Halting at ISB

Halting at ISB

I am an ISB-class-of-2010 admit. It gives me a bit of pride and lot of relief when I say that. It means a lot and thus it surely worthwhile to reflect upon what it means to me.

I have seen many of my friends talk about their "journey to ISB" and "journey in ISB". My journey was never to ISB. ISB is a halt on my journey. And this is a very important halt…

I have paid the acceptance deposit and would be joining ISB in April 2009. I am currently preparing myself for the impending year-long halt at ISB. And in this blog, I would be writing about few experiences leading to this halt or experienced in preparation of this halt.

(I am not focusing on the "journey in ISB" even if it's another journey.)

Why do I say that ISB is a halt?

Ever since coming out of undergraduate college, I was running…. running towards??

Was there a goal? Yes and No.

Yes, it was there. But, it was blurred. There were issues with visibility as there was a lot of fog and mist. And it leads to multiple perceptions of the goal… Techie, product innovator, scientist, professor, entrepreneur, CEO and ……

As my perception of the end goal kept changing, the path kept changing. My marathon was not only powered by the desire to meet the perceived end goal, it was also powered by certain short-term goals and passion towards certain things that I enjoy.

Multiple non-aligned motivators… Result was good and experience was great… Was it optimal (??).

I have no regrets though… I enjoyed every bit of it and am proud of some of my accomplishments. And I feel that the path I took gave me a mix of perspectives which is not so easy to get.

However, as and when the fog started clearing, the goal started becoming more visible. That's when I realize that I need re-fuelling and course correction. And that's where ISB comes in. So, I look at ISB as a halt for re-energizing and course-correction and as an impulse that will pull me out of the local optimum.

Journey before halting at ISB – Why and the why now?

I have joined an Indian product development start-up right after my undergraduate studies and have been with the same organization for the past 7 years. Few years into my stint at this organization, I became what people sometimes call a Techie. But, then I wasn't even the typical techie. I became the sort who hopped from problem to problem. I was neither the "typical domain expert" nor the "typical project manager".

Leadership at my organization was kind enough to put me in a role which suited me the most. This was a back-end R&D team, a team which thrives on innovation. As I started settling down into my new role and started slowing down, the fog started clearing out. And soon the realization dawned, that I was in the right field (broadly speaking) and in an interesting role and organization but not going in the right course.

To be more specific, I did not want to be an engineering team manager. I wanted to deal with things on either side of it -- Hard-core technology and business. And starting from a R&D-team, I wanted to move into technology strategy and business development. However, soon realized that it is not so easy in my case and that I am off-course and am stuck in a local optimum.

Business studies were something that was always on the radar. However, I thought I would shoot for those programs which target the guys who probably who don't need it (IIMA PGPX, MIT Sloan Fellows etc.). But, as soon as the realization happened, I changed my plans and decided to go to a B-school right away. For many, B-school after 7 years of work experience is a bit late. For me, it was after advancement of my plansJ.

Journey before halting at ISB… Initial reactions

Initial reactions to my decision to go for B-school from people around me were hardly positive. They varied from "You MBA, You sure ?" .. to "You look confused" .. to.."Why MBA?" .. to.. "You are better than that".. to.. "you don't need it".. to.. "You don't come across as MBA stuff".. to "I always thought you need something like this". I don't blame them. I expected them to react that way. I chose to take all the advice from the people around me but still decided to chalk out my own course.

"And my course had a halt at a B-school."

And once the decision has been taken there was encouragement from all around.

"Why ISB?"

Another question that used to come back most often was "Why ISB?"

To answer it in one phrase, "it's the package". We always keep saying that B-schools look at the whole application. The package matters. However, while it is not as explicitly mentioned, the same is true for the selection of schools by the candidates as well.

The package that ISB offers consists of a one-year fast paced program, top-quality faculty from schools worldwide, diversified peer group and a significant cost advantage. This package was irresistible. It fits rightly in my context. I need a short re-energizing break and what could be better than this.

I had looked at few other courses as well - "Kellogg-MMM" and "Sloan-LFM". These were dual-MS-MBA programs. However, concerns with the longer duration, limited class size, cost and last but not the least the impending recession made me decide against applying to those programs.

Preparation for the Halt.. An enriching year…

The 12-month period that proceeded my "ISB-class of 2010 admit" was a highly enriching year. I have gone through a learning process encompassing GMAT, school selection and the application process. More importantly, it has been a year of brainstorming and a year of knowing thyself. The B-school apps ensure that. It was a year of making friends and a year of searching for lost contacts. It also marked my entry into the networked world - the world of blogs, discussion groups and social networking websites.

This period started with the GMAT. I had postponed it twice, much to the annoyance of my wife. Finally, when I did not get consent to postpone it for a third timeJ, I decided to take the final week-off from work and prepare for the exam. Constrained by the amount of available time, I looked for quick preparation tips from net and what I saw was an ocean full of innumerous posts on GMAT experiences and suggestions. It told me that discussion forums on net are not for wasting time alone. There is a large community out there collaborating and working towards their goals. There are a lot of people out there selflessly helping strangers out there in the competitive world.

Then came the apps. Filled the IIMA-PGPX app in few hours on the final day and rightly got served with a ding (without interview). If ever there was any complacence, it vanished in a minute. The apps shattered my myth that self-awareness was one of my strengths. The process of apps helped me look at myself from different perspectives. It surely helped me become more aware of myself. The app and the interview also introduced me to the concept of selling thyself. These are the learnings that I will always carry with me.

The interview, the discussions of Pagalguy and the D-day (20^th Nov2008) were surely fun.

Moments of the Holy Mail

The experience of the moments of the result is something that I cannot express in words. Mail came in at the end of the day; ending a week of anxiety and a day of restlessness. While I don't rate it as the most significant achievement in my life, the experience is something that was unique and something that I don't remember experiencing anytime earlier in my life. It goes beyond relief or joy. Sure, there was a relief that I have not missed the opportunity to steer my career in the direction I wanted. There was a lot of excitement about the ISB experience. There was a joy of crossing another milestone. Further, there was a renewed sense of confidence.

There was something else as well… ???

Looking forward to

I am looking forward to a transformational experience and an all-round enjoyable learning process. I am looking forward to meeting a group of 560 people with diversified profiles and learning from their experiences. I am also looking forward to making some good friends on the way.

I am looking forward to the ISB experience.

I am hopeful that this year would help me put me put my leg back on the accelerator with renewed confidence and energy.