“Women from my village do not usually go out for their studies but that has been changing and I hope more women like me come forward to pursue their higher education,” said Ramya R, 22, who bagged the highest international package in her batch at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Sambalpur in Orissa. She will leave for her job in Nigeria in May.
Meanwhile, Avni Malhotra from Rajasthan's Jaipur secured the highest package of Rs 64.51 lakh per annum (LPA) at Microsoft and will join at the company's Bengaluru office in July. Ramya bagged the highest international package at Rs 64.15 LPA at an infrastructure and consumer goods company called Tolaram in Nigeria.
This year, the average salary for women at IIM Sambalpur is higher than the overall average salary. At least four women students from the batch bagged a package of over Rs 30 LPA.
The Quint spoke to Ramya and Avni about breaking the glass ceiling and hoping to be an inspiration to other young women.
'My Parents Didn't Know What IIM Was': Ramya
Originally from Sakkarachettipatty, a village in Tamil Nadu’s Salem, Ramya’s parents are farmers. She said, “My parents did not even know what an IIM was when I got a seat. It took me some time to explain to them and convince them to let me go.”
Ramya studied literature in Namakkal in Tamil Nadu and had marketing management as an extra subject. "That's when I discovered how interested I am in business. I started preparing for Common Entrance Test (CAT) in college. Even in school, math was my favourite subject but I also loved literature. On some days, I would end up reading a novel a day.”
It's not been an easy ride for Ramya. While her family was supportive of her dream to pursue an MBA, the finances had to be figured out. "My parents mostly cultivate sugarcane and turmeric. They could not afford the course so I decided to take a student loan. I was confident of being able to repay it in a few years,” said Ramya.
Ramya is a first-generation college graduate and has secured a job as an area sales manager at the Nigeria-based company.
"This job means a lot to me. My parents and I were very happy when I got the job. We didn't think I would get such a good pay package... We were skeptical but my efforts have paid off,” said Ramya, beaming with joy.
‘’Jumped with Joy When I got the Offer’: Avni
Meanwhile, Avni studied B.Tech at Jaipur's Jaypee University, and also worked at Infosys before she joined IIM Sambalpur. "During the pandemic years, I began thinking about my future. I wanted to get a good job and secure my family," said Avni, over a phone call. Her mother is a school principal, and her father, who is no more, was a dentist.
When Avni got the job offer on email, she recalled jumping with joy. "I have bagged my dream job. It was surreal when I found out about the job offer," she told The Quint. She joins Microsoft's Bengaluru office as a Product Manager in July.
'Seeing More Women in Leadership Roles Inspires Us'
Both Ramya and Avni hope to pave way for other women in the corporate world -- and at competitive salaries.
Ramya said, "Since women have to put in more efforts and convince families to let them study further, I want to work hard and pave the way for young women from small towns who have to break out of these barriers.”
While at IIM too, Ramya was inspired by her female classmates. She said;
I was studying with women from different backgrounds who too overcame all kinds of challenges and broke all sorts of barriers to get to IIM. Even during my job interview, I was told that they want more women in the organisation.
Avni said that the 48 percent of her classmates at IIM were women. "The work culture is also changing and we are seeing more women running organisations.”
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