Double whammy

“It is Foresight that makes all the difference”

Ankush Chola
In-House Consultant, Bank of America
CA + SAP

I was a science student who ended up a Chartered Accountant (CA). In hindsight, it seems natural enough, considering that my father is one too. I completed my CA course from the ICAI in 2005, but instead of sitting for campus placements, I chose to continue my education, this time in information technology. I knew I had to go in for SAP training because it was the perfect combination of my financial skills and my love for computers. I completed a rather comprehensive, exhaustive course from Siemens.

A CA like me, who knows accountancy and auditing as well as computers and is thorough with SAP technologies, can make a big difference to an organisation. The technical knowledge is particularly useful if you wish to look beyond conventional accounting avenues. I began with a CTC of Rs 3.5 lakhs and am today employed as a consultant with the Bank of America, making Rs 12.5 lakhs per annum.

“Know what you want in life”

Amit Parashar
Founder and CEO, Factorialsolutions.com & Xpertconnect.com
B.Com + PG Program in Marketing and MBA (International Business)

I had hoped to become an engineer. But with my grades and my family's spending capacity, I could not make it to any IIT or REC. I also missed the deadlines for Delhi University (DU)'s graduation degrees. I finally enrolled in DU's B.Com programme, which exposed me to subjects such as Accountancy and Economics. By the end of the first year, I was clear that my career would have something to do with business. In addition to completing a one-year diploma in computer programming, I decided to get myself hands-on experience in business management. I worked as a marketing executive while pursuing a dual degree -  an MBA in International Business as well as a PG Programme in Marketing and Sales Management. Today, with almost 17 years of experience in India and abroad, I have my own IT and consulting business based out of Singapore and India. All I'll say is, try and catch your life's calling as soon as you can, and then give it your very best shot.

“Get your combination right”

Mohd Sajid Idrisi
Wildlife Trust of India
B. Sc. Biotechnology + M.Sc. Biodiversity and Conservation

I knew, from the very outset, that I wanted to graduate in Biotechnology. I was so sure that I filled only one application form for my graduation – at Jamia Milia Islamia. For my post graduation, I wanted to pick a degree that would give me insight into environmental issues. Luckily for me, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University was offering an M.Sc. in Biodiversity and Conservation. Since the course is multi-disciplinary, I had a number of options. The course also included six-month training in the last semester, in which I presented a short-term research proposal. My UG and PG degrees complemented one another. 

During my graduation in Biotechnology, I learnt about the genetic/molecular aspects of the living world, while my post graduation helped me understand the living world from outside. I joined Wildlife Trust of India in 2010 as Assistant Field Officer.

“One is not enough”

Pranav Garg
Mergers and Acquisitions
CA + MBA (Oxford)

I am placed with one of the top-ranking investment banks in India, in the merger and acquisition (M&A) advisory. I completed my Chartered Accountancy from ICAI, then combined it with an MBA from the University of Oxford. I did my mandatory articleship with Ernst and Young, one of the ‘Big 4' of global accounting and tax firms. The CA+MBA combination works at various levels. For one, having an MBA to back you is much more beneficial than having a stand-alone degree. Two, you owe it to yourself to dream big if you've worked hard enough to become a CA – and possessing an MBA from a reputed institute will help you make it big. But most importantly, higher education is more about the mindset you develop than the knowledge you manage to cram in. Information can be forgotten, but the exposure you gain during an MBA and the ability you develop of understanding things from a macro perspective will stay with you lifelong.

With the CA+MBA combination, you are ideally placed to leverage your knowledge of taxation, accounting and other financial matters with the strategic overview that an MBA provides. Also, should you choose investment banking, you will be at an advantage over others.

