An 'elite' IIMer's perspective, 10+ years down the line

Using a throwaway account since I don't want to give the batch and college away!

Reddit keeps recommending this sub to me, and I am filled with nostalgia seeing many of the posts - seems like a few days back when I got into an IIM 10+ years back after the gruelling mockups, exams, GD and PI. Reading some of these posts is sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes wants me to put down some unsolicited free wisdom, so here goes :

1. Life is not over if you don't get into an elite IIM. One of my batchmates was so obsessed with one of the IIMs that they decided to give CAT again, and then shifted to one of ABC. Got into an amazing consulting gig, travelled the world, and few years down the line, was diagnosed for depression and is now recuperating. Another grad college friend, who always wanted to get into IIM or XLRI, but never could crack CAT or XAT ended up in the same IT firm that he got through post grad school and is now having the time of his life living in a Scandinavian country with his family and kids, and already bought a house there. So - IIM is not the end of it all!
2. It can be a rat race even after you enter the college. You are in a room with similar folks, and you have to fight it out for placements, cracking academics, extra curricular and what not. Are you one of those who excels in pressure and competition? Then go for it! Are you one of those that doesn't like stress - then nothing dire will happen if you stay out of the rat race (even after getting into college) and take a chill pill and see what works for you - it could be enjoying the company of like minded folks, it could be the actual MBA academics which interests you and puts you in a path to a doctorate(which, actually, very few MBAs care about!), or it could even be a completely non-MBA related passion like movie making which you decide to pursue after the MBA. Bottom line - You do you!
3. Be prepared for life to give you surprises even after the MBA. Coming back to my batch, two folks died during Covid leaving behind young kids, one guy lost his wife, and another had a stroke due to work stress. Sometimes, the top percentiles and all those high salaries can be meaningless if life decides to give you a whack on your head.
4. I saw some posts saying 18 lpa, 20 lpa as averages are not good salaries. Firstly, it is a lot, considering the current macroeconomic situation and economy. Secondly, if they say 18 lpa, it is never 18 lpa, it could be 12 fixed + 2 bonus + 4 one-time cash/stock options - be ready for that reality. Having said that, even this salary shouldn't be taken for granted in the current situation - I'm part of many IIM groups where internships and even final placements are getting difficult and help from alumni is sought continuously for placements (many of these never make the news), forget about average salary. So, when you read even 'audited' placement reports, take it with a pinch of salt.
5. The world is changing much more rapidly than ever before - in my organisation which is a global software behemoth, roles are getting redundant due to investments in AI and folks who have been in the system without up-skilling are being let go. So when you do the MBA or even if you don't, focus on these evolving trends and develop your skills in these areas - they will help in the long run.
6. And lastly, life doesn't end even if you don't do an MBA - can't stress this enough!