Working professionals share their back-to-school experiences. We profile a software coder who wanted to decode more than the bits and bytes of the software business.

Name: Anil Ravindran
Age: 26
What I do: Strategy consulting with Accenture consulting
Where I live: Mumbai

Bits, bytes 'n' more
After attending St Joseph's School and the People's Education Society Institute of Technology (for my engineering degree) in Bangalore, I worked with TCS as a coder for two years.

Work was fun, the pay was fair, I got to travel, and the coffee was good.

But growth was slow. And I encountered many managers who were involved in the software business, rather than the software itself. This interested me more than coding.

So I figured I wanted to be more involved in the business aspect, rather than just the bits and the bytes. I understood that a management degree helped people grow faster, career-wise, and open up a huge pool of options, like finance, consulting, marketing, etc.

Back-to-school
So an MBA it was at IIM-Kozhikode. I was particular about doing my MBA from a recognised school, because branding is part of the whole deal.

An MBA from a lesser-known school is just NOT viewed the same way as a premier school MBA. I completed my stint at IIMK in March 2007.

Managing CAT and work
It was hard studying, because work was hectic. I had to study on weekends and late on weekday nights. It took about six months of work, with the last two being fairly intense.

Quitting (my job or studies) never really crossed my mind.

For Group Discussions and Personal Interviews, I think the best way to prepare would be to read up on a broad range of subjects -- not necessarily only business topics. This widens your horizons and gives you more perspective. Plus, it is a lot more fun than plain business!

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e-mail: Merril Diniz

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