practice hold the key.. But Sir, I also heard there need to be a balance between Academics and extra curricular activities and companies looks for it. Am I suppose to increase my participation in extra curricular activities,like quizzing,holding roles,participating in events etc, apart from my academics to raise my profile??.. Please Share your thoughts on it.. Thanks in Advance Sir..

    • Gan, extra curricular activities are always helpful and you should increase your participation in these activities without compromising on your academics.

  7. Hi GP,
    I am a regular follower of your posts. I made to IIFT, Delhi. And as you mentioned on
    your posts earlier, Its not so good to wait for one more year to make into IIMs when we have IIFT in hand. So I made up my mind to join IIFT. My profile is 88/91/8.7 in 10th/12th/B.E. I did them under State Board and my UG college is very ordinary one. I also have 2 yrs work-ex in IT.Now, My question is how much effort I need to put and what skills I need to develop to make into top placements in IIFT, considering my ordinary profile and shortcomings. Also, where can I get to know about the way I develop my profile and skills to get into good companies. I hope you might have seen many who made this opportunity a life changing one..Pls share your advice.. Thanks in Advance..

    • Gan, now that you are in IIFT D your past is not important, you need to do well in the program to get placed in good companies. Additionally do take up additional projects as they will allow you to apply what you have studied in IIFT. A good performance in internship can also lead to a PPO and should be not be taken casually.

  8. Dear GP Sir,
    I am a student from a top IIM and I am about to start my second year from June.
    I am a big fan of you and it is through CL classes, proc mocks, and your online videos that I could crack CAT and GD/PI and have got this precious IIM seat.
    I am currently in a big dilemma and I need valuable advice.
    Currently I am doing my summer internship in a finance consulting role. From the first year studies, I discovered that finance was my thing and I have decided to specialize in finance in second year.
    I have planned to appear for CFA-Level 1 and FRM exams this year November. I actually wanted to appear for these exams in June (these exams are held only twice a year) but due to the hectic internship process and daily office toil, it is tough to crack them in 1-2, so, I decided to appear in November.
    But, I have recently heard that in my college, CVs for final placements get locked by November even though final placements (not the laterals) begin only in February. But results of these exams come out around December end. So, if I clear any or both of these exams, would I not be allowed to include these achievements in my CV? Considering I have few points specific to finance, these achievements would be too precious to lose in CV for getting shortlists from big I-banks and core finance jobs and it would be real pity if inspite of clearing these exams, I don’t end up getting shortlist due to high-handedness of PCom.
    So, fearing this possibility I am having a dilemma if I should toil harder burning midnight oil and try to appear and clear the exams in June itself (application window is still open), despite the rigorous internship process or I should take the risk and appear in Nov and then make request to Pcom to let me include the CV point after the results are out.
    Kindly advise as to what I should do. This is a really critical point in my career and I don’t want to lose opportunity to get the job of my choice just due to some high-handedness. Also, the stakes are high because the exam fees are also extremely high with each costing around Rs.60000.

        • Shankar, replied and repeating for your reference.

          Do not change your schedule of the CFA and other tests to fit the placement committee deadlines as it will create an unnecessary pressure and could also impact your performance in the institute and also in the tests that you are planning to take.
          If you are confident of doing well in the tests then in the CV you can mention that you will be appearing for CFA in Nov/Dec. If you do not want to mention this in the CV then at the time of the interview you will have another opportunity to update the panel.

  9. Dear sir, Please guide me about what will be beneficial for me?
    My academics are Matric – 60%, I Sc – 71%, B Com – 70%.
    After 12th I joined Indian Air Force and worked for 8 yrs as airmen. Now I am working as PO in SBI (Four yrs completed) and I want to pursue MBA from a good college whr I can get CTC >= 25 lacs per annum at least. Please suggest, with this profile where I can get admission, which programme I should go for and what will be a good percentile for me in CAT/GMAT to get admitted in one of the IIMs like A,B,Cs or any other colleges of equivalence.

    • Dhananjay, given your background, work experience and expectations you should consider taking GMAT target the 1 year MBA program of top IIMs and ISB Hyderabad.

  10. Dear Sir,

    This is my first post.

