Meet Rishi Dinani - my Student of the Month for July 2016

 

Meet Rishi Dinani, the happy-go-lucky young man who is our normal young, grinning kid next door - honest, humble and hard working. Rishi shares some amusing and amazing moments of his life with Student Mentor, Sonali Brahma (me) today. Read to know how you can be successful too, if you decide to woo luck through hard and smart work.

 

1.     When did you pass out from ISC? Indira School of Communication 

Technically in 2013 but I started working in Dec 2012

2.     How would you describe yourself as, then? (Friendly, happy go lucky, carefree)

Was happy go lucky and I got lucky :p. I started working with a very open mind and with minimum baggage which really helped.

3)  Did you have any career goals back then?

Not really, career goals at that moment were very cliché. I was having an interest in the creative side of things and wanted to be a part of a brand's success story make it big in the Advertising world with specific interest in the client servicing side. 

4) Was Sokrati your dream company? Had you planned to work for the digital

     industry?

Not at all, me and Sokrati were very new in 2012, the company was a start-up . Honestly hadn't even heard about Sokrati. I was very curious digital marketing and the scope around specially because I was reading a lot about it and had a chance to work on it for a client during my internship.

5) How did you get into Sokrati? Was it difficult? Challenging?

Got in through a job listing on Naukri.com, Oh yes! It was difficult I had given too many interviews before Sokrati and kind off cracked most of the interviews, didn't pick up any as I was getting paid less than what I made during my internship and yes I was the highest paid intern in my entire batch 15K. All this got me puffed in my head and when I had like 3-4 grilling sessions at Sokrati I was like, I don't want to join this company at all, I also thought I would not crack the interview but then I did it. 

6) Are you still with them?

Yes! 

7) What is your current title and role in Sokrati?

Manager- Business Development 

8) How did you manage to rise so fast there? What qualities in you do you attribute      your success to?

                      A simple mantra, have an open mind and leave all your past baggage outside the door.               

9) Do you believe, one cannot have fun when you get out of college and into a job?   Why or why not?

No I don't, you need to like what you do and most important you should be willing to do some work. You cannot expect to just have fun without giving your 100% to the job.

10) Any tips to students in the digital industry?

      Just know your basics and you will do well.

11) Any tips to students to stay focused on their careers?

Please be patient and humble. Even If you spend a year in your first job and you realize it’s not for you, that's fine! You have your entire life in front of you and trust me no experience is a waste. 

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The journey of Saudamini Joshi from a not-so-clear young girl to a confident young lady who knows where she has to go!

In a long-distance tête-à-tête, this young girl, my student back then, shares her journey with us – from a not-so-sure-about-which-stream to-take-kinda-girl to showing off her convo cap for earning a Master’s in Management from New York University, she has come a long way! Do read. You will know what it takes to dream and make that dream, real! 

Why did you decide to study management after mass communication?

I always planned to go for an MBA at some point in my life. I appeared for entrance exams for B-schools in India. I got through in Welingkar and KJ Somaiyya. When it was time to decide which one to choose, a little voice in my head said you should go for your Masters abroad. So I decided to give it a try. I scored really well on my GMAT. With my essays and good recommendation letters I got into NYU for the Integrated Marketing program. One semester into it I realized that the Management course would open more avenues for me so I transferred to that course in Spring 2015.

Don’t tell me, Sau. You were confused even there? Wow! J

Was it difficult to decide about studying abroad?

I wouldn't say it was difficult. I had my idols: my cousins who are doing extremely well in their careers here in the US. With the never ending support from my parents, it was an easy decision.

Was it difficult preparing for NYU? How did you prepare?

The GMAT part was moderately easy for me since I always had a quantitative aptitude and a flair for the English language. Very honestly, I prepared for GMAT in two weeks since my schedule at my then workplace was quite hectic. I treated the official GMAT guide as my bible. I solved it once and was good to go. TOEFL didn't need any prep at all.

What gave you the confidence?

