When Abhishek finished his PGDM, he was excited to begin his career in finance. His first role was with Deloitte, one of the big names in consulting. But instead of diving deep into business analysis or valuations, he was working in tax compliance. It was a stable role, gave him exposure to financial statements and built his comfort with numbers. Yet, something felt incomplete.
He often found himself asking bigger questions while going through company filings like “How exactly is this business valued? What do these numbers really say about the company’s future? How do analysts and investors interpret this data?”
That curiosity slowly grew into clarity as he didn’t just want to prepare compliance reports but wanted to analyze businesses, understand their value and be part of roles like valuation, equity research or investment banking.
That’s when he came across a financial modelling program. What caught his attention wasn’t just the content, but the fact that it was being taught by people who had actually worked in investment banking and consulting.
He decided to give it a try. Not for a fancy line on his CV, but to feel confident about his own abilities.
And that decision paid off in more ways than one. Today, he doesn’t just work with numbers, he knows how to apply them in real situations, connect them to real business stories and build models from scratch. Most importantly, he is now placed at WNS, where he gets to apply these skills in real-world scenarios every single day.
Below is our conversation with Abhishek — Straight from his experience
Q: Can you share a bit about your academic and professional background before joining us?
I completed my PGDM and then worked as a Tax Consultant at Deloitte. My work was mostly compliance filing returns, reviewing statements, ensuring everything was in line with regulations. It may sound dry to some, but it gave me a lot of comfort with financial statements and numbers.
At the same time, this work made me more curious. While preparing reports, I would often think beyond compliance. For example, if a company showed lower profits this year, what did it mean for its valuation? How did investors react to that? That curiosity helped me understand that I wanted to shift into core finance into roles where I could analyze businesses rather than just tick boxes.
Q: So you had clarity that you wanted to move into core finance. Why specifically valuation and modeling?
Numbers tell stories. That’s the part that fascinated me most. You could look at three years of financial statements and piece together what actually happened inside a business.
Valuation especially felt exciting. It’s like asking, “What is this company really worth and why?”I remember I used to follow news about companies like Zomato or Paytm. Their valuations would swing up and down dramatically. Everyone debated whether they were overvalued or undervalued, but I wanted to learn how professionals actually arrived at those numbers.
That clarity pushed me to pick financial modelling and valuation. It felt like the most direct way to move into the kind of analysis-focused role I was aiming for.
Q: Many people choose CFA or MBA for this switch. Why did you go for the Financial Modelling course instead?
I did consider both. CFA is great for building concepts, but it’s a long-term commitment with three levels, multiple years and it’s more theory-heavy. MBA is another path, but since I already had a PGDM, I didn’t want to go through another two years of academics.
Financial Modelling was different. It was a very practical and short term course. Instead of just reading about valuation methods, you actually build models. I still remember one assignment where we had to make a three-statement model and then do a DCF on a real listed company. That exercise gave me more confidence than reading a hundred pages of theory.
On top of that, we also covered comparables, basics of M&A and LBO things that I had only read about earlier but never done practically. The interview preparation built into the program was another big factor.
Q: What challenges did you face before and after the course?
Before the course, my biggest challenge was signaling the switch. From the outside, I was “a tax guy.” I didn’t have any portfolio of valuation or modeling work to show recruiters.
After the course, the challenge shifted. Now I had relevant skills, but the question was how do I present them in interviews? Let’s say, if I built a DCF model in class, I had to learn to talk about it as a proper “story” in an interview. The mentorship and help I received for my interview prep helped a lot for these kinds of presentations. My resume was reviewed multiple times, we did mock interviews and I got clarity on how to pitch myself. The placement team also made sure I was applying to the right kind of roles.
Q: How was your actual classroom experience compared to what you expected?
Honestly, I got exactly what I expected and more. I had expected to learn Excel and valuation skills and yes, that happened. But the way it was taught made a big difference. Himanshu Sir was always approachable. I could walk up with doubts and he’d patiently explain. Manoj Sir and Priyanka Ma’am had a way of breaking down even the toughest concepts into simple logic.
For example, while linking the three financial statements, I used to get stuck with circular references. Instead of just giving the formula, they explained why it happens and how to fix it in different ways. That clarity stays with you much longer than shortcuts.
The pace was fast, the assignments were tough, but it was always practical. You could see the direct link between what you were learning and what you’d need in the job.
Q: What advice would you give to someone thinking of pursuing financial modelling?
First, pick this path only if you genuinely enjoy numbers and business logic. Otherwise, it will feel like a struggle.
Second, get your basics right. Link the three statements properly before you dive into valuation. Once you do that, go deep into DCF, comparables, and other methods.
Also, build a small portfolio of clean models, maybe pick a listed company, prepare a model, and keep refining it. In interviews, it helps when you can talk about your work as a story: “Here’s what I built, here’s what I found, here’s what went wrong and how I fixed it.”
Finally, if your target is valuation, equity research, investment banking or to get into core finance roles, financial modelling is one of the fastest ways to get industry-ready. The practical approach makes all the difference.
Abhishek’s journey shows how the right skills, backed by guidance and practice, can make career switches possible. From compliance at Deloitte to landing a placement in core finance, his story is proof that curiosity plus structured learning can change your career path.
You can connect with him on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhishek-narula-b54169167/