Cross-border specialisation

Ashish Maheshwari
Assistant Manager, HSBC
CA + CPA and IFRS

I completed my CA course in May 2006. I wanted to start my career with an audit firm but unfortunately did not get a break in the firm of my choice. So, I decided to work within the industry and joined SRF Ltd. in the internal audit department, with a package of Rs 3.5 lakh. A CA is already a very highly qualified professional in India but there is little mobility outside of India because the requirements are slightly different. I had been looking for a course that would make me eligible for employment at that level, and eventually decided to do the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) course from the American Institute of CPAs in January 2008. I followed that up with an International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) course in September 2010. Simultaneously, I also trained in IT. It was a lot of hard work but it was worth it because it lifted me a notch above the rest. At present, working as Assistant Manager, HSBC Bank, I enjoy being one of the most qualified individuals in my team. Financially, I am quite satisfied. Besides, I also feel happy that my comprehensive education has trained me well enough to handle a role of this kind. 

A doctor who went to school

Dr. S. Narang
GM - Operations and Quality, Paras Hospitals
MBBS + Hospital Management
I wanted to be a doctor. I finished my MBBS and worked as a doctor for seven years. But in my years at work, I realised that there was a clear comprehension gap between the medical fraternity and non-medical administrators. A manager who does not know how a doctor functions will always face serious roadblocks in managing a hospital.
When this realisation dawned on me, I decided to complete an 18-month course in Hospital Management from BITS Pilani.

I learnt the basic principles of management, organisational behaviour, public health system, materials management and financial management with reference to hospitals. In other words, I learnt how a hospital had to be run.

Thanks to the decision I took, today, I am earning double of what I used to make as a doctor. A doctor who has an additional degree in hospital management has a really wide range of options to choose from.

A McKinsey report pegs the health care industry’s growth to a staggering US $ 190 billion in a few years. There are, therefore, innumerable options for those wishing to marry medical knowledge with administrative acumen. It can only open new doors.

Engineering meets design
 

Chitra Joshi
Electrical Design Engineer, Kazstroy Engineering India Pvt. Ltd
Electrical Engineering + Auto CAD

I settled for electrical engineering as my career because I found it appealing. An electrical engineering degree gives you a lot of knowledge about the subject but doesn’t give you the flexibility to come up with real world models and simulations based on future-expected problems and requirements. Being able to do that on a computer as a simulated model saves on costs for the company. Also, if using your knowledge of electrical engineering, you can design models as well, it is a huge value-add and will always stand you in good stead.

Determined to pick the ropes of 2D and 3D design, I decided to learn AutoCAD. By the time I was 18, I was earning better than my batchmates. I started working as a design engineer at an engineering procurement and construction company. Because I already knew AutoCAD, I had an edge over the other trainees. I emerged one of the top three employees in the team, and when I switched to my next job, AutoCAD again held me in good stead.

The combination of design with electrical engineering has accelerated my professional career and given me access to global exposure. The two job offers I have from Dubai right now vindicate my career choice.

“Languages to help understand history”
 

Faizaan Islahi
Archivist, National Archives of India
BA (Arabic) + MA (History)

I have always had an interest in the Arabic language and that is what I completed my Bachelor’s degree in. One of the subjects in the degree was history and I decided to pursue it as my Master’s course. The degree is helping me endlessly, not only in my role as an archivist with the National Archives of India, but also enabled me pass an entrance examination.

As an archivist, it is my job to collect, organise, structure and sometimes interpret historic material. A lot of this material is very old, some from before the Mughal era and in languages which were quite common then but survive only among a handful of people now. Therefore, the knowledge of languages such as Arabic, Persian or Urdu is quite helpful because a lot of the historic texts are in these languages.

Besides my degree in Arabic, I knew Persian as well and that added further value. The MA in History gave me a historical perspective and this helped me understand the history I organise, rather than just arrange it mechanically into shelves and boxes.

Managing the media

Abhishek Kumar
VP Projects, Network18 Online
Economics Hons + MBA (Corporate Strategy and Marketing)

I had opted for Economic Honours for my graduation. BA (Hons) in Economics, I felt, would give me the required knowledge and perspective to better understand the changes in our economy and its impact on various spheres of our lives.

