What happens when you stop treating your career as a fixed path?
Suddhasattwa's career graph offers an interesting look into this. Starting with a leading automotive brand, he gradually moved into financial services, took a chance on a startup, later worked in financial markets, and eventually moved into a strategic role.
Along the way, he worked across client service, sales, operations, team management, and strategy. He also continued investing in his education.
His career journey is a reminder that career growth does not always come from having the next five years figured out. Sometimes, it comes from being willing to take the next challenge.
So, let's rewind to where it all started, in his own words.
My First Job Taught Me That Knowledge Is Only Valuable When You Can Apply It
I started my career in the automotive industry believing that a strong knowledge base would help me succeed at work.
My first job quickly challenged that assumption.
I was put in front of customers early and travelled to smaller towns around Ranchi, meeting shopkeepers, clinic owners and business owners. Many of them knew far more about their own businesses and experiences than I did.
That was not the point. They were not there to test my knowledge. They wanted me to understand their problems and help solve them.
It changed how I looked at knowledge. In a classroom, you are tested on what you know. At work, people value what your knowledge can create for them.
I also learnt that understanding the customer's perspective comes first. Trust follows, and business comes after that.
That was one of my earliest lessons in turning knowledge into practical value.
Why I Moved Into Financial Services, and Later Took a Startup Risk
After my first role, I moved into financial services and worked across sales operations, client service, and team management.
Over time, I began to wonder if I was becoming too comfortable with what I already knew. I wanted to test myself in a different environment, which led me to a startup.
The experience did not work out exactly as I had expected, but it gave me a better understanding of what it means to step into unfamiliar territory.
I eventually returned to financial services, moving into direct sales focused on India. Later, I helped build a team and moved into a strategic role.
Looking back, these moves were less about changing organisations and more about choosing situations that required me to learn, adapt and take on something new.
That is why I don't think a career move always needs to come with a bigger title. Sometimes, the better move is the one that gives you a new problem to solve.
Difficult Work Is Often the Best Career Accelerator
One thing I have learnt over the years is that nobody can read your mind. Your manager may not know that you want more responsibility. Senior management may not know that you are ready for a difficult assignment.
You have to ask. If I want more ownership, I have to say, Give me this challenge. Give me this work. I will figure out how to do it. The real senior people in organisations often appreciate that willingness. The important thing is not to wait for someone to hand you the next opportunity.
If you don't ask, the answer is always no. And asking for difficult work is not about asking for a bigger title. It is about asking for the opportunity to create more value.
I Keep Going Back to Being a Student
I always wanted to continue studying. I had thought about pursuing CFA much earlier, but eventually started with FRM in 2021. At the time, I was working with demanding schedules, so studying required me to find time wherever I could. Sometimes that meant studying in cabs.
I later pursued an MBA in Finance as well. For me, the qualification itself is only one part of the journey. What I value more is the fact that learning puts me back in the position of being a student.
At work, I may be the senior person. But when I enter an educational environment, I am the junior again.
And I think that is good for me. It keeps me grounded. You cannot allow your corporate designation, or even your certification, to become your identity.
The moment you believe you know everything, you have probably reached your peak. The only way forward is to find something else that challenges you.
Your Company's Brand Should Not Be Your Only Brand
Another lesson I have learnt is not to overvalue the brand name of the organisation you work for. In India, we often place a lot of importance on designations and company names.
But if you constantly rely on the organisation's brand, you risk forgetting to build your own. I believe you should evaluate an opportunity based on the responsibility you will get, the learning, the scope and the value you can create.
The objective should be to leave an organisation stronger than when you entered it. That is what builds your reputation.
Over time, your work and relationships become your professional brand. I have had people recommend me for opportunities even years after we worked together. That does not happen because of a designation.
It happens because of the work you have done and the reputation you have built around it. Become a brand yourself.
What I Would Tell My Younger Self
If I look back at my career, I would not describe it simply as Tata Motors → Morgan Stanley → startup → LSEG → Russell.
That makes it sound like a sequence of companies. For me, it was a sequence of learning experiences. My first job taught me to connect knowledge with value.
My years in financial services taught me different sides of the business. Leaving a comfortable environment taught me to embrace uncertainty.
Moving across organisations taught me that every new environment has something to teach you. And continuing my education reminded me that experience should never become an excuse to stop learning.
If I had to give one piece of advice to someone building a career today, it would be this: Don't optimise only for the next title. Optimise for the next challenge.
Ask for difficult work. Keep learning. Build your own reputation. And never become so senior that you stop being a student.
Lessons from Suddhasattwa's Journey
- Knowledge matters when it creates value: Knowing something is only the beginning. The real test is whether you can apply it to solve a problem.
- Don't confuse familiarity with growth: A role can become comfortable simply because you know it well. When that happens, look for a harder challenge.
- Ask for difficult work: Your manager cannot always know what you want next. If you want more responsibility, ask for it.
- Keep learning, regardless of seniority: Experience should not make you less curious. Sometimes, going back to being a student is exactly what keeps you grounded.
- Build your own professional brand: A company's reputation can open doors, but the quality of your work and relationships determines what happens after that.
- Focus on value, not just designation: Career growth is not only about a bigger title. It is about taking on greater responsibility and creating measurable value.
- Never stop challenging yourself: The moment you start believing you know everything is the moment your learning starts slowing down.