In Jan 2006, while most of my MBA classmates had secured their summer internships, I was waiting, empty-handed.
Many firms didn’t even interview me — who wants to hire an ex-cop, with no prior business experience?
In the midst of a festive mood in the US, with the economy booming and Super Bowl coming up, I was sad and in a grip of nail-biting anxiety. I had little cash left and not doing an internship would ruin my chances of a decent full-time job, later.
As it is, very few American companies want to hire international students. Who wants to take the pain of sponsoring your visa?
Thankfully, in the nick of time, I got an internship offer from McKinsey.
At that time, it felt like life and death. But was it, really?
Looking back, I see things a bit differently. If I hadn’t gotten the McKinsey offer, I would have looked for jobs elsewhere, maybe in other countries.
Life would have taken a different turn but who is to say if it would have been better or worse?
Life is like a drama on a stage — when the show is on, we are totally caught up in it. But when the show gets over, we move on instantly.
The only thing truly life and death is the health and wellbeing of your loved ones. Other things — you won’t even remember them 5 years later.
– Rajan