5 reasons to do an exchange term abroad

It’s been long since I contributed to this blog however this is a very apt occasion to make a comeback by describing the experience of an exchange term. For those uninitiated: PGSEM offers the students a chance (or 2 chances which I’ll explain later) to take one of their term in a foreign university. This is the same as offered to the PGP batch studying along with you and same to the extent that the rank list for choosing universities is common between the PGP and PGSEM students. For e.g. this year’s 2^nd ranker overall was a PGSEMer and he got to choose London Business School for his exchange term.

Anyways, exchange university selection process is a thrill in itself but to keep it short, around the 4^th quarter of your studies, you’re asked to choose if you want to take a quarter abroad. Now by 2 chances I meant that since PGSEM has 10 quarters so they get to opt 2 times for the exchange process (though they can only take 1 exchange term during the course). Based on your 1^st quarter marks, all students, PGP and PGSEM are ranked together and asked to choose the universities in order of the student’s rank. And don’t worry, IIM Bangalore has partnerships with most top institutes in all geographies.

Now coming back to the topic, what are the top 5 reasons for PGSEM students specifically to do an exchange term abroad? Though reasons below might overlap with numerous folks who have taken exchange term at different universities, ones stated below are strictly derived from my experience at NUS Business School, Singapore. Ordered from least important to the most important according to me:

Subject Choice is good reason for taking up an exchange. A lot of schools IIM has tie up with work in a university system and what I found exciting was that at NUS Business School, you have access to the whole university to choose some of the subjects. People can take up 1 subject outside of Business School in any discipline of their choice. Some people picked up Chinese language, some picked Music and so on. I ended up picking a course with school of design and environment out of my interest in Clean Tech. Even the business school would present you a different subject choice simply because they’re a different school with different faculty. To state it another way: It’s not needed that the foreign university is better, it’s better that there is more variety at your disposal.

Networking:  I feel that exchange term drastically increases your network. Especially when you’re a PGSEMer, you’re interacting with your batch mates in classes and to some extent after classes for extracurricular or projects. Being full-time in a hostel with a bunch of MBA students is a totally different experience. The friendships formed when you’re studying together, networking together (read partying) or eating together are fairly more involved. A totally new environment and new country helps your forge several new friendships in a short duration. Also since you’re studying full time, you could pick up even unpaid internships in fields that you’re more interested in and build your network further.

Diversity: Your network is not only large but more Diverse. Going into a foreign university during the exchange term, brings in people from various nationalities and various backgrounds. If two people had the same set of people they knew, the gain in network connections is not that much, but if the set of people are totally from different field and country, you gained a whole new network of friends. However perhaps scoring high on people you know is the least benefit of working in a diverse group. You learn a lot about team work, cultural sensitivity and tacit knowledge about dealing with a variety of people that’s much more valuable.

Career Services: Another important reason for me to choose exchange was for the career services that the exchange school provided. Let me clarify, this doesn’t mean that you’ll be sitting in placements in foreign school. What it means is that you can take help from career services of these schools to improve your profile, get your resume reviewed or even attend presentations from companies you’re interested in.

Taking MBA without work: Lastly but most importantly for a PGSEMer, an exchange term provides an opportunity to take your MBA without work. You’d note I didn’t use the word “Full-time” because for one I can tell is that the number classroom contact hours are exactly the same per subject either ways. What changes is that you’re much more focussed on the subjects and don’t have to switch context too much. If it was to me, I’d say PGSEMers are the most hardened MBA graduates who can balance more than any other full time folks. However at the same time, it’s a pleasant break to be able to concentrate on your subjects full time, pick up more subjects, spend your extra time in extracurricular activities and be a student again.

However at the end of the day, there is opportunity cost involved.  PGSEMers are constrained by their work commitments sometime and cannot take this unpaid break from work. Such long a break might even put your employment at risk. This decision finally rests on the person taking it and s/he has to fix all these. There are some schools which even give scholarships to IIM students and if not totally free, the trip costs reduce drastically.

It was a great experience for me and I hope some of the above reasons resonate with you and you take this exciting opportunity that PGSEM provides you.

Beginning of the Odyssey called PGSEM

Quarter 1 ... What? I think it was last year ... It just flew off in a flash ... 

