{"id":48773,"date":"2020-05-31T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-31T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=48773"},"modified":"2020-05-27T05:04:56","modified_gmt":"2020-05-27T12:04:56","slug":"preparing-for-life-as-an-mba-student-at-toronto-rotman-episode-367","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/preparing-for-life-as-an-mba-student-at-toronto-rotman-episode-367\/","title":{"rendered":"Preparing for Life as an MBA Student at Toronto Rotman [Episode 367]"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Linda<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

An engineer with Indian Railways seeks innovation as a Rotman MBA student. [Show summary]<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meenakshi Chauhan spent five years as an engineer with Indian Railways (and the only woman in her department) before leaving in search of a more challenging, innovative work environment. Now, she\u2019s preparing to re-enter student life at the University of Toronto\u2019s Rotman MBA program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preparing for life as an MBA student at Toronto Rotman [Show notes]<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meenakshi Chauhan has worked since graduating college as an Indian Railways engineer. She started a beauty blog in 2018 and is now looking forward to starting her MBA studies at the University of Toronto\u2019s Rotman School<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you tell us a little bit about your background, where you grew up, and what you like to do for fun? [1:23]<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I was born in a small village where I lived with my parents and their extended family. I lived there for about two years, but for most of my childhood, I\u2019ve lived with my grandmother. My father was the only person earning and my mother had to take care of the whole family, so they didn\u2019t have much time for me. So I was mostly brought up by my grandmother. I lived for around eight to 10 years with her, and then I moved back with my parents. As far as what I like to do for fun, there are a lot of things that I like to do. I like to paint. I like to cook, and this lockdown has given me the chance to cook a lot. And I love to work out. On my blog<\/a>, I\u2019m also writing a lot about health and nutrition, so I love to work out and take care of myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You earned your BTech in 2013. On your blog you write, \u201cI was selected as an assistant engineer in Indian Railways, considered one of the most prestigious jobs in the engineering field. I was at the top of the world until I joined. I realized that the job was not as exciting as I had expected it to be.\u201d Why didn\u2019t it live up to your expectations? [2:32]<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So when I joined Indian Railways, I had a certain impression in my mind: The job is going to be very challenging, I\u2019m going to work and learn about a lot of new technologies, and I\u2019ll be involved in innovating stuff. Indian Railways is completely owned by the Indian government, so bureaucracy tends to slow down things a bit, and I felt that when I started working with Indian Railways that things were a bit slow. It took months to get the approval for anything. So it got a little monotonous for me, and I didn\u2019t really find it as challenging as I was expecting it to be. So it got a little bit boring for me there, and I wanted to do something more exciting that would help me develop my skills as well as enjoy the whole working process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Was it difficult for you as a woman in a male-dominated field and industry? [4:04]<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It was a bit difficult for me, and mostly because in the department I joined, there were not many women. I was the only woman in that department, so I got judged a lot. My intelligence was questioned. My seniors, as well as my juniors, would often say that I was not fit for the job. I wasn\u2019t capable of handling long hours or putting in that much effort towards my work. So that was a bit disheartening for me. Eventually, I did handle it, but initially it was a bit disheartening for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did you handle it? [5:00]<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I got a few opportunities, and I must say I\u2019m lucky that I got opportunities where most of the topmost officiants of Indian Railways were monitoring the project, looking after that. I was solely responsible for handling a few of those projects, and I did exceptionally well in those projects. They eventually did understand that it doesn\u2019t matter whether I am a girl or some male person working there, and it\u2019s just the kind of dedication you put in, the effort you put in that matters, not my gender that matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You worked with the Indian Railways for just about five years. Did the frustration ultimately lead you to turn to business and an MBA? [5:38]<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

No, I wouldn\u2019t say it was the frustration, but I just want to grow from where I am. I have achieved something in life, I have a certain set of skills, and now I want to grow and develop more. That\u2019s what pushed me to pursue an MBA. I am from a technical field. I have great technical skills. I have those quantitative skills. But the kind of job I\u2019m doing, that\u2019s not just technical. It\u2019s more of a managerial, techno-managerial kind of a job. So those are strategic skills, financial skills. They\u2019re equally important for me, and I want to develop those. That\u2019s why I wanted to do an MBA.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Toronto Rotman? [6:33]<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The most important thing that attracted me to Rotman<\/a> is that Rotman is a very innovative school. Even the video interview thing, that is so common now with most colleges, was introduced by Rotman. And the CDL lab they have, the Creative Destruction Lab, that\u2019s also an amazing initiative by Rotman. So the first thing that attracted me to Rotman was the kind of innovation those people are doing. That was the first thing, plus, there is a lot of diversity in Rotman. So even that attracted me to it, and I had my eyes fixed on this school, and I\u2019m lucky now that I got into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n