Frantically preparing my tools on an oil rig in the middle of the Thar desert in Rajasthan, India, my heart skipped a beat when the mail popped up: "MBA Admissions decision available now". With trembling hands, I opened the link and signed in: finally, it was here! After 3 months of preparing for the GMAT and refining essays and 3 months of waiting for the decision, it was finally time to stop worrying about what I would do if I don't get in to Anderson and start worrying about what I should do once I get there. It's going to be a long and fun 2 years, and I very much look forward to sharing my experiences along the way with all of you.
My name is Nikhil George Punnoose and I'm from a fairly small town in Kerala at the southern tip of India, which means I'm probably quite different from most of the Indians you may have met before. I went to the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras to study for a dual degree (bachelor's and master's) in Electrical Engineering, but decided to switch things up and enter the energy sector as a Field Engineer for Schlumberger after I graduated. After a heady two and a half years of oil rigs in the desert, oil rigs in paddy fields, oil rigs in tea plantations, oil rigs on the beach and oil rigs in the middle of the deep blue sea, I came to the conclusion that I was spending entirely too much of my twenties on oil rigs. It was a very unique and intersting experience, though, and I'm very glad to have gotten the opportunity to gain a thorough grounding on how the drilling and exploration side of the Oil and Gas business works, and especially the key technologies that are in play in that area. I hope to use the resources and knowledge that Anderson will provide to also get a grasp on the business side of the equation. I intend to be involved with the Management Consulting Association and the Strategy and Operations Management Association as well as the Energy Management Group and the High Tech Business Association. I'm also really looking forward to exploring all the great foodie culture that Los Angeles has to offer with Anderson Eats and the Wine Club.
Outside of work, I am a voracious reader, a fickle writer, and an enthusiastic traveller; I have gone scuba diving in the Lakshadweep islands, skydiving in Houston, and skateboarding down mountain roads in Switzerland. I've also gone on a cruise to Alaska, on desert safaris in Dubai, to watch some great stand-up and theater at the Edinburgh Festival (and Fringe), whale watching in Boston, to the casinos in Macau, and around Singapore, Hong Kong, etc. I will also be backpacking across Europe next month, before leaving for LA.
There are so many things to figure out over the next couple of months - housing, insurance, loan applications, settling in... I haven't even booked my tickets yet! I will be sure to keep updating here as I go through this whole process, and I hope I manage to get across just how excited I am for this new adventure to begin!
~Nikhil George Punnoose, find me on twitter here and if you aren't already, do follow UCLAMBA.
