From IT service management to wanting the bigger picture
I'm from Calcutta, India, and before starting my MBA I spent five and a half years working in IT service management across three companies: Cognizant Technology Solutions, Atos and Infosys Limited. Working in technology gave me valuable experience, but I reached a point where I wanted to understand the wider picture of how businesses operate — not just the IT side.
Why I chose an MBA
After several years in IT service management, my learning and responsibilities were becoming quite specialised. I wanted to understand how businesses function as a whole, including strategy, operations and decision-making. My long-term ambition is to become a corporate leader, and an MBA felt like the right step to build the broader business knowledge that journey needs.
Choosing ESSEC Business School in Paris
Choosing where to study came down to more than the usual reputation and rankings. I wanted an experience that would expose me to a different culture and environment from the Anglo-Saxon clients I'd worked with before. What decided it in the end was ESSEC Business School's strength of alumni network, exposure to digital business subjects, and the chance to specialise in strategy.
Funding: a scholarship helped
A scholarship from the school helped support my studies.
The highlight: connecting theory to how businesses actually work
The biggest highlight was learning subjects that connected directly to how businesses actually operate — it introduced me to new ways of solving problems and helped me understand parts of a business I'd never worked in. I also valued the networking hugely, meeting people from different professional and cultural backgrounds.
The adjustments that were harder than expected
Before starting, I was genuinely worried about whether I'd be able to handle the intensity of the course. In the end the harder adjustments were different: going from full-time work back into being a student, turning an IT-focused CV into a broader business profile, and accepting that finding the right opportunity after graduation just takes time. An MBA is a major transition, and it needs patience and adaptability.
Skills and lessons the MBA gave me
The programme sharpened my problem solving and strategic thinking, and pushed me to look at challenges from more than one angle. The biggest lesson for me was learning to consider situations from other people's perspectives rather than only my own, instead of falling into a narrow way of thinking.
Where I'm headed next
Even though I'd only just graduated and was still exploring opportunities, the MBA gave me far more clarity about my strengths and where I want to develop next. I feel much more confident about the kind of roles I want to pursue and the value I can bring. My goal after graduating is to move into a strategy-focused role, either within an established company or a strategy consulting firm.
My advice to anyone considering an MBA
My advice to anyone considering an MBA is to be very clear about why you want to do it: what it will add to your career, what opportunities it will create, and what you're willing to invest to get there. It isn't a guaranteed shortcut to success — it takes effort, commitment and realistic expectations. Most importantly, enjoy the journey; a lot of the growth happens along the way, not just at the end of it.
Looking back: the people, the exposure, the memories
Looking back, three things stood out most: the incredible people I met, the international exposure of studying alongside classmates from completely different backgrounds, and the new ways of thinking the course gave me for solving complex problems. My favourite specific memories were the competitive strategy course with Professor Olivier Fourcadet, a field trip to Morocco, and — during my time in Paris — exploring the startup ecosystem at Station F.