Returning to roots

Ragini did Masters in Human Resource Management from Cardiff University, United Kingdom. “It was a one year course. After I graduated in September 2008, I had come to Bangalore on a holiday. That time, many people told me that my resume would have more value if I worked abroad.” So she worked in the UK for over a year as an office manager and came back. She cites her family as the main reason for her coming back. “I had never lived away from my parents. And staying away from them for two and a half years was just too much for me.”

Despite receiving job offers from companies in Bangalore and the UK, Ragini is currently pursuing a course in cosmetology in the City. Will she be going back to the UK in future? “I do have an option but as of now, no,” she laughs. 

Lakshmi pursued Masters in Drug Discovery from the University of Edinburgh. She has been working as a scientist with Biocon for six months now. “The stress is more on work experience than education in foreign countries. Many students there work even before they finish their graduation,” she notes.

Declining the various internship offers she got there, Lakshmi returned to Bangalore. “I was quite homesick and you get great opportunities here.” She likes her present job and has no regrets at all. “A person with an international degree does get a higher salary. But someone with a degree from an institution like the IIT probably gets paid the same amount.”

Anirudh Kheny pursued Masters in VLSI, Hardware Engineering, from Syracuse University, New York and came back to Bangalore recently. Currently working as a Senior Engineer in Tata ELXSI, Anirudh feels “India is the place to be”. “It’s the hub for most leading companies especially in the field of hardware. Besides, recession has hit the hardware field badly in the US. So I preferred taking up a prestigious job in Bangalore rather than doing a menial job in America.”

Anirudh made use of the opportunities that came along. “The opportunities are great here and there’s nothing as nice as coming back to your place.”

He feels studying in the US opened his worldwide vision and exposed him to various cultures. “An international degree adds to one’s CV and my degree has helped me a lot. It’s been great coming back and taking up a job that matches my specialisation.”