Ivy League, H1B struggle, Drone Career, Start-Up Founder | Shloka Hajare | From Mumbai to New York

In this compelling episode, aerospace engineer and entrepreneur Shloka Hajare shares her courageous journey from the security of a monthly salary to taking the leap into entrepreneurship.She recounts the genesis of her drone startup in India, detailing how working in an MSME startup exposed her to multifaceted roles, from manufacturing and design to recruitment. This professional evolution culminated in a "full circle" moment when she returned to her alma mater, SRM Institute of Science and Technology (where she earned her B.Tech in Aerospace Engineering), not as a student, but as a recruiter. This experience, which followed her work on projects like unconventional UAV design (implied by her resume and background), fueled her entrepreneurial drive and led her to identify a major market gap—the widespread lack of accessible, hands-on drone workshops and regulation awareness—which became her viable revenue stream.The conversation then pivots to her ambitious decision to pursue a Master's degree in the U.S. for better startup mentorship, applying only to top schools like Stanford, Cornell, Duke, and Columbia. She discusses why the Master's in Engineering Management (M.Eng) at Cornell was the perfect fit, helping her develop the management skills necessary to run a company. The hosts, including Srikant Chityala, debate the value of this hybrid curriculum over traditional engineering paths, with Shloka emphasizing that it instilled a "problem-first" mindset and the confidence to pitch her ideas. Ashwini supports this, highlighting that hybrid courses lead to holistic development that incorporates economics, ethics, and user experience.Finally, Shloka and the hosts tackle the tough realities for international professionals. They debate the future of aerospace careers in the US versus India, with Ashwini citing India’s highest Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) globally and the government's Make in India push. Shloka articulates her rationale for seeking opportunities in the U.S.—specifically to learn about the manufacturing culture and operational processes to bring back to India—and shares her current strategy of actively creating her own opportunities through ventures like an AI browser startup and the Delta presidency program amidst the uncertainty of the H-1B process.Join hosts Srikant Chityala, Ashwini Agrawal, and Parvesh Reddy for this insightful look into the mindset of a determined, modern aerospace founder.Production & Social Media: Pallavi Ajay Edited by: Pallavi Ajay#Entrepreneurship#StartupJourney#DroneTech#Aerospace#FemaleFounder#EngineeringManagement#CornellUniversity#MEng#HybridCareer#SiliconValley#MakeInIndia#H1B#CareerTransition#CareerAdvice#WomaninEngineering#SRMAlumni#india #unitedstates #mastersinusa