Beyond Experience: What ISB’s PGP PRO Added to My Career Journey

For years, the Indian School of Business was a campus I simply drove past in Hyderabad. I would look at it from the outside and wonder what it might feel like to one day walk those halls as a student.

Careers, however, rarely unfold the way we imagine them.

When we’re younger, we tend to picture them as straight lines, one milestone leading neatly to the next. But most careers don’t move that way. They’re shaped by experiments, unexpected turns, difficult moments, reinvention, and occasionally, the courage to try something uncertain.

Mine has followed that kind of path.

The Leap That Changed My Perspective

Early in my career, I worked across business operations roles and startup environments. Those experiences exposed me to how companies actually function behind the scenes, the speed of decision-making, the ambiguity that comes with growth, and the reality that many business problems don’t come with clear answers.

Over time, that curiosity about building things pulled me deeper into the startup ecosystem. Eventually, I decided to take the biggest leap of all and start something of my own.

Building from scratch was one of the most intense learning experiences of my career. When you’re responsible for creating something yourself, every decision feels personal like product direction, hiring, strategy, growth.

For a while, the journey felt like momentum. But entrepreneurship has a way of testing assumptions.

As time passed, it became clear that the venture wouldn’t continue in the way I had hoped. Looking back, that period became one of the most valuable parts of my journey. It forced me to rethink how I approached decisions, how teams function under pressure, and how leaders navigate uncertainty.

More importantly, it made me realise how much I still had to learn.

Choosing to Return to the Classroom

That realisation eventually pushed me to apply to ISB.

Much of my understanding of business had come through experience including learning on the job and adapting to new situations. But I felt the need for formal business education to complement those experiences and sharpen how I thought about strategy and leadership.

I also wanted to become part of a larger ecosystem: a network of people who were equally curious, ambitious, and committed to growth.

One of my earliest interactions with the school came during the interview process. I walked in expecting a conversation centred on achievements and milestones. Instead, the discussion focused on the experiences that had shaped my thinking.

What stood out was the curiosity in the room. The panel wasn’t trying to judge outcomes. They wanted to understand what I had learned along the way and how those experiences had shaped the way I approached leadership and decision-making.

That moment stayed with me. It was my first glimpse into the culture of ISB: a place where reflection matters as much as achievement.

Learning to Ask Better Questions

What I didn’t anticipate was how quickly the program would begin influencing the way I approach problems at work.

One of our early sessions focused on cognitive biases, the subtle ways our thinking can be influenced without us realising it. In just a couple of hours, the discussion helped us recognise how assumptions shape decisions and why leaders must question them before arriving at conclusions.

That session felt like a fog lifting.

It changed how I approached meetings and decisions at work. I found myself asking more questions, challenging assumptions, and relying more deliberately on data before forming conclusions.

Returning to the classroom doesn’t just give you new answers. It changes the questions you begin to ask.

The Power of the Cohort

One of the most powerful aspects of the PGP PRO experience has been the people.

In my cohort, I sit alongside vice presidents, directors, entrepreneurs, and leaders from across industries. I’m among the younger participants in the programme, which means every conversation becomes an opportunity to learn from someone else’s journey.

What surprised me most was how quickly strangers became collaborators and eventually friends.

Balancing work, assignments, classes, and personal commitments isn’t always easy. But the support within the cohort makes it manageable. During group projects, people are mindful of each other’s schedules. If someone is overwhelmed during a particular week, others step in to help, knowing the balance will even out across projects.

Over time, the cohort begins to feel like something more than just classmates.

It feels like a community.

That community has already shaped my journey in meaningful ways. Through a conversation with a friend from the cohort, I was introduced to an opportunity at one of the Big Four, a role that aligned closely with where I wanted to take my career next.

Moments like that remind you that networks aren’t built through transactions. They’re built through shared journeys.

Looking Back

Sometimes the most important step in your career isn’t the next promotion. It’s the moment you decide to learn again.

Looking back, my path to ISB wasn’t linear. It was shaped by experiments, setbacks, pivots, and unexpected opportunities.

And perhaps that’s exactly what made the journey meaningful.

Synopsis 

Sparsh Gurha, Senior Consultant at KPMG and a participant in ISB’s PGP PRO Co '26, reflects on how a nonlinear career, from startup experimentation to consulting, led him back to the classroom. He shares how the programme is reshaping his thinking, from recognising cognitive biases in decision-making to learning alongside senior industry leaders in a diverse cohort.