Orientation, the journey began informally here. With a pre-orientation assignment which was required to be completed before we step into the campus. Surely wasn't the gate pass to enter it but was interesting as it had diverse cases to be solved in groups of 5. The first day @campus saw everyone happy & smiling having cracked into the premier institute for management and visualizing themselves 2.5yrs later in the convocation coat & hat and off-course with the degree. That is where the visual was blurred & everyone was woken up :) ... The word orientation actually meant 360deg brain twist which would align it to take the ride called PGSEM. The starter was "Books" which many of us would refer to as "once upon a time i used to study from...". And the binders were also given to us as top-ups which made everyone all the more happier ;-). Those 3 orientation days had seminar's which still rule the minds of many (Peak Oil), deliberate & intentional late night cases by seniors which helped us stay alert and awake all 3 days :P and off-course fun activities which acted as ice breaker for the batch-mates. The orientation ended on lot of gyan & maarg-darshan which formed the grounding base for us. Thanks to senior's for putting their days & nights out from the precious 1 month year break, in organizing the orientation program.

Q1 formally began 20days after the orientation. 3 Subjects in the quarter- Microeconomics which dealt with theory of supply & demand, Accounting to help us improve our knowledge about finance & Strategy Management which would give us insights into firms from various industries and how the CEO's form strategies to solve problems. The batch was high on energy and enthusiastic about learning though everyone took their own time in managing getting up early & staying awake in the lectures. Microeconomics was a web of graphs each one similar to the previous and adding to the confusion with every session. The Accounting Balance sheet & Income statement balanced everything except the confusions. Strategy was more or less a sleepy venture with energy levels on an all-time low. If we plot a graph of energy vs. time we'll get a "Bell curve", rising slowly from sleepy eyes in Microeconomics it peaked highest during Accounting (being a math based subject) & finally diminishing in Strategy. We were asked to form groups of 5 (thankfully) to solve cases which the professors insisted us to read/solve before coming to the lectures for our own good and getting more benefit from the discussions.

The Quarter had hardly begun and we had our first event organizing opportunity with "Pehel", kind of fresher party and a medium to felicitate the senior students who had done well in the program. Managing time for the event along with studies and work got even tougher. The enthu was high being the first event participation for all and the preps though began late were managed somehow. It was lot more interesting finalizing events, participants, practice sessions, teams for handling various sub-events and the volunteers. The program was well perceived by everyone and we pulled it off well.

The joyous mood of the event had not even ended that we realized the midterms sitting on our head. We were still to open our eyes from the sleepy early morning sessions & woke up only to find ourselves sitting after a long time in an "Exam" aka fight for grades. As a discount or thankfully we had midterm for only 2 subjects (Microeconomics & Accounting). The third subject was utilized to create exam strategy by everyone (How to give midterms). The exams format was unknown to all and for this the Profs helped us with some sample papers and hints on the type of questions. The midterms ended in mixed reactions with some calling it a disaster, some others leaving the exam room smiling and even before time (which only added to the tension of those still writing) and others with an average reaction on face and still others with reactions like "hogaye midterms bas...thats an achievement".

The midterms ended only to invite the Final exams which followed in a couple of weeks. All the more tension prevailed with the project submissions and presentation along with them. The projects got more complex every time we asked more details from the Professors. The expectations were high and we were all thinking would we be able to make justice with the projects. Finally we got an extra week after exams for project submissions and that was a huge relief as everyone could concentrate on the finals and mend the destruction done by the midterms. The final exams ended on a high note with people finally able to see the end of Quarter 1, and with only a week more of slogging for the project submissions. The projects were not an easy affair either with lot of thought process involved, gruelling late night discussions, trying to fit in the funda's we had learned in class. Finally the projects finished with people submitting their hard worked reports to the Professors with expectations in return. Expectation of what? That's what we call "GRADES" ... Waiting anxiously...

The 3 subjects not only formed the solid base for future quarters/subjects but also gave us immense learning in a short time span. Microeconomics helped us understand the consumer and the firms using demand and supply curves, Factors affecting these and how firms and consumers react. The Professor made us understand the subject in the most intuitive way i.e. by real economic scenarios. Accounting, more on playing with the numbers helped us understand how to look at a company’s financials (profit loss statements, balance sheet, cash flow statements) how to analyse them quickly and make conclusions. The cases, class discussions and the patience of the professor to handle all queries helped us immensely to grab the essence of the subject. Strategy opened a wide dimension to our knowledge with the sessions involving only real life cases addressing problems faced by the company and then forming strategies for the same. Learning various models (Porters Five forces, RBV analysis etc.) to form a strategy gave us a glimpse of how strategic analysis is done. In short the subjects though 3 gave us insights & knowledge no less than an encyclopaedia.

Managing studies, office projects, activities, family etc. or to say Real-time Multitasking was all the new experience for everyone in the batch. It was uncomfortable as the journey started but I guess everyone has got accustomed to it. Time management was one subject not included in the syllabus but I guess everyone learnt it the hard way (without a professor or a book) or are still trying to master it. The Quarter ended with an unmatched gain for everyone, though everyone took a big breathe of relief having bid Q1 adieu and thought to take a sleep after the gruelling 10 odd weeks but not yet... "picture abhi baaki hai mere dost....." 

