SIMT MBA Graduate Portrait: Paritosch Sarda

Paritosh Sarda (27), born in India, completed the MBA in 2004 with Concentration Management Information Systems. Prior joining the SIMT full-time program, he studied Computer Engineering at the Vishwakarma Institute of Technology Pune (India).

1. What was your job/career situation as you decided to pursue an MBA?

During the time I decided to pursue an MBA, I had a mix of business and technical experience of about 3 years. But my formal education was mainly technical, so the business 'mindset' was still missing. Therefore, I decided to pursue an MBA to get a balanced set of skills and also to expose myself to new opportunities.

2. What are the best elements in the SIMT MBA program in your opinion?

Mainly it is the thesis work, which was done in the last 6 months of the program. Stuttgart, as a location, offered many opportunities to do this thesis work with the well-known multi-nationals, like DaimlerChrysler and Bosch, located in and around this city.

Also, another value-adding element in the SIMT program is the internationality of the students and faculty, which exposes the students to varied cultures, business practices, and work ethics all around the world. This made working in teams extremely exciting and challenging.

The program structure is very flexible, which allows the students to focus on one concentration only or to mix-and-match different courses as per his/her requirements.

3. How did you benefit from SIMT?s close contacts to the industry?

I had an opportunity to do my master's thesis with DaimlerChrysler and, consequently, an internship. This was possible only because of SIMT's cooperation with the local industry. Another result of this cooperation was that the full-time students could work together with the career-integrated students, who enriched the learning process at SIMT with their experience in the local industry and their guidance on different culture-related matters at the workplace.

4. How has the SIMT MBA helped in the development of your career?

The SIMT MBA has helped me immensely in terms of the network I have been able to create here in Germany and other parts of the world. My team skills improved immensely as we were always expected to work in teams and deliver, irrespective of what the internal team dynamics were. Apart from team skills, it was a personally enriching experience and I have been able to make many valued friends in the process. Eventually, after my internship at DaimlerChrysler, I started at Procter & Gamble in Frankfurt.

5. What did you learn that is important for your current job (e.g. specialized knowledge, soft skills)?

Having no knowledge in the area of corporate finance, I was able to customize my program to have a 'dual specialization'. While I majored in Management Information Systems, I was able to take additional courses in Finance & Investment to fill this gap in my knowledge. This has proved very helpful in my current job. Also, the inter-personal skills like team work, presentation skills, and time management, which are required in the SIMT MBA program, have positively impacted my performance at P&G.

6. How would you sum up the experience of studying at the SIMT?

On the whole, the experience was unique and immense enriching, in professional and personal context.