After completing his engineering degree ,Arif Ali Shora qualified the JMET exam for MBA in IIT Kharagpur. Today he is a financial analyst. Ibrahim Wani reports
Arif Ali Shora is a busy man. Financial analyst with E-value serve- a financial consultancy company, he prepares investment reports for Deutsche bank. His work involves keeping a daily tab of the financial markets. “I do analysis for design of investment strategies for the bank,” he says. Deutsche bank is ranked among the top banks in the world. It has assets in trillions of dollars, with operations in all the major markets of the world.
Arif, 28, hails from the Pirbagh in Srinagar. A student of IMI Srinagar (Higher Secondary), he secured 5th rank in the state engineering entrance exam (CET 2001) and landed an engineering seat in Government College of Engineering and Technology(GCET), Jammu in Computer Science.
While doing his engineering degree, Arif started taking interest in Finance. “Initially I just wanted to do engineering, but I soon realized that the starting salary packages were not good. I started looking for other options and finance was one of them,” he says. 
By the time he completed the course, he had made up his mind to go into finance. To pursue the choice, he even opted out of an engineering job offer he had received from KPIIT Cummins-an IT MNC.
“I wanted to go into one of the top management colleges in the country and do an MBA with Specialization in Finance,” says Arif. He started preparing for top management entrance exams in the country.
He appeared in SNAP, for admission to Symbiosis Institute of Business Management and JMET, for admission to Management Program in Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). He qualified both.
Arif opted for doing the MBA in IIT. He packed his bags and left for IIT Kharagpur. He completed his MBA from the institute in 2008 with specialization in Finance. Arif landed his present job when he was in fourth semester and has been continuing since.
“Finance is a big industry today, among the largest in the world,” he says. Along with other associates at his Gurgaon office, Arif analyses the financial markets which involves, “keeping a watch on options, derivates, swaps, and other financial products”. Arif says that the financial markets never sleep. “Finance is the backbone of economy today,” he adds.
According to Arif, Finance is a happening field and it is a good career option. It not only provides good salary packages but also great growth opportunities.
Arif feels that anyone who is good in mathematics can opt for a career in Finance. “Good mathematical ability is the greatest skill in the field of Finance,” he says.
For students interested in a career in Finance, Arif lists a number of courses. “You can start just at the graduation level. There are a number of graduate courses in Finance. You can also go for a Post Graduate program. Or like me you can do an MBA with specialization in Finance.”
But he has a word of caution for the students. “Only try for those management colleges which are at least among the top 20,” he says. “If you are not able to get admission into these colleges, then enroll in colleges or universities of good repute. Do not get carried away by college advertisements promising great placements and unbelievable pay packages,” he adds.
In addition to this he says that it is not just a management degree which guarantees a good job. “Many MBAs end up with jobs of just 2-3 lakh rupees per annum,” he says adding, “It is your own aptitude which decides what you will get. When a company comes calling, you have to show to them that you will be of use to them.”
Arif also feels that to succeed today, it is essential to have a long term career plan. He says, “You should have a long term plan. Do not think small. You have to keep updating yourself and keep developing skills.”
