‘It’s important to create balance among people, time, and money’

There are so many things that a person takes into account while choosing a college. What is the rating of the college? What are the job prospects in the sector in which the person is pursuing a course in? Is it far from home? The same was also true for Balbir Singh who completed his schooling at Sri Dashmesh Public School, Bazpur, Uttarakhand.

 In an interview, he talks about why and how he ended up pursuing his Master’s in Computer Application at Apeejay Institute of Management and Engineering Technical Campus (AIMETC), Jalandhar.

Where did you do your schooling and how did you end up studying at AIMETC?

After I completed my schooling in Uttarakhand, I did my BCA from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. I then sat for Punjab University Common Entrance Test. I cleared the exam and AIMETC was one of the top management colleges. Apeejay is a well-known brand. Since I studied in Ghaziabad, I was aware of the reputation this college had. Once I cleared the exam it was the most logical choice to head to it. Also, my uncle was living in Hoshiarpur, which is 30-odd km from Jalandhar. Since my family was there, it clinched the deal for me.

Can you share some anecdotes from your college days?

I had a lot of fun during my MCA days. While there were a lot of studies involved, I enjoyed my time here. The college used to organise a lot of activities – Pinnacle (the institute’s annual management and IT festival). I participated in many. Since Apeejay is a known brand, there were plenty of intra-college activities as well like cultural programmes and other group events.

What was the best part of studying here?

There was so much to learn. Our professors were open to new ideas and encouraged us to think outside the box. They encouraged us to come up with innovative thinking. We even started the placement cell, I was part of the committee. We made presentations and went from company to company in Delhi-NCR. So many of my friends got placed through this since several companies came to the campus.

Has there been a learning experience that has stayed with you?

The first thing has been the importance of taking an initiative. This I learnt as a member of the placement cell. It gave me the confidence of being able to speak in front of people and how to make a good pitch. Making presentations and pitching the same to clients is part of my daily routine today. Second, since I participated in several college activities, I never had stage fright. How to engage with people is what I learnt in college and it has stayed with me to date.

Where are you working at present? What is your work profile?

I am working at Fortinet Technologies India Pvt Ltd in Mumbai as Business Development Manager. Our company provides cybersecurity solutions. The head office is in Sunnyvale, California US. As a business development manager for public cloud security – to help businesses protect their data. I am in charge of the West, East, and Central in India and Bangladesh region. I have to manage partners for business development, and customer handling, provide cloud solutions and make presentations from a cloud security perspective.

What made you pursue MCA? Was there a specific career graph?

I wanted to pursue engineering. But due to family issues, I couldn’t do the programme. The next best choice was computers. I wanted to pursue a career in the IT sector, especially related to software. So I did my BCA and then MCA.

How has your professional journey been so far?

I got placed through the placement cell with Tulip IT. I joined as a network engineer. From there I moved to HCL Infosys as a presale for network security. I continued to pursue a career in network and security. I also worked with Bharti Airtel before I joined my present organisation.

“Apeejay provides many opportunities
but the student has to grab those to
take them forward”

-Balbir Singh, Business Development Manager at Fortinet Technologies India Pvt Ltd

How do you create work-life balance?

Travelling can be daunting in a city like Mumbai. But I still remember a talk that was given to us by Dr Rajesh Bagga, Director of AIMETC. Back then he used to teach us management. He said that the most important thing in life is to create balance among people, time, and money. Several people may think that this is not possible in today’s fast pace, but they are wrong. It depends on the individual and what the priorities are. This is the mantra that I follow.

A word of advice to students of Apeejay who want to pursue MCA.

Apeejay provides many opportunities but the student has to grab those to take them forward. Second, be focused on an area where one is comfortable. The MCA programme has several areas and not everyone can excel in each. Don’t get disheartened if one is not good in one aspect. Choose a field where one can create his/her niche.