Only to realize there's no sleep for another 11 Quarters ... Q2 begins next week and with a bang (Books & Binders already in hand) ... The Journey continues -> Q2

Tête-à-Tête with Sai Sreekanth M

Sai Sreekanth M
Product Manager
in.linkedin.com/in/saisreekanth
Total Years of Experience: 18
Role Before Joining PGSEM: Engineering Manager
Role After Completing PGSEM:  Product Management

Q. Tell us a bit about yourself. [Family, Education, Hobbies]                         

I am a Telugu speaking person from coastal Andhra but have lived in Bangalore (in fact in a 5 sq. km area) all my life. I speak 5 Indian languages, enjoy reading about India and travelling within India. Think I have a good understanding of what Indians do and think. I listen to Carnatic music a lot, have been learning it for a few years (can’t sing well though). I follow other arts such as theatre, dance, lectures and discourses based on literature, films and documentaries.  

I have an undergraduate degree in Computer science from University Visvesvaraya college of Engineering, Bangalore and have completed the PGSEM programme (first batch) from IIM Bangalore.

I am married to Sheela who is currently teaching and we have a son(6 years old) and a daughter (3 years old).  

Q. Please describe your current job/role that you perform?

I am a Product Manager in the Emerging Markets team at Google. I have worked in Emerging Markets teams at HP and Yahoo for the past 9 years. Over these years and now at Google, I am interesting in conceiving and delivering useful technology applications to emerging market users. Would like to leverage my understanding of emerging market user needs and technology background in rolling out impactful services for users.

Q. What would be the most challenging aspect of your role?

Product management involves orchestrating several teams and stake holders in delivering impactful solutions. Very often, we need to do this without any explicit authority over other teams and this requires a great deal of tact, rigor and understanding of wide range of issues.  

Q. How did PGSEM help transform your career?

PGSEM did transform my career in moving from a software engineering management role to that of product management.

More important than the career shift, was the education that I obtained through the PGSEM programme. I learnt to analyze industries/economies, understand how businesses are managed, learnt about users and people behaviors, got to work really hard on complex problems etc. This knowledge is an asset that I put to use in several contexts and not just in my professional career. 

Q. What are the trends that you see in the business space today in terms of the skill requirements and the supply of the same?

Nothing profound to share here. I do notice that there is a significant increase in the quantity of skilled resources (engineering, management, legal, finance) but do not see a change in the quality.

Q. Describe THE incident which has influenced you the most to be what you are today.

 Can’t think of an incident that has influenced me the most. Have been lucky to come across several skilled, well-meaning people and they have had an indirect impact in developing my own perspective. 

Q. What do you think are the key attributes of a good leader?

* Lead by example

* Honesty of purpose

* Focus, sustenance, perseverance

Q. Whom do you consider as your Role Model and Why?

Again, can’t think of one person. Have been lucky to come across hundreds of good people who are doing great selfless work in serving people and bettering their lives.

Q. What is your take on the importance of a value system in business?

Find it strange that such a question is being asked. A good value system is not a negotiable thing not just for businesses but also for living your life well. Can’t see how businesses derive their value systems independent of its owners/founders/workers.

Q. What is your Mantra for work life balance?

Do what you like to do and are good at and the question of work life balance does not arise.

Q. Your message to students at IIMB-PGSEM today?

Identify an area or two that you are really passionate about and have a good ability in. Work to be the best in that area.

PGSEM 2013 Admissions - Open House on July 28, 2012

The 2nd open house for clarifying your queries related to PGSEM, admissions for 2013 batch and interaction with students, alumni & faculty will be held on July 28, 2012 at IIM Bangalore Auditorium. If you are interested in the program or planning to apply for the program next year or have queries, please make sure you attend the open house next Saturday. Register for the event here.

As we noted earlier and also clarified in Facebook and IIMB website, the major policy change with respect to admissions next year onwards is that ONLY CAT 2012 and GMAT (taken after Jan 1, 2010) will be considered and there is NO PGSEM Admission test.

This is a good opportunity to spend your Sunday in a green resort-like campus of IIMB :) Also the best opportunity to meet current students of PGSEM, alumni, Professors to clarify all your doubts about PGSEM and IIMB admission philosophy. The agenda for the day is provided below.

