Every journey begins with a calling. Mine began with history.

Ever since I was a child, I wanted to become a historian of India’s past. I admired scholars like Kalhana, who preserved our civilization’s memory, and I dreamed of making even a small contribution of my own. It felt like a clear purpose, something meaningful and intellectually fulfilling.

But life rarely follows a straight path.

After completing my master’s degree in history, circumstances forced me to step away from academia. It wasn’t an easy decision. I had invested years in pursuing that path, often going against practical advice. Suddenly, I found myself holding a degree that offered limited opportunities outside academia.

Choosing an MBA, therefore, was not initially an emotional decision. It was a practical one. I arrived at BITSoM with uncertainty. I questioned whether I had taken the right decisions, wondered about the opportunity cost of my past choices, and felt like I was starting over without a clear direction.

Then came Term 1.

It was intense. I was juggling academics, placement preparation, networking, and adapting to a completely new environment at the same time. The pace was relentless. Deadlines followed one another, group assignments required coordination, and placement preparation demanded consistency. It often felt overwhelming.

What helped me adapt was the people around me. Learning at BITSoM was not just individual. It was deeply collaborative. Studying together before exams, discussing concepts after class, sharing notes, and debating ideas made even the most hectic weeks manageable. Instead of struggling alone, we moved forward together. These peer learnings became one of the most valuable parts of my experience.

My peers also began to reshape my mindset in unexpected ways.

One batchmate had started a business that did not succeed. Yet instead of being discouraged, he was already planning his next venture. While I was still reflecting on whether my past academic choices had limited my options, he was confidently embracing risk again. His attitude made me rethink failure, not as a dead end, but as part of progress.

Another batchmate had served as a soldier before building a clothing startup generating crores in revenue. At just 26, he had already lived multiple professional lives. Listening to his journey made me realize how much one can accomplish in a short span and how unconventional paths often lead to meaningful outcomes.

These experiences slowly changed how I saw my own journey.

I had always admired entrepreneurship, the idea that both sides benefit in a voluntary exchange, what John Stossel calls the “double thank you” moment. But I had also been

cautious. Academia felt safer and more predictable. Seeing my peers embrace uncertainty made me question whether playing safe was actually limiting my growth.

Gradually, my perspective began to shift. I stopped viewing my background in history as wasted effort. Instead, I started seeing it as a foundation that shaped how I think, analyze, and understand the world. The MBA was not replacing my past. It was building on it.

Term 1 also taught me something deeper about myself. I realized the importance of maintaining optimism of the heart and realism of the mind. The workload will be heavy, uncertainty will exist, and not everything will go as planned. But stressing excessively does not help. What matters is doing your best, adapting as you go, and trusting the process. Sometimes the best approach is simple. Do as well as you can, and let the rest unfold.

Today, I see my journey differently. I no longer feel like I abandoned one path and randomly chose another. Instead, I see this as an evolution. The historian in me is still alive, curious and reflective. The MBA is adding new dimensions, strategic thinking, business understanding, and openness to risk.

Perhaps the destination is not about choosing between history and business, but about combining both in a meaningful way. The journey that began with uncertainty is now turning into exploration. And maybe that is the real purpose, not to follow a fixed path, but to build one.