“Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” This was the motto that one of the richest men in modern history – the American business tycoon, John D. Rockefeller – lived by. For Parth Gautam, MBA Student and Capital First Scholar, the words couldn’t ring any truer. Giving up a cushy job at an IT firm to pursue an MBA degree wasn’t an easy decision to make for him. But the constant support from his family, and his unwavering dedication towards his objective not only helped him get the coveted admission to a top B-School, but also led to him landing a scholarship.
Read his inspiring success story that will surely motivate all aspiring scholars to follow their dreams.
Below are some excerpts from his interview with Buddy4Study:
Buddy4Study: Tell us about your academic and professional background before joining this management programme.
Parth: I am a graduate in Electrical Engineering from Yeshwantrao Chavan College of Engineering and I have a work experience of 2 years in BNY Mellon Technology, Pune.
Buddy4Study: What motivated you to pursue a course in management?
Parth: After working for two years in IT firm, I felt that my growth was somewhat limited to the technical industry. I felt that the work was a bit monotonous and offered little to learn. So I decided to pursue a course in Management that would expose me to the business aspects of the industry and also provide an opportunity to learn what I could not do during Engineering.
Buddy4Study: What were the key challenges faced by you during the course of your journey to reach here?
Parth: The biggest challenge was to prepare for competitive exams while working. I had to manage my time well to keep a good balance between work and studies. Also I had to keep myself away from distractions so that my studies were not affected.
Buddy4Study: What has been your source of inspiration?
Parth: I have a couple of friends who were in the second year of Management programs in some very good colleges. They inspired me a lot and kept motivating me to work hard to achieve the goals that I had decided for myself. Their success stories always pushed me to put extra efforts.
Buddy4Study: How has your family supported you in your venture to pursue this course?
Parth: My family was very supportive from the first day when I decided to do MBA. Being from a middle class family, it was very important to have their confidence in me as I would be discontinuing my job during the course of the program. I had complete independence to choose what I wanted to do.
Buddy4Study: How did you come to know about the Capital First Scholarship? What was the process you followed to avail the scholarship?
Parth: I came to know about the scholarship from my college T A Pai Management Institute. After I had applied for the PGDM course, I received a mail from the college authority about the application procedure and eligibility for the scholarship. I visited the Buddy4Study website and uploaded the documents as was mentioned on the website. And after I joined the college I was interviewed telephonically a couple of times and later I received a mail confirming that I have been awarded the scholarship.
Buddy4Study: What are your ambitions in the future and how do you plan to execute them?
Parth: I have worked hard to be here after taking a big decision and I have got enormous support from my family. So my first focus is to utilise the opportunity and to learn whatever is taught in the college. Later I will be able to apply the learnings when I will be working for a firm. I want to pursue a career in a good financial institution.
Buddy4Study: Any piece of advice that you would like to impart to other potential aspirants like you who are constrained by various challenges towards pursuing higher education?
Parth: I would advise to have a well-defined goal what you are trying to achieve. One should learn to manage the time well as this would help them post selection as well. Should try to keep away from distractions as much as possible so that you can focus well on studies.
If you, too, have the passion and dedication towards furthering your education and are looking for scholarship opportunities to support your dreams, find scholarships here.
