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Saurabh Sheela Vasant Chambhare is currently pursuing Post Graduate Program in Management (2011-13) from IIM Kozhikode. After completing his engineering in 2009 from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, Saurabh worked with Persistent Systems Ltd, Nagpur for 23 months.

Saurabh always wanted to earn a post graduate degree, having worked for one year he finally decided to do MBA and which place would have been better than the IIMs. He identified IIMs, XLRI, FMS, SJMSOM-IITB, IIFT, JBIMS and SIBM as his target B-Schools and started preparing religiously finally making it to IIM K.

Saurabh is now content with the feeling of studying at one of the most premier institutes of management and feels that his expectations with the college are over fulfilled. “I never thought there will be so much learning in just few months. The variety of subjects – ranging from Marketing to Social Transformation of India, from Finance to Ethics- so many things to learn and contemplate! I wish we could have more time to assimilate and absorb all the knowledge!” he says.

As a part of the insider series, CoolAvenues decided to speak to Saurabh about admission process (preparations, Written Test, Group Discussions and Personal Interview), life at IIM K and much more.

Q. What was the driving force behind the decision of doing an MBA?
I had applied for CAT during my final year of engineering. However, I wasn’t motivated enough to go for MBA as final job offer was in hand; although I always knew that I want to pursue my post graduation. Spending a year at job, the urge to move ahead dominated. With a year of experience in industry, I finally decided that it’s the right time to go for MBA.

MBA as a career offers most opportunities, and rewards as well… Personally, I always thought I would do better in a managerial role, so MBA was the most obvious choice for me!!

Q. Tell us about the company you were employed in, your work profile, etc.
I was working with Persistent Systems Ltd, Nagpur, which primarily works in Outsourced Product Development (OPD) domain. Established in 1991, it is one of the pioneer Indian companies in OPD space. Currently, it employs more than 5000 employees across its 6 development centers in Pune, Nagpur and Hyderabad.

At Persistent, I was working as Software Developer- my area of work was programming.

Q. Does work experience help in getting through the college of your choice?
Very much! Though the number of fresher applying for MBA is very high, B-Schools in India recognize the value of a good work experience. Experienced candidates are given priority. My work experience helped me during my interview as well as in the overall evaluation of my candidature.

Q. Has Work experience been helpful for you to understand the curriculum in a better way?
Many of the things that I learned during my first year, I could relate it to my organization, my team at Persistent, the systems and processes. More than that, I could appreciate why we are learning these things & how it could affect the various aspects of work elements.

Q. So you will switch/start a career in management?
I was into the technical role, so MBA for me is a switch to a career in Management

Q. What made you feel so of changing your career track?
Although IT industry offers a lot of opportunities to grow, I felt that I would fast track my career by undergoing an MBA course. The position I aim to be in 5 years, I could probably get there in half the time. Also, I did not want to limit myself to a particular industry. MBA was the perfect option to expand my horizons.

Q. Tell us something about your life before and beyond MBA.
MBA is just a part of life. Life before and beyond MBA is family, friends and fun. There are so many things in between – MBA is just one of those.

More insights on CAT preparation, Personal Interview and life at IIM K by Saurabh

1- IIM K student tells how to prepare for MBA entrance

2- Relate answers logically: IIM K personal interview tips by a student

3- 'Intense competition makes stress level high at IIM Kozhikode'

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