    I am very new to your site n blogs. But i must appreciate ..Brilliant job done.

    I am BE + MBA, working in one of the private bank…CTC around 12 lacs. My wife (Bcom + MBA) is also working in private bank..salary around 25 K per month. She will be promoted this year and her salary will be approx 40 K per month.

    Now the confusion is….
    She recently cleared SSC-CGL(Tier I) almost without preparing much for it. Should she prepare for Tier II with best efforts..Should she leave her job and prepare for Tier II or She should continue with the bank job.

    Will SSC-CGL job will be better for her (in terms of monetory benefits as well) ??

    Please suggest !!

    • Ankur, the level of difficulty of SSC-CGL Tier II paper is not very different from the Tier I paper and she could prepare along with her job. A couple of hours every day along with 4-6 hours on weekends would be sufficient. She could however take a few days leave before the tier II paper. CL also conducts a 1 week exam focussed program that she could consider enrolling for but it too will need her to take leave from work.
      Regarding the career SSC-CGL the salary will be similar to what she would be getting after promotion (approx 40k per month) but it is likely to go up afte the next pay commission. Also the perks and benefits like medical, maternity benefits, LTC, leaves etc would be of a higher order and the work load will be lighter, it will be a typical 930 to 530 job with weekends off.

      • Thanks Sir!

        Had some more queries. My wife performs fairly well in the English section. However, her quant section is weak. She has exactly one month’s time. So, how many hours should she invest everyday in quant?
        Also, if she wants to enroll for the CL programme, what is the procedure and where are the CL centres in Mumbai?

        Please help

      • Thanks for the inputs.

        What i understand is SSC -CGL jobs are comparatively good in terms of other benefits n POWER as well vis a vis Private Bank job.

        Also,

        I would like her to join for CL 1 week focused exam session…Where i can get more details about the enrollment.

        Thanks

  11. Hi Sir,

    I have work experience of 1 yr as Java programmer, By next feb(2016) will be getting 2 yr. So while admission, will they count as 2 yr or less than that,i will be appearing CAT 15. And while MBA admission in which aspects they assess and can you guide me on which i have to improve while working. So i can try to improve in those.

    Thanks,
    Hemanth

    • Hemanth, the work experience is usually counted till end Dec but this varies from institute to institute. In your case it will hence be 1 year 10 months.
      In the interview the quality of work experience is assessed and your knowledge/proficiency in your work is evaluated.

  12. Sir,
    I am student of Carrer Launcher Kolkata park street branch.I given CAT/XAT/TISSNET/MAT DEC/IIFT/MAT FEB/SNAP but not got good score in any of the above except MAT feb Result yet to be announced .I am very much confused what to do to take admission in college like BIMM,ISB&M,ITM,Jaipuria,Kirloskar etc and save my 1year or invest one more year and appear one more time. Please guide me i am really tensed about what to do ?
    Looking forward for your reply

  13. First thanks sir for a great post.
    Sir I gave mat 2015 and attempted 98 question+4 question in gk.
    Accuracy 80-85 %.
    What are my chances for mumbai uviversity college like
    Sydenham(simsree)

    • Mayank, the top two Mumbai University colleges Sydneham and KJ Somaiyya would need over 99%ile and. Hope you are taking CET also, since higher of the two scores will be considered.

  14. Hi Sir,
    I have qualified TISSNET 2015 (HRM) but am totally unaware about the further rounds of the selection process.
    Can you please enlighten me for the same.
    I’ll be highly obliged.
    Thanks in advance.

    • Vedika, Candidates shortlisted on the basis of TISSNET are called for the Pre Interview Test and Personal Interview.(PIT/PI). The marks for Different Components of Assessment are:
      TISSNET – 100
      Pre-Interview Test/GD – 50 marks
      Personal Interview – 75 marks
      Total – 225 marks

  16. Hello Sir,

    First of all thanks for the wonderful post.I have 4 yrs of exp in TCS but want to switch to analytics.For the same reason I am interested in courses which focus more on Analytics rather than just as a specialization in it(like in some general MBA).I have researched and zeroed in upon the PGPBA offered by Praxis in Kolkata.
    I would be grateful if you provide your expert opinion.

