The Unexpected Journey That Redefined My Career Through PGP PRO

Growing up in Amritsar, my biggest dream was a government job at SBI in Chandigarh. Simple, safe, close to home. During a morning walk in 12th grade, my dad mentioned a new business school coming up in Mohali, ISB. "Seems prestigious," he said. I nodded. Internally, I scoffed. Me, at a top school? 

And yet. Here I am.

The Long Way Around

The path here was anything but straight.

I was a good student, did well in college, and thought ‘might as well take the GRE, what's the harm?’ On a whim, I applied to Columbia University for a Master's in Actuarial Science, convinced my parents would never let me leave India anyway. To my disbelief, I got in. At 21, I swapped Chandigarh dreams for New York City.

A few years into my actuarial career, finance pulled me in, and a new dream took shape;

becoming a CFO. But changing paths felt too soon, almost irresponsible. By 2020, I was set on a part-time MBA. Then COVID derailed everything. A burnout followed, and in 2022 I quit for a sabbatical; travelling across India, diving into yoga, writing, questioning everything. Was business school still my path? Was I ready to return to India for good?

I didn't want to second-guess myself. So in 2023, I took a job in Chicago and found myself still drawn to business problems. My sabbatical had shown me India's growth story up close, in cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi. Unlike before, moving back wasn't a compromise. It felt like home.
 
To be certain, I enrolled in the Graduate Student at Large program at Chicago Booth to see if I'd actually enjoy business school. I did.

Now it was about picking the right school, and ISB checked every box: world-class education, India-focused, designed for working professionals. I stopped waiting for the right moment and applied.
 
I landed in India on July 3, 2025, and reached ISB's campus by July 10.

Orientation was a whirlwind. 120+ driven, humble people. The person next to me was a third-generation entrepreneur. The one on my right had a masters from London School of Fashion and now runs a successful marketing agency. Whatever Ivy League ego I had quietly walked out the door.

For that first week, we lived in a bubble: breakfast at 8, classes at 9, assignments till midnight, 2 AM conversations at the Rec-Centre canteen. The classroom experience matched the rigour of top global schools: professors, discussions, pace. All of it.

Term 1 was intense, but together on campus, we survived. The Delhi cohort was a highlight; in just 10 days, I met some genuinely good people I hope to stay in touch with for a long time. Then the bubble burst. Work, family, distractions, no set schedule. I made mistakes, scored poorly, sometimes didn't prioritise. But in-person classes always brought me back.

What Group Assignments Actually Teach You

Nothing prepares you for real life better than group assignments.
You don't get to choose your team. You will love some, you will struggle with some. Your viewpoint will be challenged in ways that are uncomfortable and necessary. Every fibre of teamwork skill you have is exercised, tested and polished here.

First impressions, and whatever you'd heard through the grapevine, get shattered. And that's the point. You start to understand why each person earned their place at ISB, and what you can learn from their uniqueness. That was my biggest takeaway.

On Grades, and What Actually Matters

Halfway through, the intensity of the course no longer feels abstract.
Deadlines arrive. A term later, you realise you missed the depth because you were chasing the grade. Scores matter, but they don't equate to learning. My advice: don't target grades. You wouldn't be here if you weren't good enough to pass. The goal is to think critically, ask tough questions, and extend beyond your comfort level. The course structure feels deliberate beyond looking good on paper.

Coming Home to a Place That Feels Foreign

For those returning to India after years abroad, the reverse culture shock is real. I won't sugarcoat it.

My adult years were spent in New York, Connecticut, Chicago in deeply diverse and highly educated environments where there's no ceiling on your path and no unspoken bias about who you're supposed to be. That kind of abundance teaches you to think critically without fear.
That changes you. I'm not the same person I was 12 years ago. Half the cultural nuances here don't make sense to me anymore. My instinctive reaction is often how is that even possible?  only to hear, this is India.

The lack of belonging stings when it's your own home country. I sound different. I think differently. The internal conflict is real.

That's exactly where ISB comes in. I didn't join to change the principles I've worked hard to build. I joined to understand the nuances to bridge the gap without losing who I've become. And it’s uncomfortable.

My cohort has helped enormously here. People who've lived similar contradictions, or who extend enough grace to understand where I come from. Every time I felt I don’t belong, I had someone who convinced me I do. ISB's counselling and administration have been a quiet but genuine support through it.

Beyond the Classroom

Outside academics, it was the classic case of “one thing led to another”

I joined the ISB Leadership Summit Mohali core team soon after the course began. Subsequently, I worked with the 2025 LDC team to initiate PGP PRO's MasterClass Series — inviting ISB's veteran professors to share their experience with us. Five sessions, seven professors. That is no small feat!
 
I also had the opportunity to work in Utkrisht – PGP PRO’s flagship annual event hosted by the 2025 batch.

Concurrently, I became part of the Hyderabad Student Council as Marketing Coordinator, a role that keeps pushing me past my comfort zone. All I hope is to carry forward what previous cohorts built, and inch it a little further.

Looking Back

Letting go of my American life, the network, the career, the version of myself I'd spent a decade building, was harder than I expected. Returning to India, switching careers, starting ISB: these weren't small changes. They were seismic.

A few months in, I'm finding my rhythm. Connecting the dots. Applying what I'm learning not just to business problems but to how I live. Growing in diligence, discipline, the ability to sit with discomfort and still show up.

 In hindsight, I know I chose right — not just for where I'm going, but for who I'm becoming.

 Looking back, the dots line up exactly as they should.