When you start an Executive MBA, people warn you about the long nights, the group projects, and the fact that your calendar will start looking like it needs a project manager of its own. And sure, there’s some truth to that. But what they don’t tell you and what surprised me is how quickly your thinking evolves. You stop seeing problems as tasks and start seeing them as opportunities. Even my manager noticed a shift (and not just because my emails got less aggressive).
I’m Aneesha Kochar, and I’ve spent the last few years thriving in the fast-paced world of sales, from Real Estate to SaaS. I’ve always loved the chase: building relationships, closing deals, and chasing numbers like they owed me rent. But as I advanced in my career, I started feeling the urge to move beyond targets and KPIs. I wanted to understand business from the top down, not just the funnel up.
That’s when I decided to pursue the Executive MBA at SP Jain Global. It wasn’t a sudden or impulsive move but a deliberate step toward deepening my leadership capabilities, broadening my strategic perspective, and investing in long-term growth. I knew it would be intense, but I also knew it was time to challenge myself in new and meaningful ways.
From day one, the EMBA made it clear: this wasn’t just about learning ‘what to do’; it was about learning ‘how to think’.
I still remember our early sessions in Strategy and Innovation. I wasn’t just reacting to business outcomes; I was decoding WHY they happened. I could now look at a company and start identifying strategic gaps, competitive moats, and opportunities for disruption.
But what really left a mark was the diversity in the cohort. Imagine being in a breakout room with a supply chain head, an engineer, a fintech consultant, and someone running their own manufacturing unit, and you all had to agree on a pricing strategy. Let’s just say… diplomacy was learned quickly, and collaboration mattered more than being right.
One of the most fulfilling projects I worked on was our Global Strategy Immersion Project for Sula Vineyards’ potential market entry into Vietnam. As someone from a non-FMCG background, this was completely out of my comfort zone. But that’s the beauty of this program — it constantly throws you into situations where you have to learn fast, collaborate even faster.
Professionally, I’ve seen a real shift. Earlier, my focus was just on closing deals. Now, I participate in strategic sales reviews, contribute to product discussions, and sometimes even play devil’s advocate in internal meetings (a role I’ve grown to love). Thanks to the EMBA, I don’t just bring numbers to the table — I bring perspective.
Of course, none of this would be possible without the magic of the ELO (Engaged Learning Online) platform. If you think online learning means staring at pre-recorded videos while pretending to listen. Think again. ELO is nothing like that. It’s immersive, interactive, and surprisingly addictive. You make eye contact with professors, participate in live debates, sketch out ideas on virtual whiteboards, and break into small groups for quick simulations. It’s everything a physical classroom offers.
And yes, balance is tough. There are days when you’re negotiating a SaaS contract by day, submitting assignments by night, and wondering if caffeine counts as a food group. But every time I walk into a meeting and bring a fresh insight or reframe a challenge through a new lens, I know it’s worth it.
So, if you’re someone on the fence about doing this, wondering if it’s the right time, or whether you’ll manage, here’s my advice: Jump in. You’ll be stretched, you’ll be challenged, and you’ll probably start dreaming in frameworks. But you’ll also grow in ways that are hard to quantify.
And who knows, like me, you might just discover that your sales brain was secretly craving a strategy upgrade all along.
Aneesha Kochar is a current Executive MBA student (February 2024 intake) and an Account Executive at Recruiterflow. With a keen eye for detail and a natural curiosity, Aneesha approaches every challenge as an opportunity to learn and grow.
Read more first-hand experiences from SP Jain Global students here.