Aritro Dasgupta (PFM 2008-10) is an Independent Consultant, working in the field of teaching, corporate training, content writing, and strategy consulting. Aritro worked full-time for three different companies until 2016 when he ventured off on his own as a freelancer. He is now a prolific writer and has been published at the Business World, Careers 360, Geography & you, and Pine Chemicals Review amongst others. He is also a well-known teacher of General Knowledge and Verbal Ability as well as of some of some courses for management graduates. He has taught at Career Launcher, Skyline University (Dubai & Nigeria), Unacademy, Global Risk Management Institute, and Byju’s Exam Prep. Besides, Aritro also conducts soft skills training classes for different institutions.
Social Media:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/aritro.dasgupta.1/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aritro-dasgupta-b7525419
Q) How has been your journey from IIFM to this role?
A. The journey after IIFM started as a struggle. Unlike many of my peers, it took me several years to get a footing in my sector. However, I see those initial years of struggle as a time of great value. I worked in a relatively small organization for years that gave me a sneak peek at the entire working of the education sector from a strategic point of view. Since then, my career has only blossomed, and I’ve been fortunate enough to ride out the tough times during the pandemic.
Q) What were some of the key milestones/learning in this journey that you would like to share with us?
A. I started with Sambodhi, where I was there for a little less than a year. Sambodhi had started a new training institute, and I was part of that team. It led me to an entry into the education sector. Next, I spent four years with Skyline Business School in Delhi and Dubai. I was number two in the India operations, so I got a bird’s-eye view of the entire sector. Then I spent a little over a year with Career Launcher in Gurugram. Since 2016 though, I have been a freelancer. During this period, I have been into teaching and content writing. Teaching has been at management institutions and coaching, plus a lot of motivational sessions at colleges. I have written for publications like the Business World, Careers 360, Pine Chemicals Review, Geography & you, What’s Up Life, and many more. Among my key achievements is being a mentor to some of India’s top rank holders in various national level exams, such as CLAT, AILET, CAT, IPMAT, and DUJAT.
Q) What is the most satisfying part of your current role?
A. In my current role, the best part is the flexibility that I get and the creativity with which I can work. I can control the timings of my work to a large extent. It always involves a lot of creativity and enough scale.
Q) Has your learning at IIFM helped in shaping how you approach your professional roles?
A. IIFM has played a vital role in my learning. Unlike most of my batchmates from an engineering background, I never stayed in a hostel before my time at IIFM. The field trips and internships also gave me much-needed exposure.
Q) Who (or what) are the biggest influences or drivers in your career? What would be your advice to freshers and IIFM graduates who are looking to choose similar sectors/roles?
A. From IIFM, Dr. Yogesh Dubey was one of the people who influenced me the most. Since I joined work, I have had various influences, such as bosses and colleagues at different organizations. I have also learned a fair bit from competitors and even from students!
If someone wants to work in the education sector, I’d say that one must start slow. Once a teacher’s brand has been established, it is usually unshakeable. Since there is a significant qualitative aspect, one only improves with increased experience.
If someone wants to be a professional writer, one must begin with one’s blog and develop it further. There is a scarcity of good professional writers, so many opportunities beckon for those who can ace this.
Q) What are your favorite memories during your IIFM days?
A. My favorite memories are from the field visits and internships we had. There was so much to learn, plus we had a lot of fun. I remember visiting beautiful spots in MP such as Betul or Burhanpur as part of those trips. My summer internship was enviable, as I was interning with the JLR in the Nagarhole National Park in Karnataka.
Q) In hindsight, what was the biggest contribution (courses, faculty, library, friends, and alumni. Anything else!!) or take away from IIFM that you think played a critical role in shaping you as an individual or professional?
A. Some of the courses, especially in the second year, were truly insightful. It was wonderful interacting with the faculties at IIFM, especially off the court, as they had so much wisdom to share.
Q) The best friends/seniors/faculty at IIFM? Some memorable tidbits that you like to share.
A. My best friends from my batch were Kaushik Hazarika, Nishant Pandey, Ibon Teron, Dibyendu Nandi, Reetabrata Ghosh, Soumyajeet Biswas, Hardeep Singh Chhabra, and Ritesh Dhawan. Among my seniors, Ritwajit Das influenced me positively in many ways. I learned a lot from each of them and, barring with one, we are still in touch with each other. Most memorably, I recall the movie discussions we used to have.
Q) As an alumnus, what is your advice to freshers or those who are joining IIFM to get the best out of the 2 years there?
A. I would urge all to explore the campus at its best. They must keep a healthy balance between academics and other areas. They must also develop their soft skills.
Q) What is your typical day at the office?
A. A lot of my work is done from home, and this is not only due to COVID-19 but has been the trend since before that. Almost all my writing work is flexible, so it can be undertaken from anywhere. Earlier, I used to travel all over Delhi NCR and even outside for my classes. That has reduced now due to the advent of online classes, which keep me busy for hours each day.
Q) And how about weekends, Hobbies, Family, and anything else you want to add
A. In my industry, weekends are the busiest. But I get time off during the week. Being a food blogger, I explore several of the finest restaurants in and around my city. I continue to read a lot and watch football, of which I am a big fan. I live in Gurgaon with my wife and my parents.
Q. Favorite Books, movies, authors.
A. Books- Catch 22, Home and the World, Guns Germs & Steel
Movies- Letters of Iwo Jima, Moneyball, Gladiator, The King’s Speech, The Post
Authors- Rabindranath Tagore, Jared Diamond, Niall Ferguson, Amitav Ghosh
Q) IIFM is driven by alumni’s passion and commitments towards its goal. How would you like to contribute to IIFM or IIFM alumni, students?
A. I would love to train the current and future batches at IIFM over various soft skills, extremely essential to the recruitment and further professional growth.
Q) What do you think is different at IIFM now vs when you studied there? What do you think is a positive change and what is not?
A. The number of students has increased drastically. The alumni list is very diverse now. There is a greater emphasis on soft skills, which is a positive development.
Q) Any suggestions on who you want to get profiled/interviewed here?
Ans) Vidhi Batra and Dibyendu Nandi.