Timings	Agenda
10:00 A.M	Participants Assemble @ Auditorium
10:10 - 10:15	Welcome Address by Prof. S Ramesh Kumar, Chairperson, PGSEM
10:15 - 10:20	Address by Prof. Narendra M Agarwal, Chairperson, CSITM
10:20 - 10:25	Mr. Rakesh Godhwani, PGSEM Alumni
10:25 - 10:30	Mr. Rajesh Pandit, CSITM
10:30 – 10:35	Mr. Karthik Srinivasan, PGSEM Alumni
10:35 – 10:40	Ms. Bhavani Koti, PGSEM SAC
10:40 – 10:50	Coffee/Tea Break
10:50 - 12:00	Q & A  with a Panel consisting of : Ø  Prof. S Ramesh Kumar, Chairperson, PGSEM Ø  Prof. M Jayadev Ø  Mr. Akshat Kumar, PGSEM Alumni Ø  Mr. Kapil Gupta, PGSEM Alumni

Tête-à-Tête with Abhinav Agarwal

Abhinav Agarwal
Director of Product Management

Total Years of Experience: 17
Role Before Joining PGSEM: Product Management
Role After Completing PGSEM:  Product Management

Q. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I have been living in Bangalore for the last 10 years, am married and have two daughters. I have a BE (Hons) degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Mumbai, and in 2006 graduated from IIMB’s PGSEM program. My hobbies are mostly reading and photography, and I cover both of these on my blog, at http://blog.abhinavagarwal.net/  

Q. Please describe your current job/role that you perform?
My role is product management at Oracle, and I am a Director of Product Management and Strategy. In that capacity I am responsible for our company’s Business Intelligence Mobile product, advanced data visualizations, and spatial analytics, all within the Oracle BI EE suite. I also engage with partners, customers, and our marketing and sales organizations to help our customers be successful with our company’s tools and products.

Q. What would be the most challenging aspect of your role?
 Managing the time difference between Bangalore, where I live and work out of,  and Redwood Shores, where the development of the products I am responsible for happens, has been the single most challenging aspect of my role.

Q. How did PGSEM help transform your career?
 PGSEM helped provide a broader perspective to what I do. The disciplines of marketing and strategy mostly so, but also other disciplines like Human Resources and Finance helped me better understand the context and background in which companies operate. Certain theories and constructs like Porter’s Five Forces, Christensen’s Theory of Disruptive Innovations, Moore’s Chasm Theory, and Teece’s complementarity's of assets - have all hugely influenced me. I was fortunate enough to be doing product management when I joined the PGSEM program, so the learning’s from the PGSEM program could be applied directly to my job.

Q. What are the trends that you see in the business space today in terms of the skill requirements and the supply of the same?
The rapidly growing market and the spread of technology is enabling the rise of a new class of techno-entrepreneurs in India today. The scale of the market affords Indians today the opportunity to create new businesses and ventures that can be originated, funded, staffed, launched, and made successful entirely in India. This was not the case even five or ten years ago. The next ten years will see several billion dollar startups emerge from India. While entrepreneurs will be the original product managers of new ventures, what these companies will need and require will be world-class product managers - to articulate and drive strategy and product direction. The companies that can find and retain such product managers are the ones that will stand a greater chance of succeeding in the marketplace.


Q. Describe THE incident which has influenced you the most to be what you are today.
 There has not been any one single incident, but there have been a few incidents that have helped me evolve my philosophy towards my professional and even personal life. The most important I would consider the birth of my daughters to be. That helped me realize and better assess what was more important in life.

Q. What do you think are the key attributes of a good leader?
A good leader must be, fundamentally, a good person. Everything else is secondary. A good person will be able to take the decisions a good leader has to take. A person with a selfish, short-sighted, or individualistic attitude towards life will take decisions that reflect his/her own value system.

Q. Whom do you consider as your Role Model and Why?
At work my role models have been a few over the past several years. Some have been people I directly worked with in my teams, while others have been people I have had the good fortune to observe closely while at work, even though I did not have a direct working relationship with them at the time. From executive management to fellow product managers to my direct managers, learning and role models have been there to help guide me. 

Q. What is your take on the importance of a value system in business?
A value system has to be the articulation and enforcement of a set of guiding principles that are inviolate. Anything else is no more important of relevant than an election slogan or a marketing gimmick. The value system a company and its leaders articulate and follow and hold themselves and others to is what differentiates a successful company from a great company that people want to work at.

Q. What is your Mantra for work life balance?
 If there is a mantra for work-life balance, then surely I am still trying to discover and learn it! A work-life balance is difficult to achieve, and certainly an optimal balance even more so. We each have to evaluate our priorities in life, and the decisions we make based on that assessment are what determine how much balance we actually attain in our professional and personal lives.

Q. Your message to students at IIMB-PGSEM today?

The PGSEM program is an investment in your future. As with investing, remember to invest for the long-term. That is what will result in the largest payout.