But his days became tedious, and he longed for a change. After two and a half years, he called time on his career at IBM and decided to pursue an MBA.
But where to go?
He knew people who had pursed higher education at MIP Politecnico di Milano School of Management (MIP), and after hearing of their experiences at the school, their recommendations resonated with him.
Now, after graduating from the program, he’s changed career and is working as a senior business analyst for BTO Research in Austria.
We caught up with Anand to find out more.
Why did you leave IBM?
As a first job experience it was really nice, but it was not related to software development, which is what I expected.
I was enjoying the new work life in the capital of India and working for a great company. However, after some time I realized that I wasn’t learning much and I was doing similar work every day. That’s when I decided to do something to fix this.
I was passionate about computer science engineering from the beginning. I chose computer science as an additional subject in my high school and started to learn coding at a very early age.
Why did you decide to pursue an MBA?
As I wasn’t coding or working in software development anymore [as I was at undergrad], I lost my command on those skills.
But a new area of business which attracted me was project management. After seeing the powers and work of my seniors in a manager-oriented company like IBM, I got attracted to becoming one of them and that gave me the option of doing an MBA.
With all these things going on in my mind, a very close friend and a colleague told me that he was applying for his master’s at MIP as he had some friends who studied there and were now working in Europe. That was the best thing for me to hear at that time because I wanted to study and work internationally.
I was inspired to do an MBA because I wanted to learn about all the new technologies in the world for business. I didn’t want to go the US as a majority of Indians do. MIP provided the chance to live in a beautiful country like Italy, which was a dream for me because I really love Europe, especially Italian culture and history.
Why did you change your career?
From my high school days, I was inspired by IT and software, so I decided that I wanted to work in this sector in the future.
I am now developing software and living in beautiful cities around the world like Paris, Vienna, and Milan, so it’s like all of my wishes have come true.
Also, working in Europe is totally different than in India. I think I was made to work in Europe as Indian work culture never inspired me to grow as an individual.
How has the MBA enhanced your career?
I had a great experience during my MBA.
It was a great mix of people from all around the world and to study with them and learn from each other is what helped me the most.
Everyone's past experiences and knowledge were the biggest learning aspects of this course. I am personally a changed person now with set goals and a correct attitude. I used to be a reserved person and not too confident but after the MBA, I am more comfortable with unfamiliar people and can easily have conversations with others.
Would you be where you are today without the MBA?
I don’t think I would be here, but I would say that I had some luck with me as well.
If I had chosen another course over an MBA, maybe I would be somewhere else, maybe I would have chosen a different educational institution in a different country like Germany, for example.
All of these decisions, one after another, put me where I am right now, and I am not complaining at all.
Student Reviews
Polimi Graduate School of Management
