Amit Tandon joined S. T. Microelectronics in 2006 upon graduating from NSIT. He joined the NVM design team in R&D division, and chronicles his fast rise through the organization, while explaining how other students can emulate him.

Reminisce-Management Studies

 “…. maintaining relationships is one of the key arsenal’s in your pocket when you step out in the corporate world.”

Abhishek Kumar graduated from NSIT in 2005, and gained an year of experience at   InterraIT Inc. Then he did his  MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, and is now Senior Manager in  Corporate Finance at Angel Broking.

1. What embarked your interest towards an MBA?

 My interest in MBA was for the career opportunities it has in store, the thrust it provides early in your career, the great networking opportunities, the ideal platform for incubation of one’s entrepreneurial desire or ability and the financial wellness it would bring.

2. How are things at B-school different from N.S.I.T.?

Well, for one an MBA can be very fast-paced and demanding. Academic rigor increases in multiples.
From N.S.I.T. to IIM-A, the focus changed to case studies and presentations. People skills become more important than technical skills. But, this is only one side of the coin. The other side is more interesting and fun. Parties/Outing were as much a day-to-day activity as reading cases for the next day. Our hostels were divided into various dorms and each dorm had a unique culture and way of living. Inter-dorm sports, cultural activities et al. made the life fun.

3. How do you justify the importance of networking by relating it to some anecdote of your life?

Well, networking is very important, if you ask me. You may not realize the value of it in the early stages of your career, like where you are right now. However, I have known people who due to their networking have managed to achieve things which are beyond our normal capacity.
And trust me when I say maintaining relationships is one of the key arsenal’s in your pocket when you step out in the corporate world.

4. Opportunities you would recommend students to explore while at N.S.I.T.?

Four years is a long time, even though retrospectively it may not look so. However, my advice would be to enjoy as much as you can, but do allocate some time for your hobbies like reading, music or anything. Do participate actively in extra as well as co-curricular activities. Building your profile begins all the way from where you are right now. Grab any opportunity that would give industry exposure in any capacity.

5. What’s the in-thing in the business world today?

It’s pretty much Recession.

6. Please describe a typical day at work.

My typical day at work would be managing funds flow, financial planning and analysis, presentations, financial reporting, managing relationships with Banks / FI et al.

7. What do you do when you are not at work?
Free time is a luxury. If I get some, I try to catch up with friends, go out for some movies, concerts, try to find out time to read sometime. Well, that’s pretty much what I can do.

8. Some books/movies/music that have inspired you and would recommend?
If its books, I would recommend – Art of War (Sun Tzu) / Cold Steel (Tim Bouquet).

9. Please feel free to provide any additional information here.
During my term in NSIT, the most prevalent question was MBA, more than MS. As many people as you meet or read about, that many opinions would come into picture and that much more confusing the decision would become should you wish to agree with any one of them. During your third / final year, you have to essentially make a choice between one of these two lines. Howsoever interesting one may sound over the other; I would urge you not to make any decision until you have done your research into the intricacies of each field. Being in industry is a very different experience from being in college.

10. What is your message to the young and creative students in campus.?
That’s a wonderful life out there. Enjoy every moment of it. Best of luck to all of you for all your future endeavors.

Management Studies

 The Big Question - What to do post NSIT?

Three years ago this was the question that occupied my mind day and night. As I looked around, some of my friends were planning to pursue a career in engineering and research and prepared for their GRE; others were busy trying to crack the CAT and geared up for campus placements. While the jobs on campus were stellar, I did not see myself doing any of those for the next few years of my life. Deciding on studying further and keen on exploring more avenues, I felt that I need not restrict my options to an MS, MBA or campus placement. I believed that there were endless opportunities out in the world and the only think I lacked was the global exposure needed to reach them, and that’s when I decided to study abroad. Being an engineer who wanted to make a transition into the realm of business, the Master of Engineering Management program at Dartmouth seemed like a perfect fit.

