Shaon Chatterjee

Tell us about your Passionately Curious experience.

My experience at Passionately Curious has been filled with growth. I’ve had my ups and downs when it comes to learning but I’ve always felt supported through it all. It not just a regular coaching institute; it is a close knit community of like-minded people, who think alike but yet are so different from one another. Each of us here are unique individuals with our individual interests but the one thing that is common among us all is this desire to get more from life than just what the traditional path has to offer. I joined in January 2021, but it wasn’t until May that I was able to fully immerse myself into the experience. Nonetheless, I’ve gained significant exposure to the world and ways of those who stand out.

What makes Passionately Curious different?

In today’s day and age, every third person is having an MBA degree, so what really matters is, what more do we have to offer on top of that. At Passionately Curious, each of our ideas are honed to help them take more tangible form, along with continuing to move along the traditional path as well. It is not simply focused on clearing certain exams (CAT,GMAT, etc.) - that actually have a less than 1% acceptance rate - and let that determine the path of our lives. Rather, we are introduced to ways and means of getting more from life by standing out from the crowd.

What is your biggest takeaway from the Passionately Curious program?

My biggest takeaway from the Passionately Curious program is the ability to be comfortable with not knowing something, with ambiguity, with identifying gaps in my knowledge; without the deficit making me feel inferior and affecting my self-perception. Because that’s where learning starts. I try not to give in to the temptation of pretending that I know everything there is to know about something and rather try to maintain my curiosity and absorb the knowledge that every new experience, every new article or video or anything else has to offer.

What skills did you gain as a result of being a part of Passionately Curious?

The skills that I’ve gained as a result of being a part of Passionately Curious are less of sellable skills but rather important life skills that run common across most successful people. I’ve learnt:

• how to be comfortable with ambiguity,

• the importance of shipping regularly,

• the importance of being reliable and consistent in my efforts,

• the ability to go deep into learning and accessing the higher mindset,

• the difference being effective and efficient and how to be more effective

But most importantly, I’ve re-learnt to see the world around me through the curiosity of a 5 year old and have fun in life.

What is your advice to people on the fence?

In this lifetime, we have essentially two choices in front of us: either be average and wait for someone to tell us what to do, then follow their orders; or be a black sheep, stand out from the herd, and go do what we actually wish to do. If you continue sitting on the fence, waiting for the right time, life will surely pass you by. So what are you waiting for, really? Because the little voice in your head will never really allow you to take the step. It has been trained to hold you back. Will you listen to it and stick with the status quo? Or take the first action step towards your goal life? The choice is yours. But one thing is for certain, if you truly invest yourself in the Passionately Curious program, you will most definitely never look back and regret not being just another sheep in the herd.

Where would you be today if you hadn't joined Passionately Curious?

If I hadn’t joined Passionately Curious back in January 2021, I would probably be right where I was back then. I would probably still be very lost and confused, not sure about what I want to do with my career, not sure where to start from, getting sucked into the FOMO of my peers getting ahead of me while feeling like I am getting no where, but too afraid to even get started because I would be held back by the fear of making mistakes and most definitely would be very anxious and self-critical.

What makes the Passionately Curious community special? [the students, not the platform]

Like I said before, Passionately Curious is not just a regular coaching institute; it is a close knit community of like-minded people, who think alike but yet are so different from one another. Each of us here are unique individuals with our individual interests but the one thing that is common among us all is this desire to get more from life than just what the traditional path has to offer. But what makes the community really special is that we truly are peers and not competitors. The goal is never to beat the rest and be the best but rather learn from each other and be better than we were yesterday. Each person here, would gladly help you out to be the best version of yourself, and that is something I feel is really rare in today’s day and age.

Anything else you'd like to share, a personal anecdote or story.

When I had my first interaction with Saurabh, I remember thinking to myself “Oh wow, this guy sounds like Phunsuk Wangdu (Aamir Khan) from 3 idiots… but less filmy more realistic.” After attending the initial demo classes, I remember being quite baffled at coming across a teacher who is this invested in my growth and career. I was quite surprised and somewhat skeptical because I couldn’t understand as to why would someone who had the so called “dream career” give all of it away to simply teach students?

Fast forward to when I finally joined the course and actually started learning about my mentor’s mentors (Seth Godin, Tim Ferris etc.) that I really understood what the name, the brand, Passionately Curious stood for. Because the two most important question in marketing is “Who is it for?” and “What is it for?” and at Passionately Curious, the answer is “Forthe students” and “to help them develop a career and identity that goes beyond just having a MBA degree”.

Anshuman Sharma

Tell us about your Passionately Curious experience.

I joined passionately curious on January this year (2021) with the purpose of getting prepared for GMAT/ CAT exam. It has been about 4 months, and I can see a considerable amount of difference in me as compared to before joining. It has been a great experience so far with lots of learning and at the same time having fun in the process.

What makes Passionately Curious different?

This is my 2nd attempt at the CAT exam. For my first attempt, I took coaching in Tathagat institute. However good it was, it did not suit me at all. That place only had an aura of competitiveness and a purpose to clear the exam with not much regard to learning.

Passionately curious, I found, is very different from such institutes, with its unique blend of subjective education as well as career design and profile building sessions where in we zoom out of the “cat” race and focus on grooming ourselves for the long run.

Another thing that I found to be different in passionately curious is the way the method of teaching. Each and every concept and question is worked upon patiently and by going as deep as possible so as to not miss out on anything and also imbibe the logic behind them.

What is your biggest takeaway from the Passionately Curious program?

The first thing that came to my mind as soon as I read this question was “Profile building and development”. My biggest take away would be the assets (such as my blogs, finance course, posting daily, etc.) I gained while learning with passionately curious, which no other institute would help with.

What skills did you gain as a result of being a part of Passionately Curious?

Patience and being comfortable with myself, to start with, would be one of the most important skills I gained by being a part of passionately curious. Compared to 4 months ago, I can see myself going more and more deep into a paragraph or even a quant question. By posting daily, I became more expressive and articulative. There are many more skills that I can look forward to imbibing and also polishing the existing ones.

What is your advice to people on the fence?

For the people on the fence, joining passionately curious would be the best advice I believe. I know this because I have been there, and I was there before deciding to join passionately curious, and I can see myself benefitting ever since.

Where would you be today if you hadn't joined Passionately Curious?

I got admission into IBS Gurgaon for PGDM program. As my mother would say, “a bird in hand is worth two in the bush”, so, I most likely would have accepted the admission. But, if I had done that, I would have followed the same downstream that millions of people are already a part of and been just another face in the crowd.

What makes the Passionately Curious community special? [the students, not the platform]

It feels like a team with common agendas yet different paths and backgrounds. Working and posting together and encouraging each other keeps the spirit active and motivational.

Anything else you'd like to share, a personal anecdote or story.

I don’t think there is anything with passionately curious that I would want to change. Everyday I get to learn something new and the variety of activities that we get to do is amazing and very helpful.