1. What career did you move towards after your Post Graduation at FLAME? And why?
I had pursued Finance as a major at FSB and my first role was as a Financial analyst at InMobi. I have always been Data and Quantitative driven from an interest point of view. Finance was my entry into the industry of Advertisement Technology. I think that currently this industry has huge potential because of the increase in the usage of Technology in collaboration with Business.
2. How was this step that you took helpful for you in your current career?
Finance is a very broad discipline like corporate, public finance and financial planning, financial analyst, portfolio management etc. I understood the concepts of numbers and the role they play in business. I was studying financial instruments like Balance Sheets, P/L Accounts as part of my work. I was first working on the basics of Finance after which Financial Modelling became a part of my job. Business Financing taught me the essential business skills within the field of Finance like saving and revenue generating strategies. The resources provided by FLAME helped speed up my process of learning. The access to the Books, Bloomberg Terminal and Professor Sujay’s classes gave me a path to a window of opportunities. I also got experience in dealing with vendors, trading with media companies and partners. This gave me an overview about the competitive environment and the psychology behind finance. I moved from a financial analyst to business financing and then pitched these models to companies like SoftBank.
3. How should one decide on what to pursue after their education?
The key feature here is the drive to pursue something in life. I took up Finance and now am in the Media World. I do not do Finance related work anymore. I believe in the saying “To each their own”. People have their own interests and they have also changed their career paths. I think what one is studying now is important but it may change in the future.
The key takeaways are to pursue what drives you, one should be open to different career paths. When one starts working they will be exposed towards their passion. I feel like the majority will pursue something else because with time, interests change. An important thing to keep in mind is that one should give oneself time to decide on their individual career paths.
4. How did you know that cycling was an important aspect of your life and how did it start?
I feel that Cycling came naturally to me when I started off in the streets of Bangalore amidst the traffic. Daily, I covered long distances and explored my new love for the sport. I fell in love with cycling and was curious to know where India was placed in this sport. I then decided to go on, work hard and represent my country in this wonderful sport.
5. What was your feeling when you represented India at the Asian Para Cycling Championship?
The feeling was amazing and one of pressure while representing my country. I feel that, “One can do only what they are prepared to do during that time”. Preparation is key and one has to give more than 100% at that level.
6. Since you’re an athlete, could you highlight some tips on how one can build confidence and withstand adversity?
I went cycling on the highway and was doing a 30km ride. When I reached 25km, I felt like this was it and I could not go any further. I did not stop despite being tired because I thought that I should push myself and not let the heat of the day beat me. This drive led me to completing my goal. One should push themselves beyond their boundaries and also indulge in the art of journal writing, two important points to increase confidence and deal with adversity. This would help one contemplate and self- introspect, gaining clarity.