I have wanted to become a leader in business ever since I was a kid. Even when I was in high-school and I could give realistic answers to what I want to become, I used to say I want to become a CEO one day. As I grew up and my interest in the world of tech developed, I knew this is the domain I hopefully will conquer one day. And ever since then, every choice I made was directed towards achieving this goal. Back during covid when I got time to think of the future and chart out my career, I researched a lot about MBA and how to develop my career in technology so I can get the best possible exposure that prepares me for MBA. It was back in 2020, when I prepared a document of my career timeline and I wrote that I will do an MBA in 2026 as I determined through my research that 4 years in the job will equip me with enough knowledge to get the most use out of the degree. I know in the world of tech, people switch companies frequently to progress in their career. But my goal was never to progress in the software development career and that’s precisely why I didn’t switch companies in between. I knew as long as I stayed at the same company for the 4 years, there would be increased dependency on me and that I would be able to learn how to manage teams that way and that is exactly what happened. I am happy I believed in myself and stayed at the same company, compromising on a lesser salary than my fellow college mates who switched to different companies as SDE-2s and earning more than I do. Because the exposure I gained from getting to manage my team currently and the collaborative and leadership skills I developed over the years wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.

As I kept doing development work, I felt the coding work became monotonous. It didn’t feel like I was making any real impact, even though the features I developed had a business impact, I didn’t really feel it. I felt myself losing interest in the work that I was doing. Once my role started turning to a more leader type, it was then that my work started feeling more fulfilled. Managing the team and coming up with new tasks to better the system, writing SOPs for the team to follow to ensure code stability and basically just bettering the team functionality as a whole made me feel like I am actually contributing to the company. This is the role I want to work in in the future and for that I need the MBA education to help me understand and develop the necessary skills.

Lately as I am taking the time to put my whole life story on paper, I took a moment to appreciate how far I have come in my career. I am happy I made the career choices I did. The technical skills I learnt to prepare for a job in tech, the collaborative skills I developed by working in tandem with multiple cross-functional teams, the training skills I developed by helping my peers in the team, the diplomatic communication skills I gained by leading product requirement discussions, the leadership and management skills I developed by managing my team this past year, none of these would have happened if I didn’t stick to the planning I did back in 2020. I take pride in my abilities that I have developed so far and I am now at a point where I can say I am ready for the next chapter of my career. I know my strengths and I know my weaknesses. Though I am confident in my abilities, I also realise I lack formal training in team leadership, strategic thinking and client-facing communication, which are all required to become a leader in business. I got everything out of my pre-MBA career that I possibly could and then some, and I am now ready to make the most out of the MBA curriculum to move forward in my career towards becoming a leader in business.