Ranked amongst the top 20 Institutes of Management, Goa Institute of Management (GIM) sprawls across 50 acres of land in the lap of the Western Ghats. An excellent faculty, a pedagogy that is rigorous but imparted with ease, an enviable placement record and a range of extra-curricular activities, make GIM the first preference for many students like Deepak KS, (Class of 2014-16).
Having graduated from IIT Madras, Deepak began his working life as an Interest Rate Derivatives Trader in Eurodollar, Euribor and the US treasury futures. “I was part of a start-up in manufacturing and I felt the need to do a PGDM as both my partners were Management graduates,” he explains.
Having applied and got into a few other colleges (TAPMI, Fore, IMT), it was the interview experience at GIM that proved to be the turning point. “It was so enriching and exciting that I felt this was the place for me,” Deepak says. “GIM also has a very strong base for students in finance which actually puts them a level above their peers in other B-schools.”
Deepak was not wrong in his choice of a Management Institute. After a few initial hiccups – wondering if he would fit “into the mix of students,” especially given his age and profile – it all changed for the better. Today, as he is poised on the threshold of a brand new career trajectory, he says he owes a lot to the GIM experience, especially the healthy competition from his classmates: “The varying viewpoints and opinions of my fellow students, as well as their competitive spirit, made studying here an absolutely enriching occurrence.”
Looking back at the journey, he recalls his Summer Internship with Hedge Equities Ltd. “The stimulating work and the warm and welcoming environment,” he says, looking back. These are experiences he hopes will be part of his new job as an Analyst with Arcesium (DE Shaw), where he will be working either in the middle office, back end operations, treasury or in the pricing department. The route to a placement after two years of academic rigour was not something he will forget in a hurry. “The processes of selection to a job with Arcesium included an aptitude test, a Group Discussion and then a technical and an HR interview,” he says. “Realising that I was a little under prepared for my earlier interview, I worked hard on this one. I still feel there were areas where I could have improved on significantly.” “My responsibilities include building valuation tools, liquidity management, supporting client trading activities, resolution of trade and account settlement issues, etc,” he elaborates.
Despite it being a rather long interview, this PGDM from GIM says he felt a sense of ease with which he answered the guess-estimation questions. “I felt I was able to answer very well. GIM’s courses on derivatives and fixed income securities also helped me sail through the interview process with ease,” he adds.
Delighted with the result of his hard work, the first person Deepak rang when he knew he had made it to a job of his choice was his mother. “I just said, ‘Hi! I got placed!’” he says with obvious pride.
To those he leaves behind at GIM who want to make it in the same domain, his words of advice are clear: “Make sure to take the Term IV courses in finance very seriously. They are the foundation for what is a must if you want to be in this profession.”
Top MBA Colleges in India
Top MBA Colleges in India 