The Afterlife

Those of you who have accidentally reached this page thinking that it has anything to do with Death, God or Heaven & Hell.... You may leave!! Let me make it clear that my post is not even remotely related to the tunnel or the bright light which some people might believe in. Nor is it related to the Vosloo-directed movie from 2009. What I'm writing about is much more important than Death. It's about life after a B-School.... after you have flashy posts and a PGDM, IIM Tag.

People write so much about their life being transformed once they crack CAT and once they enter the portals of the various coveted B-schools across the globe. Very few write about the life immediately after. If they did, it would be a great surprise and shock. Don't start judging before you've read this post fully.

We dream BIG, most of us.... Maybe not "beyond" like some others, but we dream big. Despite the recession, which has brought many MBA grads to earth, there are still some aspirations which we all have when we join the corporate world. "Work Hard, Party Harder" seems to be the golden rule (especially when you've come from an IT company and then from IIM Indore); Flexible work hours soon seem like a distant dream (didn't we read about that stuff in OB??) The only flexible hours you'll get will be work on Sunday. You might get flexi-locations however. For those who love to travel, don't get too excited until you know where you're being sent. After a few months, you might just start missing the man who takes away only washing machines and free meals. :)

But that's not always the case... Sometimes you're frustrated for other reasons. IIM Indore truly feels like the hillock which never slept. You feel you had 25 hours in a day out there. Life never switched off. It's either studies (not very often) or sports or gossip or outings or a myriad of other crazy stuff. At the end of 2 years, it will surely be the best 2 years of your life; at least for most of us. Then when you move to a job which keeps you at a desk for 10 hours but real work for only 2, it begins to get boring... no, that's an understatement. It begins to get deadening. You're not doing any groundbreaking work... none of your devised strategies or marketing plans are gonna bring in millions. For a long time, you might not even have a permanent seat in your office. When people hear that you're management trainees, you might be put aside thinking that you're 2 month MBA interns. :)

What am I trying to convey...? First and foremost - Don't waste the best 2 years of your life. Live them to the fullest!! Secondly....Dream big, but have realistic expectations. There are a lot of MBAs where you are going. This should never discourage you, coz believe me, your work shall always be appreciated by superiors (it's important for them some way or the other) but more importantly, YOU will have to appreciate it and be able to put your heart into it; and as a dear professor once told me, your job shall be only as enjoyable as you yourself try to make it.

Welcome to life outside Planet I.