    • Shuvayan, Praxis Kolkata is avoidable, suggest that you consider a normal MBA program from a good institute. With a 4 year work experience ISB Hyderabad through GMAT should be considered.

  17. Sir, I have Graduated from Vellore Institute of Technology in B.Tech (mechanical) in may 2014. Now i am working with infosys since June 2014. I am confused as in what to choose for my future. Should i go for (i) CAT 2015 (IIM’s and XLRI) or should i go for (ii) Master of Information System Management and then go for executive MBA. At some point of time in my life, may be 5-7 years later I wish to be an entrepreneur. I am confused as in what path to choose and how should i move ahead.

    Also i have appeared for CAT’13 and CAT’14. I gave CAT’13 without preparation but i gave 3-4 months to CAT’14. But as i joined infosys in June 2014, I was not able to continue my studies for CAT’14 and so i was not able to crack it. In CAT’13, I got 78%tile and in CAT’14, I got 83%tile. I am still working at infosys and will be preparing fro entrance exam with my job. So, if i will take CAT’15 as my career option than how should i go for it. I need some way to complete my course for CAT in 2 months and then just take tests and improve my weaknesses. Also as i have given some time to CAT earlier, I am familiar to the topics for CAT and i do not want coaching to teach from start of each topic but my requirement is that i have some medium to guide me, give a small overview of the topic, cover important parts of the topics and do problem solving for me. I live in ghaziabad and i am at home every weekend.

    Please sir, Guide me accordingly and help me out of my dilemma.

    • Ayush, apologise for the delay in responding to you query.
      You should go for CAT/XAT qand along with it take GMAT also as it will open the option of ISB Hyderabad.
      Since you have already taken CAT’13 and ’14 you do not need to start from scratch and do not need study material, hence a classroom program is not recommended. Your requirement of a medium to guide, give a small overview of the topic, cover important parts of the topics and problem solving can be taken care of through CL’s online program Smart CAT Cracker. Additionally you will need Test Gym and Test Series for practice and testing, suggest that you go for Smart CAT Cracker Comprehensive which includes Test Series and Test Gym.

  18. Hello Sir
    I have got 83 percentile in CAT and 89 in XAT.
    Work ex – 30 months , 10th : 91% , 12th : 88% , B.Tech 80%
    I am looking for an institute which has good placements/good ROI.
    Please suggest which institutes to go for.

  19. Respected GP Sir,
    I feel extremely encouraged by your words. I have top IIM calls and am expecting to convert atleast one.
    My main concern is about value addition. How really helpful are subjects taught in first year in IIMs in helping us imbibe essential professional skills?
    Also what is the importance of the CGPA that I get in my MBA? Is it an eliminating factor for top notch consulting and finance firms during final placements? If so, what is the minimum overall CGPA that I should aim for to be safe?
    Also can you please explain to me the bidding process held towards end of first year for choosing second year electives in the IIMs? Does first year CGPA matter when it comes to being allowed the study the best 2nd year courses that I want to opt for? Kindly advice me so that I can plan in advance. I aim to go for top finance Investment Banking firms or consulting.

    • Prabhat, CGPA in MBA is important and many companies (consultancies, finance) will not consider candidates below a certain level, typically a CGPA of 8 on 10 can be considered to be safe.
      The placement process varies from institute to institute and hence cannot be generalised. Let us worry about converting the call and discuss this once you get your final calls.

  20. hi sir
    i was working for a telecom company for round about 3 years as software tester and i quit my job..i gave cat, xat, nmat, snap in all which i screwed up. cat:56.4
    xat:67.98 nmat:181 and snap:77.67 and looking forward for mica and tiss result..i am really confused what to do next..
    are there any other exam that i can give??
    is there any other field that you can suggest?

    i am really loosing hope..i want to change my field .
    thank you

  21. Hello sir !
    I had been working for an organization for 13 months after swhich I joined an Institute for Masters.I left it within a semester and I am now planning to take CAT 2015.I am registering my own software company.I wanted to know if a startup is counted as work experience by the IIMs.Please reply.Your advice will help me a lot.

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