Why I opted for PGP at IIM Ahmedabad & not PGPX after 8 years of work-ex!

Rarely do we come across candidates who have been selected in the country’s best PGP course after eight years of work experience. Which is what makes Amit Singh’s story fascinating!

Back in 2002, Singh cracked MBA at FMS Delhi and a few IITs. But due to personal tragedies, he decided not to join any programme. He went on to work with two major Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) companies of the country for the next eight years. Meanwhile, he also got married and had a daughter.

Unsatisfied with the ‘work culture and stagnancy’ at the PSUs, Singh decided to take the MBA plunge. After some ground work, he opted for the two-year management course and not the one-year executive course. “The Indian Industry is not yet mature for one year program. One-year program is normally through GMAT which is perceived easier than CAT exam,” says Amit Singh.

As the primary bread earner of the family, with responsibilities of four-year old daughter, this wasn’t an easy decision to take.

Here is Singh narrating his entire story – why he opted for PGP and not PGPX, how the MBA interview panels grilled him for higher work-ex and problems faced during placements (due to his high work-experience); and the ultimate lesson he learned during this entire journey.

Chapter 1: Family, work & first MBA attempt

Amit Singh

I was born and bought up in a middle-class North Indian household. My family has always valued the importance of formal education and supported all my educational endeavours. After completing school education from CMS Gomti Nagar, Lucknow, and I pursued BTech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from IIT Roorkee (batch 1998-2002).  In final year, I was placed with Sapient, which offered the highest package in our college back then. I was happy with where my life was heading.

And then the financial crisis of 2002 struck. Sapient delayed my joining and changed the terms of my package.

I was disappointed, so was my family. I went ahead and joined Sapient. After a few months, I got call from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Due to uncertainty in the economic scenario, I joined the DRDO. It was a safe government job.

In retrospective, I feel it was the first among many mistakes of my career. After working in DRDO for two years, I realised R&D was not my cup of tea.

So I started preparing for MBA exams. I cleared CAT, FMS (it was a separate exam) and JMET in 2007. I got calls from IIM Bangalore, FMS Delhi and all the IITs and finally converted FMS and all the IITs.

I was about to join FMS Delhi in July when an unforeseen tragedy struck us. My mother fell sick due to food poisoning (in April 2008) and within 15 days she passed away. My family was devastated. I was in no position to join a B-School. During this period, I also broke-up with my girlfriend.

The next six months were like hell. I started suffering from depression and quit my job. I wanted to be near my family and support them (I was posted in DRDO Bangalore).

Chapter 2: Marriage & Powergrid

In 2008, I appeared for Powergrid exam and got through. I was posted in Kolkata and stayed there till 2013.

Meanwhile, I also got married. Marriage was essential to bring some sanity in our lives. My issues related to depression got better post marriage but the aftereffects (joint and muscular pain, loss of energy) still lingered on. I went on medication and took up Yoga, Swimming and Reiki.

In 2010, I was blessed with a baby girl. Life changed once again and this time for better. By 2012, I completely recovered from depression.

But the stagnant work culture at Powergrid made me think about MBA once again.

Chapter 3: CAT 2013 & IIM Ahmedabad

Amit Singh with his wife and daughter at IIM-A graduation ceremony

I started preparing for CAT in 2012.

Though I was not in preparation mode from 2008 to 2012, I kept reading books on different subjects. This helped me get get started easily.

At this point, I was confused between a one-year executive MBA course or a two-year full-time MBA. Since I had eight-years of work-experience, I started exploring the one-year course.

I got in touch with my friends from IIT-R who were now IIM alumni. After much diligence, discussion and deliberation, I concluded that PGP or two-year MBA course is better than a one-year executive programme.

