Why Learning by Doing Matters?
- blogs, product management
- 4 min read
Authors: Samir Kanta Satapathy – Consulting Partner at TCS
I’m Samir Kanta Satapathy, and I work in consulting across the communication, media, and technology sectors. My role involves interacting with customers around the world and presenting both reactive and proactive pitches related to services, products, and consulting.
Through this work, I have supported customers across different areas and gained experience in multiple professional roles. I am now pursuing an MBA because I want to move more deeply into the product field and eventually become a product owner.
Building on Experience Across Multiple Roles
My professional journey has included delivery, program management, and product management.
In my current role, I have also helped different organizations with product support through Application Development Services and Application Maintenance Services. These responsibilities have allowed me to work with different customers and understand various aspects of supporting products.
However, my next career step is more specific. After completing this one-year program, I want to work as a product owner and solve real customer problems in India.
I have already worked across several roles connected to products and services. Now, I want to bring that experience together and take greater ownership of products and the problems they address.
Why Practical Learning Was Important to Me
As an experienced professional, I was looking for a practical course. I wanted the learning experience to go beyond classroom methods and give me opportunities to apply what I was learning.
I had been exploring the Institute of Product Leadership for around three years before choosing its EMBA program. I also attended an experiential learning session, where I observed both the classroom and practical learning methods.
That experience helped me understand how the program approaches learning. It also gave me confidence that the course was suited to an experienced professional like me.
Learning on Sunday and practicing on Monday
The idea that stood out to me was simple: learn it on Sunday and practice it on Monday.
This approach connects classroom learning with professional work. Instead of waiting until the end of a course to use what I have learned, I can study a concept and then try to apply it when I return to work.
That is what learning by doing means to me. It involves understanding something through the curriculum and then putting it into practice in a professional setting.
For working professionals, this connection is important. We already bring experience from our industries, roles, and customer interactions. Practical learning allows us to connect new concepts with the work we are currently doing.
Finding Confidence Through Alumni Experiences
Speaking with alumni was another important part of my decision.
Their examples helped me understand the learning experience and how the practical approach worked for them. These conversations gave me greater confidence that I was choosing the right course.
I was not only looking for a learning school. I wanted a program designed for someone with professional experience and a clear career aspiration.
After exploring the program over several years, attending an experiential learning session, and speaking with alumni, I felt confident that its practical learning approach matched what I was looking for.
My Goal of Becoming a Product Owner
I aspire to enter the product field as a product owner.
Although I have already handled responsibilities across delivery, program management, product management, and product support, I now want to focus on solving real customer problems.
My consulting experience involves regular interaction with global customers. I discuss services, products, and consulting areas with them through different types of pitches. Becoming a product owner would allow me to continue focusing on customer problems while taking my career further into the product space.
A Lesser Known Way I Connect With People
Outside my consulting work, one lesser-known fact about me is that I have practiced numerology and palmistry since my student years.
Most people outside my immediate network are not aware of this interest. Over the years, I have practiced it with friends in India and even with some customers.
It has also given me a different way to connect with people. Although it is not widely known, it has remained part of my life since I was a student.
Turning Experience Into Product Ownership
My career has already exposed me to customers, consulting, delivery, program management, product management, and product support. My next objective is to use that experience as I move towards becoming a product owner.
The practical structure of the program was central to my decision. I wanted to learn through classroom discussions, apply those lessons through practical methods, and connect them with my professional work.
For me, learning by doing matters because it brings education and experience together. It gives me a way to learn on Sunday, practice on Monday, and continue moving towards my goal of solving real customer problems as a product owner.
