From SRCC to UPenn CS — the career pivot nobody expected | Careers with CB

He did B.Com from SRCC — one of India's top commerce colleges. Then spent three years across finance, government consulting, and a unicorn startup's founders office. And then did something nobody expected — applied for a Computer Science degree at the University of Pennsylvania. And got in. In this episode of Careers with CB, I sit down with Nikunj Aggarwal to talk about his unconventional journey, the decision to skip an MBA, what life at UPenn CS actually looks like as a non-tech grad, and why your commerce background might just be your biggest advantage in tech. If you've ever felt like tech isn't for you — this one's for you. What we cover: 00:00 — Introduction 01:19 — Was commerce always the plan? 03:13 — Growing up in Nepal, boarding school at age 10 04:48 — Finance, CFA & joining a London-based asset management firm 07:27 — Joining a unicorn startup & the $1B funding round story 10:37 — Government consulting with J&K — being the youngest in the room 14:44 — Why he said no to an MBA 17:55 — The UPenn application process with no CS degree 21:24 — What life at UPenn CS actually feels like 23:09 — Coming to the US alone with no family support 25:16 — Imposter syndrome & advice for commerce grads wanting to pivot 27:21 — Does a commerce background give you an edge in tech? 31:23 — Rapid fire Connect with Nikunj: linkedin.com/in/nikunj3 Connect with me: linkedin.com/in/chaitanyaa-bansal About Careers with CB: Careers with CB is a podcast for Indian students and young professionals who want real, unfiltered conversations about careers — what people actually do, how they got there, and exactly how you can too. No fluff. Just real stories. Subscribe and hit the bell 🔔 so you never miss an episode. #CareersWithCB #CareerPivot #UPenn #CommerceToCode #SRCC #CareerAdvice #MBA #TechCareers #StudyAbroad #IndianPodcast