The reasons for this are:

1. PGP is flagship program of IIMs, valued much higher than PGPX by the industry.
2. Indian industry is not yet mature for one year program. One-year program is normally through GMAT which is perceived easier than CAT.
3. PGP is equivalent to MBA. But PGPX is not equal to MBA. So if anyone plans to do PhD or want to join government leadership positions in future, PGPX or one-year programmes may prove to be a hindrance.
4. The whole experience of a two-year programme is totally different from one-year programme. Three months into the PGPX programme, placement process begins which can ruin the whole MBA experience.
5. Students from one-year programme find it difficult to change career track as recruiters value their previous work-experience.
6. One-year programme is costlier by around Rs 10 lakhs.
7. Though the opportunity cost of one-year MBA may seems lower, in the long run two-year PGP/MBA pays off better in the Indian industry.

Chapter 4: IIM Interviews

At IIM Lucknow, the interview panel was unhappy with my profile. They said I am ruining my life by trying to get into PGP. They went to the extent of saying that candidates like me make the PGP placement process difficult.

IIM Kozhikode was no better. They grilled me and kept repeating the same thing. “You are trying to pursue PGP because you have nothing else to do. You are fed of the PSU life,” said one panellist.

Both the interviews left me sour.

Then came the IIM Ahmedabad interview. It was such a refreshing change. The panellists enquired about my decision to pursue MBA just once. They were professional and conducted the interview properly.

And guess what. I managed to convert my IIM Ahmedabad call for PGP.

Chapter 5: B-School Experience & Internship

At one end there was a 20-year old girl, fresh out of college, and on the other end was I, 106 months of experience, married with a child – that was the bandwidth of IIM Ahmedabad’s PGP batch.

After coming into IIM Ahmedabad, the tuchchas (second year MBA students Bschool Lingo) were unhappy with my decision to pursue MBA after eight-years of work-experience. There’s not a single company (that visits during campus placement process who can provide a satisfactory job or do some justice to my profile, they said.

I asked them not to worry. “I am not here for job. I will find something or the other,” I remember telling them.

During internship season, candidates fight and prepare as if they are on war!  On Day 2, I got INTEL. No one expected it. INTEL had come after a gap of three years. They had no stereotypical profile (in terms of background, age and profile) in mind like regular recruiters.

First year of PGP was mostly about studies, fighting for survival. I did not bring my family in campus during the first year since it is quite difficult to study when you have four-year daughter!

In second year, the exploration phase of my life started. I did everything possible – inside and outside the campus. I explored whole startup ecosystem of India, entrepreneurship options, job options, meeting different kind of people etc.

I volunteered in almost every kind of activity at IIM A. I was the finance coordinator of Insight (marketing fest of IIM A), member of Eloquence (Public-speaking club), and member of mentorship club and Public Policy club. I networked extensively with people around and alumni.

Chapter 6: Final Placement

I got placed even before final placements formally began! (Guess what? I was searching for those tuchchas who said I’ll face problems during placements.)

I got good offers from two firms on the second day of Laterals – Assistant Vice President at YES Bank and Deputy General Manager at Adani Group.

I chose Yes Bank.

In the last two months of PGP, I joined a local group in Ahmedabad on a part-time basis. I was the head of the only data centre in Gujrat and a 24x7 Hindi news channel. It was an awesome experience.  

Meanwhile, I also started some online startups and experienced entrepreneurship.

Chapter 6: Final lesson

Here are some thoughts:

1. It is never too late to start afresh.
2. Believe in yourself and God.
3. Believe in the chance factor of life.
4. Open up to explore new things.
5. Don’t judge the institute and course just by placement packages.
6. Use the institute in every way possible, not just for getting a job. Do not be transactional in your relationship with institute.
7. Network with everyone – professors, students, alumni, staffs, chaiwala, fruitwala, everyone. A friend and I started an initiative to meet all the professors before graduating. We took appointments, spoke to them about their lives and so on. The whole concept was very enriching. Prof Samir Barua, former director of IIM A said, “I have never seen this kind of initiative in last 30 years of my professional life”.
8. Keep learning and exploring.