Being an MBA graduate was always in my plan, but “when” was a question that even I had not found an answer to. Going against my mom’s advice of finishing it right after my Engineering, I worked for 4.5 years as a Software Professional in Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTS), a leading IT company in India.

Becoming‌ ‌a‌ ‌corporate‌ ‌communications‌ ‌professional.

Though my initial plan was to gain a work experience of 2 years, time flew and there I was, buried deep in my professional life. In the meanwhile, “life” happened- work, meeting my significant other, engagement, marriage, kid-everything! During my maternity leave, I badly wanted to occupy myself with something and applied for SNAP – the entrance test for admission to Symbiosis International (Deemed) University, Pune.

I felt it was the right time to apply in order to gain some experience before I attempted CAT or any other biggies in the MBA entrance exam market. You know it when the time comes to put your dream into action – you simply know. I had that feeling and little did I know that I would get through to the next round in all of the colleges I had applied under the said University.

I attended the GE/PIWAT rounds of two colleges I shortlisted out of all those that I applied (for practical reasons). Though I cleared this round too in both the colleges, I chose Symbiosis School of Media and Communication, Bengaluru (SSMC-B) over a sister institution because I figured that’s where my passion lay – Communication Management.

While at Cognizant, I had this habit of going through almost ALL of the emails that I received on a daily basis. During the daily exercise, I noticed emails from the Corporate Communications department guiding on the Dos and Don’ts as an employee and informing us employees that they were the only source that is authorized to give any information about the organization to the world outside.

This piqued my interest and I began researching more about what the department actually does. My findings left me in awe of the department and I knew then that I wanted to be a Corporate Communications professional. “How” - was my next question and as usual Google came to my rescue and I began researching on the universities that offer the course, landing at SSMC-B.

Life at SSMC-B has been a roller coaster – a good and memorable ride. Though it was not easy handling the coursework, assignments, extra-curricular, and my kid, I was fortunate to have a supportive family who took care of most of the things back home so I could concentrate on my education.

I was clear from the beginning that in order to get into the Corp Comm role, I would have to take Public Relations as my specialization. I thus began working on the skills required for it. In my first year, I was elected as the Co- Convener of the PR club of SSMC-B and in my second year, I applied for the post of Student Representative – Branding and Promotion in the Student Council of SSMC-B, and was selected for it too.

A‌ ‌word‌ ‌of‌ ‌advice‌ ‌for‌ ‌everyone.

These posts helped me gain a lot of experience in the field, apart from all that we learnt in our classes. I got a chance to apply my learning in real time and this hands-on experience has really helped enhance my skills. My advice for students would be – listen to your heart (find your passion), use your mind (research well) to frame a path and follow it with your entire self (give it your total commitment).

Put in your 100% into any role or activity that you take up and do not work for recognition, work for YOURSELF – recognition and success will follow. Trust me; the reward of hard work is sweet – and addictive. There are no shortcuts in real life, though I wouldn’t advise against a bit of smart work where needed (a lesson I learnt from my lead in Cognizant – something I hold dear to my heart to this day).

If you have a role model (I have my mom for that – she got an M.Phil while my sis and I were kids), tell that to yourself and others so that whenever you feel like giving up, you will have someone to remind you of why you started in the first place. And finally, NEVER EVER GIVE UP! All the best

I would love to help anyone who needs guidance in this field. Feel free to reach me through Nimish, who was kind enough to give me this opportunity and patient enough to wait for me to send in the write-up. Thank you so much, bro!