A few years later, I decided to pursue an MBA in Corporate Strategy and Marketing from the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad. A graduation in a pure stream (Economics) had given me the foundation for understanding both economy and business. I felt an MBA would further tune and hone this understanding and provide me with the requisite skills for a successful career in my chosen industry. I felt if I had to have a fruitful management career or entrepreneurial experience, an MBA was a must.

I chose corporate strategy and marketing because ISB had the option of dual specialisation. One gets various job opportunities after doing this course, in varied sectors such as Management Consulting, Private Equity, FMCG, Services - IT and Media, among others.

“Home Science not just for homemakers”

Charu Tyagi
Senior Executive, R&D, Cooking and Cleaning Division, LG
Home Science Honours + Masters in Foods and Nutrition

Home Science today covers diet therapy, confectionery and bakery, food processing and clinical nutrition. I had planned to pursue Food Technology, but I couldn’t as Mathematics was a prerequisite at the senior secondary level and I didn’t have it as one of my subjects. I finally opted for the Delhi University’s Home Science (Honours) course which also offers a specialisation in Food Science and Nutrition at the Master’s level.

Foods and Nutrition is a highly rated course in home sciences and offers varied career opportunities. I was offered jobs from Apollo Hospital as a dietician, VLCC and finally a Swiss German MNC for the role of a nutritionist. I found this option interesting. However, I didn’t stop looking for the exact role I wanted. And it did come, in the form of an offer from LG. The profile was related to Research and Development, something I always wanted to do.

I work in Research and Development now, in the Cooking and Cleaning division of the company. I look after the auto cook development of microwave ovens, built in ovens, oven range and gas cook tops. It’s a unique job profile and I am quite optimistic about the growth it offers.

“Real life skills equal big bucks”

Saurabh Bansal
Consultant, A.T. Kearney-Global Management Consultants
Engineering + MBA

I was pretty clear I wanted a career that involved some level of innovation and creativity. With this in mind, I joined the Delhi College of Engineering in 2002. Besides software engineering, I studied electronic engineering and hardware-software integration as well. This field not only focuses on how computer systems work, but also on how they integrate into the larger picture.

Aware that a B.Tech wasn’t sufficient for the kind of work I wanted to do, I started preparing for MBA entrances. I aced my CAT with a 99.98 percentile, and managed to secure admission into the Indian Institute of Management (Bangalore). At the end of the course, through a campus placement, I was placed with A.T.Kearney where my initial take-away was Rs. 17 lakhs.

In my two years at IIM Bangalore, I learnt real life business problem solving skills. This was the perfect add-on to my engineering knowledge which equipped me with analytical and quantitative skills. Both brought additional flexibility to my job. Now, I can look at the basics of a problem and offer constructive solutions.

"Numbers maketh my career"

Sanghamitra Dey
Senior Actuarial Analyst, ING Life India
Statistics Honours + Actuarial Science

After school, I opted for Statistics Honours because I was fond of mathematics. After completing my graduation in 2006, I joined McKinsey as an analyst. As part of the job, I did analysis across the domains of risk, marketing and operations. Statistics is used extensively in analysis.

While I was still working with McKinsey, I decided to complete my post-graduation in actuarial sciences, which is a good next step for someone who has done statistics. It combines the knowledge of statistics with the practicalities of the business world.

Actuarial sciences has fifteen papers which need to be cleared. I cleared ten out of fifteen papers and got an opportunity to work with ING Life India on a pay package of ten lakh rupees per annum. And that is where I am still employed.

If I clear five more papers, my minimum package will jump to twenty lakh rupees. This is something that I hope to complete within the next couple of years.

My present profile is one based on financial reporting, which is to say that I work to try and calculate the market value of a company. Once you finish this course, you get various opportunities in the insurance industry.