One year ago, Goutham Sankeerth’s world turned upside down when he was laid off from his job at Toppr (part of the Byju’s group). In a LinkedIn post, Sankeerth has now revealed how he overcame the setback to secure admission into one of the country’s top management institutes – IIM Calcutta.
“In June 2022, my world turned upside down when I unexpectedly faced a layoff in my former organization Toppr (Byju’s) despite being one of the top-performing employees,” he wrote. Losing his job as an online faculty member for mathematics left Sankeerth demotivated and demoralised for a while. However, he knew he could not let one setback define him – he set his sights on pursuing a management course from a top institute.
“[I] embarked on a challenging journey to crack the CAT exam - the gateway to prestigious institutions like the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs),” he wrote.
Sankeerth threw himself headlong into preparing for the notoriously tough entrance exam, describing his journey as “anything but easy.” There were moments of frustration, when he felt like giving it all up, but he stuck through till the end.
“I successfully cleared the CAT exam, achieving a commendable percentile and was shortlisted for a personal interview in all the IIMs,” he wrote.
Preparing for the interviews presented another challenge. “These interviews demanded a clear vision and a profound understanding of the purpose behind pursuing an MBA,” wrote Sankeerth, who then began to study current affairs, business concepts and recent developments in the management field. He also participated in mock interviews which helped him refine his communication skills.
In the process of preparing for personal interviews, Sankeerth says he gained a deeper understanding of himself – “I recognized the importance of having a well-defined vision and a genuine purpose for pursuing an MBA,” he wrote.
The former Byju’s employee’s hard work paid off when he received offers from some of the top IIMs. He is currently pursuing MBA from IIM Calcutta.
“Looking back, this transformative journey has imparted invaluable life lessons,” wrote Sankeerth in his widely-shared LinkedIn post. He said the journey taught him the importance of resilience and believing in himself. He ended his post with some advice for those currently facing adversity – “ I implore you to believe in yourself and harness your potential. Embrace the challenges as opportunities for growth and give your best, knowing that dedication and sincerity are never in vain,” he concluded.
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