Nikit Shetty's Jobaaj Learnings Review: From MBA Graduate to Hedge Fund Analyst at Citco

"The course helped me understand the real-world applications of finance. It taught me how investment banking, corporate finance and equity research actually work, beyond just textbook definitions." — Nikit Shetty

Nikit Shetty is 23, holds an MBA from Atlas SkillTech University, Mumbai and a Bachelor's in Accounting and Finance from Xavier Institute, Mumbai. His only work experience was an accounting internship during his MBA. After his MBA placements pointed him towards mutual fund distribution and insurance sales rather than core finance, he enrolled in Jobaaj Learnings' Investment Banking Program. He is now a Hedge Fund Analyst at Citco.

If you are searching “is Jobaaj Learnings genuine”, “is Jobaaj real or fake” or “is an upskilling course worth it after an MBA”, Nikit's account is directly on that question — he already had the degree, and it was not enough on its own. What is checkable here: a named institution, a named employer (Citco), a named role, and a specific description of why an MBA in finance did not open the doors he wanted. What a single interview cannot tell you is the outcome for students who did not get placed. Read it alongside the other conversations in our Interview Series and the wider feedback on the reviews page.

Who Is Nikit Shetty? His Background Before Jobaaj Learnings

Nikit is from Mumbai and was 23 at the time of this conversation. His academic record is not thin:

• Bachelor's in Accounting and Finance — Xavier Institute, Mumbai
• MBA — Atlas SkillTech University, Mumbai
• Work experience: an accounting internship during the MBA, and nothing full-time

He describes his ambition as fixed from early on: “I've always wanted to build a career in finance — particularly in investment banking and equity research.”

Why an MBA in Finance Wasn't Enough

This is the most useful part of Nikit's account, and it is worth quoting rather than summarising:

"Most MBA placements in finance tend to be for roles like mutual fund distribution or insurance sales. But those are more like sales jobs, not core finance. I wasn't interested in selling financial products — I wanted to analyze markets, build financial models, and work on real transactions."

His diagnosis of his own gap was specific: not knowledge, but practical, industry-ready skills. He went looking for a course to close it and found the Investment Banking Program.

If you are an MBA finance graduate reading this to decide whether an additional programme is justified, that is the exact question Nikit was answering — and he is describing a structural problem with where MBA finance placements point, not a failure of his own degree.

The Outcome: Hedge Fund Analyst at Citco

Nikit was placed at Citco as a Hedge Fund Analyst. Citco is one of the world's largest fund administration groups — the work sits in fund accounting and operations: NAV calculation, trade and position reconciliation, and reporting to fund managers and their clients.

It is a core-finance seat rather than a sales seat, which is precisely the distinction he set out to make.

The Placement Process Wasn't Frictionless

Nikit does not describe a clean run, and we are not going to smooth it over. In his words:

"At first I struggled a bit. Some of the roles coming in didn't align with my expectations, especially in terms of timing and responsibilities."

What changed the outcome was, by his own account, adjusting his expectations: “as a fresher, I needed to be a bit flexible, stay patient, and trust the process.”

That is a real caveat for anyone weighing this programme. The first roles routed to you may not be the ones you want. Nikit's outcome came after that period, not instead of it.

What Jobaaj Learnings Actually Did, According to Nikit

• Closed the practical-skills gap. He is explicit that he had finance theory from two degrees and still could not break into the roles he wanted.
• Taught application over definition. He credits the programme with showing how investment banking, corporate finance and equity research work in practice.
• Routed him opportunities. Roles came to him through the placement process — including ones he turned down before the Citco offer.

Note what he does not claim: he does not say the course got him the job on its own. He credits the skills for making him employable and patience for landing the right seat.

Hedge Fund and Fund Accounting Interview Questions to Prepare For

What's the difference between T+1 and T+2 settlement, and how does it affect fund operations?

Model answer: Both refer to the settlement cycle after a trade is executed — T+1 settles one business day after the trade date, T+2 settles two. The difference matters for cash and position reconciliation: trades that do not settle on time cause fails, incorrect cash balances, or breaks in NAV reconciliation. Funds trading across global markets have to manage several settlement cycles at once to avoid reporting errors.

Walk us through the NAV calculation process.