I would say my parents' belief in me, and honest and focused efforts.

How did you fit in? At NYU? What overwhelmed you? How did you manage?

One thing about NYU and New York in general is that anybody would fit right in. They say that this city celebrates the different side of you. The first couple of weeks challenged all of the newbies like me as we were unaware of the subway system. We ended up taking the wrong trains and missing our stops a couple of times. But once I got a hang of it, I could comfortably leave my apartment with just my phone, metrocard, and debit card. At NYU, my first semester was very interesting because my peers came from various countries and cultures. When I transferred to the school of engineering in the second semester, the diversity in the classroom was way less as the class was mostly comprised of Indian and Chinese students since these are the countries that most engineers here come from. The system of studying, completing assignments, and grading here are way different than how they are back home. Also, here we needed to take responsibility of everything right from cooking to household chores - something that we didn't need to worry about before. I think it helped all of us grow up a little and appreciate every tiny thing that our parents did for us.

What do you plan to do now?

I am looking for a job in business intelligence and analytics

What did you graduate in before mass communication?

I did my Bachelors in Engineering.

Wow! You really are educated in all streams, Sau!

What is your personal philosophy?

Always think about 'what could be' rather than 'what could have been',

What is your professional philosophy?

Never stop learning and exploring. Getting too comfortable at doing what you're doing is a sign to look for the next challenge.

Who is your role model?

My first boss - Ms. Radhika Akolkar. She is the perfect combination of a leader and a team player. Assertive, yet polite, she has a personality that commands respect. I have seen her balance work and personal life in an impeccable way. I aspire to be like her one day.

If there was anything you could change about yourself before you took this course, what would it be?

Get more comfortable with concepts of statistics and practice coding. If I had done that I would've needed less time to get used to it and definitely have been even more productive.

Did I not tell you, that this young lady here has a pretty and sorted head sitting on her young shoulders? For those who don’t know, during her Mass Comm, where I taught her, she also was contemplating doing copywriting; even then I remember I had advised her to take up ‘brand/account planning’. She has made the right choice today and what a choice! 

Congratulations, my dear young lady. May you go on to create success and happiness wherever you go. And a few broken glass ceilings too, if I may add!

A woman #madeofgreat

In her early seventies now, this is a woman who is #madeofgreat. Right from her college days she has learnt to fight against destiny and the challenges life throw at her. Nothing it seems, came to her on a platter, nothing came to her, 'easy'.

She nursed her mother back to health from a debilitating illness when she was a mere 19 years. She faced intense resistance from her parents, when she decided to marry the man she loved. She lost her father to the claws of destiny a day before her son was born. She went through the pangs of uncertainty and fear when doctors expressed the possibility of her son being born deformed (the good part was, he was born normal). She lost her husband to alcohol and later to fate. She lost her son to his own psychological fears.

Having lost so much, the question is, how did she keep sane? And how did she become a woman of mettle, of steel, a woman #madeofgreat?

She did. Because, instead of giving back to destiny and life, the injustice hurled at her, she gave back love, smiles, kindness and joy.

She protected her children from an alcoholic home by staying strong and giving love and security. She relentlessly pursued the path of freedom from alcohol for her husband, without feeling let down, or angry or depressed. She loved her son back many times more than he withdrew from her, she gave kindness to the families who needed warmth and support most by taking shifts as an attendant in hospitals - voluntarily and willingly, because she had been through hell and back and knew how difficult it is to manage meagre human resources when a loved one is in hospital for days.

She was always there for her children's special occasions, even as they grew to be middle aged and she, old.

Even as she prepares for the final journey, she wants to be there for those who could use her healthy organs and live a better life.

She is an amazing woman and a real one. A woman who has and keeps on inspiring me to be a better, stronger and happier human being with every deed of hers. She is truly a woman #madeofgreat. They don't make women like her, on a large scale. I am glad she is such an important part of my life.
http://madeofgreat.tatamotors.com/