As I look back now with my masters degree, the journey seems long and enlightening. I don’t think I really understood before I started, about the transformation that this experience would bring in me. Not only did it introduce me to a global network of students, professors, entrepreneurs and industry leaders, but inculcated in me a spirit of professionalism that changed the way I think, talk and interact. Frequent discussions and group projects in multi-cultural teams on topics of international importance, introduced me to diverse opinions and in that sense made me- a true global citizen. Even though today I am working for a much coveted firm, this job is not my greatest take away from this education. I believe it has made me aware of my short term and long term goals by changing my definition of success and perspective on life. Interactions with young, dynamic colleagues from all over the world, have inspired me to let go of conventional paths and social expectations, and to believe in and pursue my deepest passions.

The purpose of this article is not necessarily to motivate you to study abroad, but to encourage you to think – about your true passions, and what you want out of life. The purpose is to make you understand that cracking the CAT or getting a grade A job on campus are not the most important things in the bigger picture of life. I can guarantee that coming out of NSIT, each one of you has a bright future and financial stability in your life ahead, but it is important to awaken now and realize that this is the time for you to challenge conventions, ask questions and as Steve Jobs said – ‘You’ve got to find what you love’! Finding this answer however is not easy because of your limited exposure to people and other sources of information. Here I would strongly advise you to –

• Expand your friend circle and talk to as many people as you can, from different professions, educational backgrounds, cultures etc. Seek advice from friends and alumni’s who are pursuing various career paths and ask them why they chose to do that, and what they like/ don’t like about it.

• Make the internet your best friend; it is the ultimate source of all information. I am not telling you anything new here but trust me; we do not fully utilize the resources it has to offer. Conduct extensive research on the fields of your interest, and read about people who have excelled in those. 

Once you know what you want - don’t be scared to pursue it even if it involves changing your line partly or completely. Most of us took only a semi-informed decision when we chose to study engineering, but make sure that your next step is well thought out. You have a long life ahead, and this is your time to take risks and follow what your heart says. Remember - it is the ability to take risks and assume responsibility for your actions that sets you apart from the crowd, as a leader.

I hope I have been successful in making you realize that you are a young, smart individual with unlimited potential and the opportunities in front of you are endless. Your job is simply to know what you want and make an informed decision! Now that doesn’t sound difficult, does it?

I know that once you close this magazine you’ll probably retain only 10% of what you just read. But even if you forget everything else written here, try and remember these -

1. Think, think, and think… until you know what you want to do with your life.
2. Expand your horizon - use the internet and talk to as many people as you can.
3. Do not be afraid to take risks, especially right now<li>If you want something in life, reach out and grab it” (Into The Wild)

Good Luck ahead and as Steve Jobs said – “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish”

“Let the creative juices flow all the time. Never get satisfied.” Anuj Bhatia joined Freescale semiconductors after graduating from NSIT. He recounts his job experience and how he developed interest in finance which lead him to pursue MBA from ISB.

1. Please describe in brief your career path. leading to your present position?
After graduating from NSIT, I worked with Freescale semiconductor for two years. I was responsible for backend chip design. During those two years, I started taking interest in areas related to finance like stock markets, trading, capital structures etc. I soon realized that chip designing was not something I would like to do for rest of my life. I was more interested in the bigger picture - controlling a business rather than controlling a chip. So I decided to do my MBA in Finance.

2. What embarked your interest towards an MBA?
First, I wanted to switch my career towards finance/management and MBA could provide the best platform for that transition. Second, MBA provides overall business knowledge and development and not just specific to one field. Earlier, I thought of going for Masters in Finance but that would have limited my scope for career opportunities. Moreover, MSF is a one year course and one year was too less for the experience I was craving

3. How are things (life, work etc.) at B-school different from N.S.I.T.?
Life at a B School is totally different than at NSIT. Everything is more professional here. Work load is off the charts and a lot of stress is laid on networking. In NSIT getting a job was not tough at all and we had campus placements. Here it is all about networking and making contacts with the right people.

I missed an opportunity for a Graduate Assistantship because I failed to network with the person already in that position. A friend of mine, who was in contact with him, got that job.

5. Opportunities you would recommend students to explore while at NSIT?
Students should take internships very seriously and indulge in projects outside the scope of college.

6. What’s the in-thing in the business world today?
Going out of business. :)

7. What do you believe are the qualities that B-schools like to see in their students?
Professionalism, Communication skills and ability to thrive in a fast paced environment.

