With interest in widening her career aspirations and leadership development, Srividhya Ganesh states how working towards her MBA early on has positively impacted her future.
- By
- November 15, 2022
- Weekend MBA
Chicago Business Fellows Profile Srividhya Ganesh
The Chicago Business Fellows Program (CBF) is part of Chicago Booth’s Evening MBA and Weekend MBA Programs, designed for candidates with three years or less of full-time business experience. Learn how Srividhya takes advantage of Chicago Booth's flexible curriculum.
Why Chicago Booth?
Coming from a heavy science background in undergrad, I wanted to go to a school where my skills would be transferable and I’d be able to put theory to practice immediately and Chicago Booth offered me just that. The ability to learn from a world-class faculty, and the ability to choose rigorous classes that suit my professional needs are what made Booth unique for me. Embarking on this journey surrounded by like-minded highly driven individuals and learning about perspectives outside of my own was just the icing on the cake.
Why Chicago Business Fellows? Why was getting an MBA earlier in your career important to you?
As I started my search for MBA programs, I knew that I wanted to grow and develop throughout my MBA journey with peers that were at similar stages in their professional careers and the Chicago Booth Fellows program was perfect for that. I was at a pivotal point in my career with two years under my belt and I knew that engaging with others with similar goals would help me widen my career aspirations and start thinking about professions and industries I wouldn’t have been interested in before. I decided to pursue an MBA in the early stages of my career so that I had a strong business acumen foundation with which I could build my career off of.
What are your career aspirations and how will an MBA from Booth help you achieve them?
With all of the skills I’ve gained working in healthcare, I entered Booth with the notion of taking advantage of the analytics and finance based classes and to build a stronger quant based foundation. However, it was classes like New Product and Strategy Development Lab (in partnership with the Polsky Center) and Managing Service Operations that taught me the strategy and thought process behind developing products and services from the conception stage to market. I decided then to take my skills and apply them to a career in product management. Booth’s various career coaching sessions and workshops led by the Product Management student group have also given me the tools and network to become a better and more effective leader confident in making critical decisions for an organization.
How have you felt supported by the Booth community?
Since day one, the Booth community has been incredibly supportive. Moving to a new city without knowing anyone isn’t easy but the welcoming energy of Booth helped me immediately feel at home. I found my second family amongst professors and friends. Student groups like Graduate Women in Business (GWB) and the Booth South Asian club helped broaden my network, craft my narrative, and be really impactful both personally and professionally. Everyone at Booth constantly strives to make a conscious effort to advocate for all and amplify the feelings and experiences of those around us.
How has Booth helped you develop as a leader? What aspects have you found especially useful in being an effective leader in the world today?
Being a woman in a leadership role comes with certain societal barriers and Booth has taught me how to navigate those obstacles and be a confident and impactful leader. Being a part of Chicago Business Fellows and different student groups as well as my interactions with faculty and friends have allowed me to break out of my comfort zone, strengthen my communication skills, and develop as an individual. Booth provides this framework for leadership that involves learning and growing from successes and failures, ultimately empowering students to take control, be accountable, and inspire others.
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