An education extraordinaire

Have you always envisioned mba professionals in suits and ties, working in glass cubicles and attending boardroom meetings? while this picture might be true for the majority of mba pass-outs, there are some who reassess their choices after their mba and go head first into an entirely new line of business. acting, stand-up comedy, politics, writing, anchoring television shows are def initely not regular choices for students of business, but they are careers where alumni of b-schools are coming out at the top of the batch. Anu Gulmohar and Nishita Mahajan speak to some of these folks who changed tracks midway, and explore where else an mba education can give a person an edge even outside of the corporate world


The smart chick’s trick – MBA!

Perizaad Zorabian, Actor

“I became an actor quite by chance and took on the unexpected opportunity because I found being an actor challenging and fun. I think my MBA has helped me manage my career as an actor in a far more organised and disciplined way. Today, post marriage and two kids, I am back on stage as an actor, and I am also heading the marketing team at Zorabian Chicks Pvt Ltd. I am in the process of launching my whole new range of ready-to-eat chicken, which is a thrilling experience. My education, my MBA, is being put to use in a huge way again, and it’s so amazing how one never forgets what learns. Since I majored in marketing and advertising, it’s so wonderful to realise how easily working on building a brand comes to me.

My MBA has groomed me into the person I am, it has taught me to take life head-on, to make informed choices, and be the person I am capable of becoming.

An education never goes to waste, never ever!”


The Sarpanch with an MBA

Chhavi Rajawat, Politician

 

The Sarpanch of Soda, a village about 60 kms from Jaipur, Chhavi Rajawat is an MBA with many years of experience in the corporate world. But when the villagers of Soda, which had once been headed by her grandfather, requested her to take over the reins of the village, she stepped up to the challenge. Have her studies in business helped her run the village? “Yes, of course,” says Chhavi. “Through my education I think I am able to better manage projects, prioritise tasks, balance budgets and even create reports for the village which, I believe, wins me more credibility when meeting government officials. I like to say that one can actually look at a village as an investment for the inhabitants, an investment that needs to be handled responsibly, fairly and honestly. When this responsibility is placed in the hands of those with higher education, greater achievements towards rural development can be made. I believe more educated Indians can and, am sure will, step forward to uplift the villages in our country.” 


The secret to scripting success!

Manoj Tyagi, Screenwriter and film director
 

“Like most youngsters with an MBA degree, the choice of this career was thrown on me by my parents and by the society. I
always had a passion and love for cinema. The next five years after finishing my degree I kept grooming myself on script writing and other various aspects of filmmaking. I worked with Canon, Xerox etc. In 2001, I went to Mumbai and started meeting people in the film world and that’s how films
happened.
 

Earlier, I used to regret that I didn’t study at a film institute. But today, I don’t regret the MBA degree. In the film world, one is required to be articulate, organised and have human resource skills. And sometimes, one requires financial skills as well to know how much a film would cost, what would be the return on investment etc.

Along with a few friends, I’m in the process of creating a company, which will provide content for cinema and television. So my management degree is again coming handy. I have met so many youngsters with a passion for cinema but who are caught in the corporate sector. My message to all is to just follow your passion. You have to believe in your strengths; the MBA degree can just act as a catalyst in the chase toward your ambition.”


The serious business of comedy

Papa CJ, Stand-up comedian

“I have no regrets whatsoever about changing careers. The MBA background helped me get some income to support my passion for comedy in the early days. Eventually, because I understood the 'business' of comedy, I got more and better work than comedians who had been going for the same length of time as I had (also, I worked harder than most comedians). In comedy, like in most businesses, half the business is about networking, relationships and marketing (the other half is writing and performing – and if that is not up to the mark, no amount of networking and marketing will help you!). I love the fact that had I stayed in a corporate career, I'd be reporting to a director in a company and calling him a son-of-a-something behind his back. Instead, now I can stand on a stage and call the same director a son-of-a-something on his face... and he will laugh, clap and even pay me for doing so!”