Please evaluate and suggest a proper course of Action

[Ashish321]

Dear Stacey ,

Request you to please evalute my profile and please provide your valuable opinion on my issue stated at the end of the profile.

I am Ashish from India . I have a concern about one of the factors that i would discuss below , but i would first brief my profile

Age : 28

Nationality : Indian

Academics
Degree : B.Tech in Electronics and Telecommunication
Score : 67 %

Work Experience :
No. of Years of experience uptill January 2011 : 4.2 years in IT and Telecommunication
Organisations Worked for : Bharti Airtel ( Indias's Largest Telecom Service Provider), TCS and Accenture
Last Role Handled @ Accenture : Team Lead (Handled a team of 7 associates based in Netherlands)
I was promoted to Team Lead after a period of one year , owing to my performance . I have been Team Lead for about 3 years now , having handled and mentored teams . I have handled multiple responsibilties including acting as a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for other vendors and teams , client interaction and conducting training sessions , among several others.

Community Service
Teaching Mathematics at an NGO 3 times a week
Sponsored a Child's Education

Interests/Extra-curricular :
I am a voracious reader of Business Books and specifically Finance Books , Journals and Magazines
Part of the Knowledge Club at TCS
Handled various Clubs @ BSNL , TCS

GMAT
No. of attempts till now : 1
Score : 710 .
I would reappear for GMAT and hope to get a 740 +

Certifications :
- Six Sigma Green Belt
- Multiple Certifications from National Stock Exchange , India

My concern is stated below :
I left my job in the last week of January,2011 to pursue my interest in Stock Markets Investments full time. I have been investing successfully in various Asset instruments for the last couple of years and desired to pursue my interest full time.Since a year or so i felt the need to go my my own way and felt that it is worth the risk of quitting the job to pursue my dreams , and i ended up quitting the job .My current interests is in line with my long term goal of setting up a Financial Advisory. I spend a lot of the time learning the art of Investing and studying various books on Investments .

I intend to pursue an MBA starting 2012 , which i feel would give a platform to gain a holistic view on various Business aspects . My Goal is Entreprenuership in Investments Sector.

I want to know whether my current decision to go on my own puts a negative against my profile . If it doesn't , how can i prove the reason to the Adcoms . Also , If that is a concern for the Adcoms and a negative against my profile , i am willing to go back to the job for another year.

Request to please suggest the appropriate thing to do . That would be of so much help to me

Also , it would be of so much help if you could suggest whether i stand a chance in the Top 30 B-Schools with my profile ( especially if i have a 740 or a 750 in GMAT ) and your views on as to how can i improve my profile going forward.

Thanks & Regards,
Ashish

[Stacey Oyler]

Hi Ashish,

Thanks for your post. In general, you seem to be in touch with the strengths and weaknesses in your profile.

I agree that retaking the GMAT is a good idea, and I'm glad you plan to do so. This will help you strengthen your overall academic profile and will help you stand out in the large pool of Indian applicants.

In regard to your work experience and goals, the adcom may have some concerns. While your goal of becoming an entrepreneur in the investment sector is logical, there could be some red flags. The adcom may question your current lack of employment as well as why you chose to currently pursue this goal without an MBA, especially given you feel an MBA is necessary for success. In this economy, walking away from a good job is risky and bold, you'll want to be sure you have a solid story explaining why you took this risk as well as how you are spending your time - learning about investing and making personal investments isn't enough. I strongly encourage you to seek some sort of employment (even entry level or an internship) in the financial services field. This will not only help convince the adcom of your goals (and that you are indeed serious about achieving them), but it will also prevent you from having an employment gap of more than 2 months on your resume - which can raise red flags with adcom members.

Regards,

Stacey

[Ashish321]

Thanks a lot , Stacey .

I really appreciate your evaluation

[Stacey Oyler]

Hi Ashish,

Thanks for your response. You made some valid points and I agree with you on many. The most important thing is that you understand your path and believe that an MBA is truly the best way to help you achieve your goals. It takes a lot of strength, passion and risk to leave a steady job- and you just did a nice job of explaining why you felt so compelled to do so. Put that energy and passion into your essays and you'll have a compelling story.

Best,

Stacey

[Ashish321]

Thanks Stacey for your encouraging comments!

[Stacey Oyler]

You're welcome!

Stacey