By Geshu Sugandh - June 30th, 2011  Category: CCMBA 2012| Introductions I grew up in a small town called Patna, the capital city of Bihar, India. To give you an idea of where I grew up, let me give you some background. Even though Bihar enjoyed tremendous wealth and knowledge centuries ago, it is now famous as one of the most poorest, backward and lawless states of India. May be that explains why I have tendency to break rules – you will understand when you meet me ;)
I spent 16 years of my life growing up in Patna, where as a girl I was treated as a second class citizen by the society. Thankfully for me, my parents treated me as the Indian Princess I am today! They never once made me feel that I was inferior to boys or that my options were limited. In many ways, they brought me up as their son.
The Lucky Break
When I was 16 and had completed by high school (up to Sophomore Year equivalent to US system), I had my eyes set on one of the most prestigious schools in Delhi to complete Intermediate College (Junior and Senior Year). I was itching to get out of Bihar and live in a “real” city. Delhi was as BIG as it could get for me in the year 2000. But fate had something else in store for me. “Just for fun” I had applied to United World College, started by Nelson Mandela & Queen Noor – an international boarding school with 13 locations in the world and students from over 150 countries. It has an International Baccalaureate curriculum, which is similar to AP curriculum. Turned out I had topped the selection process amongst the 2000 Indian applicants and was offered a full scholarship to United World College in Singapore! That’s where I was confronted by my pre-conceived notions and prejudices regarding people from different countries, races, and religions. It was an eye-opening and life-altering experience for me.
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By Nick Sarraf - June 29th, 2011 Category: CCMBA 2012| Introductions While the economic travesty of our generation persists and the methods and policies to restore sanity in the system falters – a diverse group of odd students would take it on itself to find hope in what future holds. The CLASS OF DUKE CCMBA 2012!!!
Everyone with his own philosophy, his own reason – to meet his/her (or parents’) expectation of accomplishment, to find an alternative to current career path, to make more money or in case of a few, to create a plank to launch a venture of his/her own. And all these reasons are backed by the fundamental belief in a bright outlook for the future.
As a self-taught student of economics, I have watched Keynesian economics panned and trickle-down economics fail. And in fact I often wonder if trickle-down economics is just an alias for trickle-down politics. While the scope of an MBA extends far beyond learning basic tenets of economics, it can’t be overlooked that every personal, financial and professional decision of an individual just as a corporation is largely a function of P/L. Essentially, when all is said and done, an MBA may yet just be a study of perfecting the art to maximize that P and minimize that L – against all adversities, market conditions, competition, evolving tactics, disruptive technologies, regional politics, negative public perception etc..
OR it may just be an opportunity to specialize in the area of leadership with specific focus on client partnering, models of emb
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By Gaurav Sehgal - June 27th, 2011 Category: CCMBA 2012| Introductions Who am I? What am I doing here?
I would like to give you a peek into my journey so far and share with you the choices that led me to where I am now.
The wonder years
I grew up in India, witness to the birth and growth of my father’s business in air conditioning systems. I watched my father navigate several challenges in establishing a stable client base for himself and I saw how passionately he loved what he had built. After I finished high school, I had to decide whether I wanted to get into my father’s business or carve out a path of my own. My father’s business required me to have a strong understanding of mechanical and electrical engineering, but I was passionate about computers and wanted to pursue a career in this field. I knew that my father would have liked me to help him in his business, but I also knew that he would support me even if I decided to take a different path. My father has always told me that you should do what you love. So, I followed his advice and went to college to study computer science.
What is my dream job?
Four years passed by really quickly and I thoroughly enjoyed my undergrad, exploring the world of computers. Now it was time for me to apply my skills to solve real life problems. So I asked myself, what problems do I want to solve? Should I get into the security industry and give hackers a run for their money OR should I get into the banking industry and work on the next generation trading systems? To be honest, I had no idea. Then it struck me that I could join an IT services company and work with clients in different industries and see which industry I like. I felt really proud of myself of navigating a major crossroad in my life and coming up with such a foolproof plan :). Little did I know that life is not that straightforward and that would be the first of many “major” crossroads.
Switzerland vs. the USA
After one month of training, I got my first project with an insurance client in Switzerland. We had to develop a product that would help the client improve their productivity and lower operating expenses. When I started on this project I was really excited and pumped, but in few months my enthusiasm started wearing off. I felt that the IT services industry, where requirements are set by the client, was probably not a good fit for me because I love to try out new creative ideas and come up with innovative products. We had to follow the somewhat rigid specifications set by the client, and this didn’t leave too much room for free form thinking. Moreover, during that time I worked with many colleagues who were experts in various technologies and after interacting with them I realized that if I don’t hone my skills further, I would hit a glass ceiling very soon. Now I had a choice to make, should I switch jobs and go with the learn-on-the-job approach or should I go for my Masters? Decisions, decisions.
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