As Bobby Unser, an American former automobile-racing driver, has said, “Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” If you want to succeed in life, you need to keep working towards it, you need to be always prepared so that when the right opportunity comes to propel you forward, you do not miss out on that chance. Advaith S. Aji, a Capital First Scholarship winner and an MBA student of one of the prestigious B-Schools in India, seems to have adopted the above-mentioned quote as his life mantra to succeed.
Clearly, the results have been utterly efficacious for Advaith. Belonging to a middle-class Indian family with obvious financial restrictions, Advaith’s firmness of belief in his capabilities and hard work paid off. Read his success story and get inspired to make the best out of every opportunity. Below are the excerpts from his interview with Buddy4Study.
Buddy4Study: Give us a brief background about your academic and professional journey until now.
Advaith: I am a Mechanical Engineer from the University of Kerala, and passed my graduation in the year 2016. After graduation, I worked with M-Squared Software and Services for one year. My job position was Simulation Software Engineer. I worked with a software called Simcad Pro, which is basically a simulation software for factory automation.
Buddy4Study: What drove you to pursue an MBA course?
Advaith: I always wanted to be in a managerial position. During graduation, we had a subject called Plant Engineering and Maintenance. A topic called Operations Management really caught my attention and I went onto learn more in detail about the same. I developed a sense of interest towards the subject and then realised that there is a complete management course available in the field. So, I decided to do a management course in Operations Management.
Buddy4Study: What were the key challenges that you faced during the course of your journey to reach here?
Advaith: The biggest challenge in pursuing a management course was the fees associated with these courses. If you want to pursue a course in management from a reputed institution, it always costs heavy on your pockets. Coming from a below average Indian family, it was not easy for my family to arrange such amount of money.
Buddy4Study: What has been your source of inspiration?
Advaith: My biggest source of inspiration is my family. They always believed in my capabilities and I always try to prove them right. For my educational needs, they always try to support me in the best way they can.
Buddy4Study: How has your family supported you in your venture to pursue this course?
Advaith: They never doubted my capabilities and always believed in me. They were kind enough to let me achieve my dreams of pursuing a management degree. To pursue a course with a hefty fee of 17 Lakhs was not an easy decision to make. But they trusted me that I will not bring disappointment to them.
Buddy4Study: How did you come to know about the Capital First Scholarship? What were the steps followed to avail the scholarship?
Advaith: At the time of admission, my college forwarded me a mail from Capital First regarding the scholarships. Only then, I came to know about this scholarship. Initially, I had to register myself in the portal and then fill up details about myself and college. There were two rounds of interview conducted over the phone. Then I had to upload some documents to avail the scholarship.
Buddy4Study: What are your ambitions in the future and how do you plan to execute them?
Advaith: I want to pursue a career in Airport and Airline Management. It’s tough for someone to get into that field without relevant experience. After working for 5 to 6 years and getting relevant experience, I wish to move onto this field.
Buddy4Study: What piece of advice would you impart to other potential aspirants who wish to pursue higher education but are constrained by various challenges?
Advaith: Believe in yourself. Never think any opportunity is small. Always try to do your best. Opportunities will come for you.
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