Looking Back !

Another new year has ushered. However, this year is different than last year. Last year around this time I was in New Jersey. I had a well-paying job ! However, I was determined to get admission into ISB/XLRI since these were the only 2 schools to which I had applied. I subsequently messed up big time in the ISB (telephonic) interview. Nevertheless, I converted the XLRI interview into a final admit.
Prior to joining XLRI I was contemplating whether to give another shot @ ISB/IIM C or join XLRI GMP. I finally decided to join XLRI primarily for 2 reasons. Firstly, I wasn't getting younger with every passing day and the longer I postponed my MBA plans, the longer it would take my wife to settle down in her career. Incidentally, she also works with IBM. Secondly, I was due for a promotion and I knew that if I accepted the same then it would become increasingly difficult for me to get back to full-time studies at a later point. In other words, I'd get into a comfort zone and then it would be very challenging to come out of it.
Today when I look back at my decision, I feel that overall it's been a good decision. There have been a lot of learnings, not only in terms of academics but also in terms of peer learning and self-analysis & introspection. I've met some really bright & intelligent people and made a few friends for life.
At the beginning of this post I had said that this year is different from the last one. However, there's a big similarity as well. Last year I was at the crossroads of life contemplating about my shift from work to academics. This year again I'm at another crossroad, thinking about my life post-mba. Somehow it reminds me about my engineering days, sans the insecurities though. I'm not sure whether every mba student goes through a similar phase. I will continue topic this in my next post. Please stay tuned.