Time to say goodbye

I am finally done with MBA… YAY!! I feel on top of the world and have realized how quickly time flies when you are having fun. It was exactly a year ago; I was in distress awaiting the approval of my F1 student visa. The American Embassy in Singapore had approved my visa application, but had not yet issued my visa pending a security check that was being performed in the US. I had quit my job at Teradyne and was on pins and needles waiting for that elusive e-mail from the embassy which I was hoping would read “Congratulations, your visa application has been approved”. Though I was supposed to be preparing for the first week of statistics at Johnson, I was in no mood to study as I was not sure if I would make it in time for the start of the program. Then on the wonderful morning of May 23rd, which was a Friday, Neela checked my inbox and lo and behold, the e-mail was waiting in my inbox. We rushed to the embassy that afternoon and a very nice consular officer made sure that our visas were issued in 40 minutes so that we could fly to NYC that very weekend. I arrived in Ithaca the night before the program started and got on the AMBA treadmill the next morning. I got off the treadmill last Saturday after my Intermediate Accounting final. I have been doing nothing since and it feels awesome. The weather in Ithaca has been phenomenal, which added to the “awesomeness” of it all.
I have also had the opportunity to meet some of the incoming AMBA students who will start their program on May 18th. The program starts a week earlier this year to accommodate some changes to the program format and to make more time for career management center to work with the students as they prepare for a tough recruiting season in the fall. The key to succeeding in this market is to stay focused and aggressively pursue all available opportunities. My experience at the Johnson school has been nothing short of brilliant. I came in as an engineer and am leaving as an engineer who has finally found his calling in the world of business. The Johnson school has provided me with a broad business education that will allow me to be successful in my future endeavors.
I am leaving the Johnson School with a network of friends I can call on for advice or help in the future. The AMBA class is really tight and I am sure this group will go on to achieve great things. I don’t think I would have been successful without the help and support of my wife Neela. She adjusted to life in Ithaca quickly and had to take care of my daughter Sanjana for one year as I was always in school. This allowed me to focus on my classes which otherwise would not have been possible. Sanjana provided the comic relief when I needed to get away from school, especially when she ran behind squirrels at Maplewood where we live. I can be reached at ks654@cornell.edu if anyone wants to send me an e-mail or have any questions regarding the program. This is the K-man signing out for the last time!! Go Big Red!!

A Johnson MBA in these tough times

I am back after a long hiatus. I apologize for the not having blogged for a few months, but will regularly do so going forward. Given the grim economic situation, I am sure that many prospective students are thinking if joining an MBA program this year or in the near future is a good idea. To be truthful, that very thought has crossed my mind several times over the past few months. When I applied for the program in October 2007, I did not know what was going to happen. Even when Lehmann brothers collapsed, I was hopeful that the market would rebound in a few months, and that we would be spared of a long recession. However my worst fears have come true and it is going to be a long road ahead for all of us. But it is this long road that has forced me to contemplate about my decision to attend business school and reflect on how a Cornell MBA fits into the “grand” scheme of things. The first conclusion that I have come to is that I am definitely better off today than I was 10 months ago before I started the AMBA program at the Johnson School. I have learnt to analyze complex business problems in a structured manner. The various courses that I have taken have broadened my thought process and stimulated my intellect. In a nutshell, an MBA from the Johnson School has given me the flexibility to look beyond engineering, and will open many doors down the road. Had it not been for the AMBA program, I would still be in my engineering silo, severely limited by the opportunities that would have been available for me. Most importantly, I have developed friendships that will last me a lifetime. The tough economy has only strengthened these relationships, and the camaraderie gives me hope that all will be well soon.
It is very easy for all of us to become lulled into false sense of security, that we are somehow insulated from what is happening around us. An MBA in these tough times might seem risky, but it will open a multitude of career opportunities, like it has for me. Yes, none of us know when the bad times will end, but it is certain that these bad times cannot last forever. And when the bad times do end, I know I will be “battle hardened” and ready to make my mark in the business world. I cannot be happier with my decision to pursue the AMBA program at the Johnson School and would invite the prospective students to take the plunge as well. I promise that you will not be disappointed.