'Follow your heart, not your wallet'

WHAT THEY DON'T TEACH YOU AT B-SCHOOL

There are two theatres of learning at the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIM-C): the classroom and the hostel. I'd be hard-pressed to tell you what is an anova. Or a single fact from operations research.

But courses like Indian economic and political history, Indian ethics and values, and rural marketing did leave lasting impressions. As did non-academic events such as "World War", "The Tyre" and other traditions designed to make you a well-rounded person.

Still, 10 years later, here are some things that I think B-schools don't teach.

Let your heart decide your career, not your wallet. Money will follow: There is a lot of hype around the "highest-paid-job-on-campus". If that job is also something that you enjoy doing, you're lucky. But often, it's not.

Identify what it is that you enjoy doing (and are good at) and then focus on finding a job that lets you do that. Most of us work 12 hours a day "" it's important to like what you do. You may never be as rich as some of your peers, but you will have fun.

Have a three-year rolling roadmap for yourself: It is easy to float on the tide and lose sight of the future. A longer term view will ensure you keep the big picture alive and continue to enrich your role so that you avoid boredom and its inseparable companion, stagnation.

Mentors are very, very, useful: A mentor is someone whom you can look up to, and who can walk you through the inflexion points in your career. They are the best possible teachers of all the things you didn't learn in B-school. Much like the guru-shishyas of old, you have to seek your mentor and have them to accept you as their "mentee".

Your family plays a key role in your career: A spouse and extended family that is interested in and supportive of your career can be an excellent support system. This can range from ensuring you go well fed for 7 am "breakfast interviews", to driving you at night to the most dangerous locations so you can admire your floodlit billboard.

Put enthu!: A favourite phrase at IIM-C, it is a great motto. Bring passion to whatever you do.

Jessie Paul is Chief Marketing Officer, Wipro Technologies. She graduated from IIM-C in 1995.