Meet Mohit Kumar Dev, who strongly believes, if you think you can do it, you can. Mohit, a young, dynamic postgraduate student is today placed with TCS as a SAP Functional Consultant. While he is all set to make it big in the corporate world, he talks to Corporate Citizen about his journey from campus to corporate world
When a dream meets reality! It was indeed a dream come true for Mohit when he got placed as a SAP Functional Consultant, Enterprise Solutions with the IT giant, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
“The placement process for system batch started in the month of November. I was very excited as I was about to step into the most crucial part of my life, of getting placed and joining the corporate world,” says Mohit.
“I clearly remember, the first company that came for recruitment was Ujjivan Financial Services. Even though, I had never heard of the company before, they did have a very stringent selection process, which included an aptitude test, group discussion, psychometric test and a personal interview. Sadly, I was not able to clear aptitude test. Though, it wasn’t all that tough, the minimum cutoff was 60 percent. I realised that I am not fully prepared for cracking an aptitude test and decided to work on my aptitude skills. I started solving RS Agarwal aptitude book while also referring to online tutorials. Gradually, I gained the confidence of cracking it,” recalls Mohit.
The next company to come to the campus was Tata Technologies. They were offering a SAP consultant role. “I got to know from various sources that the aptitude test conducted by Tata Technologies is somewhat different. They conduct a GK test, English test, technical test and quantitative aptitude section. GK and technical sections were most challenging, as I was not in touch with core computer programming languages like C, C++, Java, J2EE, Spring and so on. I prepared for nearly a week and finally sat for the test. It was a mixed feeling after the test but somehow, I was feeling confident that I will be qualified. When the results came after five days, I had cleared it. I was happy with my performance. While my interview at Tata Technologies lasted for nearly 45 minutes, it was a pretty decent one. I was confident enough that I will be selected for the next round but they didn’t call me. I was pretty disappointed,” reminisces Mohit.
The very next day he learnt that TCS is coming to the campus soon, and they were too offering a SAP Functional Consultant role. Mohit had heard from his seniors and faculty members that clearing the aptitude test at TCS is extremely difficult. If you clear the aptitude test, 80 percent of the chances are that you are in. Keeping in mind the level of difficulty, he started preparing for it. “I was confident through-out. I attempted only those questions which I was confident about and could clear. The next round was a technical round which was mainly focused on SAP concepts. My interview lasted for nearly 25 minutes and it was a decent one. The interviewer was quite humble. It was a mixed feeling after the test but somehow I was confident that I will be qualified. Finally my wait was over... I was selected. I was very happy as it was a dream come true for me. I not only got a good company, but a good compensation and a good job profile, too” Mohit added.
Mohit got a chance to intern with ITC InfoTech, Bengaluru. “While I didn’t get a chance to work from their office, it was a great learning experience. I was given a real-life business scenario of a tyre company which was to automate their process and implement SAP in their organisation,” says Mohit.
“I also got to learn many new things which I didn’t know about earlier. I developed problem solving skills and learnt how to approach a particular problem. Overall, it was a great experience as it provided me with the platform where I could enhance my technical skills that came handy during my interview,” he adds.
“My journey started with an induction programme, which I thoroughly enjoyed. This was where we got to connect with different people from various places and different cities. The diverse population at our college consists of intellectuals and provides personal growth opportunities, and there are many occasions where we get to interact with corporate stalwarts from various industries,” says Mohit.
The long hours put in, the hectic regimens, assignments, surprise tests, economic times sessions help students to face the tough corporate world. “I believe, to witness the good changes in life, one must go through a roller-coaster ride, during these enriching and adventurous two years,” he notes.
The course kicked off with induction classes till the evening and lectures by corporate stalwarts, post that. The induction days, though tiring, was preparing them for their future. Induction, followed by presentations, along with cultural programmes and a much-awaited party for freshly baked future managers are some thing students at the institute totally cherish. “While we did have day-long lectures, with loads to learn, our distinguished faculties enlightened us with their knowledge. I still manage to make time for myself as well as my friends. I have managed to make a lot of friends here,” states Mohit.
Mohit hails from a small town called Pundag in the Purulia district of West Bengal. His father is a professor of mathematics in a degree college while, mother is a homemaker. He has two younger siblings, a younger brother and sister.
“My sister has completed her MBA in the HR stream and is currently working in a private firm, while my brother is pursuing his Mechanical Engineering from NIT Warangal,” says Mohit.
Mohit completed his schooling from Pundag and later did his B.Tech in Information Technology from Aryabhatta Institute of Engineering and Management, Durgapur West Bengal. Later, he completed his postgraduation while specialising in the systems stream.
Mohit is fond of listening to music, making new friends and reading magazines. Despite his hectic schedule, he still manages to find time for his hobbies.
“I believe, to witness the good changes in life one must go through a roller-coaster ride during these enriching and adventurous two years”
Reminisces Mohit, “After completing my B.Tech, I was desperate for a job in the IT sector. Initially, I planned to move to Bengaluru as most job seekers land up there in search of IT jobs. From there my struggle started as I thought I wasn’t competent enough as other candidates, hence started working on my aptitude skills, analytical skills and vocabulary. Gradually, I started to crack the aptitude test in various IT companies but somehow was not able to get through to the final round. I was disappointed as six months passed by and I was still jobless.”
He adds, “I still remember, one fine day I called up my mother and started crying over the phone. She clearly told me to come back home, but I didn’t want to give up. On the very same day, I got a confirmation mail from Mphasis saying I am selected for a job. I started working in Mphasis as a software engineer with a salary of ₹ two lakh per annum. I worked there for nearly 21 months but realised that I was not doing or learning anything new in this company. There was no challenge involved in this job and most of the time I was sitting idle.”
Mohit had heard of a technology called SAP from one of his colleagues and he was keen on learning about it. He also thought to switch his job but something stuck him – how about an MBA in systems from a reputed college. “My search process begun. My sister had recommended this institute. When I went through its website, I was very happy since they were also giving training in SAP. Immediately, I filled up the form and appeared for the admission process. Luckily, I was selected and opted for system specialisation, “ he added.
“Truly, my wish to become a SAP functional consultant in my life has become reality today,” he signs off.
By Mahalakshmi Hariharan