8. Please describe a typical day at work.
A typical day at school includes classes, team meetings, case discussions, searching for jobs and internships.

9. What do you do when you are not at work?
When I am not in school, I am working on assignments and projects, networking with people and playing basketball.

10. Some books/movies/music that have inspired you and would recommend?
Watch the entire IMDB top 250 :)

11. Please feel free to provide any additional information here, if you like. (e.g. recession, MBA after/before work exp., MBA in India/abroad )etc.

1. Don’t ever rush into an MBA. Work for a couple of years before going to a b school. Look for new opportunities if you don’t like your current job.
2. MBA from abroad is different from that in India because of many reasons

In India, many students directly go for an MBA after undergrad. So the lack of experience shows in class discussions and meetings. Moreover, a lot of emphasis is given on networking here in USA, whereas in India we have campus placements which make our life much easier. But, I personally think that networking is very important and even in Indian schools should emphasize on that.

Parul Bajaj, upon graduating from N.S.I.T. in 2004, worked upon verifying digital designs at S.T. Microelectronics. However, she then shifted to the education sector, working with a not-for-profit organization and then a for-profit organization in turn. With such varied work experience behind her, she joined IIM Bangalore in 2007, and will complete her MBA in April 2009.

1.What embarked your interest towards an MBA?

I have always been involved a lot in extra curricular activities in school as well as at N.S.I.T. From that I knew that I love working with people. Also, I was interested in MBA as it opens doors to so many different sectors and functions. I think working even convinced me further that I would enjoy doing what the senior most people in my organizations were doing and an MBA was a way to get there.


2.How are things at B-school different from N.S.I.T.?

Things are very different at IIM B compared to NSIT. The pace of the management program is a lot faster than the engineering program. Life at IIM B has a lot of activities compared to that at NSIT. The exposure levels to the industry are also far greater.


3.How do you justify the importance of networking by relating it to some anecdote of your life?

I love meeting people and I don’t have to make an effort to stay networked. This network has helped me find an off campus job in ST Microelectronics, an opportunity to work at iDiscoveri and helped me stay up to date with career developments of different people. Through my network I have been able to help organizations meet and exploit the synergies in working together.


4.Opportunities you would recommend students to explore while at N.S.I.T.?

The set of people I met at NSIT has been one of the best set I have met at any place. I have kept in touch with them and continue to gain immensely from the association. I think one should make the best use of being with such a good set of people. Maybe, starting activities together is a good idea.


5.What’s the in-thing in the business world today?

The down turn we are experiencing in the business world is one of its kinds. It is making people rethink business models, their careers and the fundamentals. And, I think coping with a recession requires a completely different approach from flourishing in the good times.


6.What do you believe are the qualities that B-schools like to see in their students?

Management is a broad based career. So, I think B-schools like to see students who are well rounded i.e. who are interested in academics as well as extra curricular activities. Also, a manager needs to work with a lot of different people. So, I think good communication skills are important to a B school.


7.Please describe a typical day at work.

I haven’t started my post-MBA job so I can only talk about my 2 years at ST Microelectronics. I was working independently under the guidance of my team leader. A typical day would start with a quick check of the office mail box and a quick catching up with people in the same cubicle. I would draft a quick plan of the day after that. The rest of the day I would just execute the plan. My supervisor used to sit nearby so I would always discuss my work of the day with him. On some days, there would be group meetings or seminars or company meetings to attend. I’d catch up with friends in office over lunch and coffee breaks. Towards the end of the day, I would make a quick note of what was accomplished in the day in a document which had listing of the work of all the days. Also, I’d think about what could be done the next day.


8.Some books/movies/music that have inspired you and would recommend?

Books: JRD Tata’s biography called “Life of Jeh”, Eckart Tolle’s “The Power of Now”

Movies: Babel, Blood Diamond, Chocolate .


9.What is your message to the young and creative students in campus?

Make the most of your time at N.S.I.T. Even if the place lets you down, be so internally driven that you keep doing things. You are in the prime of your youth, make the most of it.

 Mohit Jain graduated from N.S.I.T. in 2007 , and joined an MBA program straight after that. He will be joining Reckitt Benckiser soon as a management trainee before assuming the role of ASM.