Model answer: NAV is the total value of fund assets — cash, securities at market value, receivables — minus liabilities such as fees, payables and accrued expenses, divided by the number of outstanding shares. In practice the hard part is not the formula but the reconciliation behind it: pricing, income accruals and corporate actions all have to be verified before the number is published.

What are the key performance metrics in hedge fund analysis?

Model answer: Sharpe ratio for risk-adjusted return, alpha for manager outperformance, beta for sensitivity to the market, and maximum drawdown for exposure in bad markets. Clients use these to evaluate fund managers, so they come up in both internal reporting and client queries.

How do you ensure accuracy when reconciling trades and positions?

Model answer: A three-way reconciliation: compare trade data between the fund administrator and the broker, match custodian records, then resolve any breaks through market data terminals or manual broker confirmations. Settlement dates, pricing discrepancies and corporate actions are where mismatches usually originate.

What's the difference between GAAP and IFRS in hedge fund accounting?

Model answer: The main differences show up in fair value hierarchy reporting, consolidation rules, and revenue recognition and expense treatment. GAAP is more common for US funds and emphasises accrual-based income; IFRS applies more widely internationally. For a global administrator, the practical skill is adapting the same fund's reporting for different jurisdictions.

How would you handle a client disputing the calculated NAV?

Model answer: Review the NAV components internally first, verify the calculations, and compare against previous cycles. If the discrepancy holds, coordinate with pricing vendors, brokers and internal teams. What matters as much as the arithmetic is clear, evidence-based communication with the client while it is being resolved.

How proficient are you in Excel, and what have you automated?

Model answer: VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP and INDEX-MATCH for reconciliation, pivot tables for exposure and sector analysis, and macros to automate daily P&L generation — which cuts manual errors and saves hours a day.

Pros and Cons, Based on Nikit's Account

What worked:

• The programme closed the specific gap he identified — practical skills to sit alongside his MBA theory
• It taught how the roles function in practice, not just definitions
• Opportunities were routed to him rather than requiring cold applications
• The final outcome was a core-finance seat at a major fund administrator, at 23, with no full-time experience

What he said was difficult:

• Early placement mismatches. Roles that came in did not align with his expectations on timing and responsibilities.
• He had to compromise. His own conclusion was that as a fresher he needed to be flexible and patient — which is a real cost, not a slogan.
• It took time. The Citco role came after that period of mismatched offers, not immediately.

Nikit's Tips If You're Considering Jobaaj Learnings

• Don't assume the degree is the blocker or the solution. Nikit had an MBA and a finance bachelor's and still needed applied skills to reach core finance roles.
• Know which roles you're actually being offered. He distinguishes sharply between analysing markets and selling financial products — both get labelled “finance jobs” in placement lists.
• Expect the first offers not to fit. His advice from experience is to stay patient rather than take the first thing or quit the process.
• Learn the operational side. His role is fund accounting and reconciliation — NAV, settlement cycles, breaks — not modelling alone.

Full Podcast Transcript

The complete conversation, unedited.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Jobaaj Learnings genuine, or is it fake?

This page documents one recorded case: Nikit Shetty, an MBA graduate with no full-time experience, placed as a Hedge Fund Analyst at Citco, with his institutions, employer and role all named on camera — along with the part of the process that did not go well. That is evidence of a real placement, not proof of a rate. See the full review set on the reviews page.

Is an investment banking course worth it if I already have an MBA in finance?

That was exactly Nikit's situation. His answer: the MBA got him placement access to mutual fund distribution and insurance sales roles, but not to analysis roles, because he lacked applied skills. He treated the course as the bridge between the two.

Can a fresher get a hedge fund role in India?

Nikit did, at 23, with an accounting internship as his only work experience. He was hired into fund administration at Citco, which is the operational side of the hedge fund industry — NAV, reconciliation and reporting — rather than a front-office investing seat.

Did the placement process go smoothly?

No, and he says so. Early roles did not match his expectations on timing and responsibilities. He describes having to be flexible and patient as a fresher before the Citco offer came through.

What does a Hedge Fund Analyst at a fund administrator actually do?

The work centres on fund accounting and operations: calculating and verifying NAV, reconciling trades and positions across brokers and custodians, tracking settlement cycles, and reporting to fund managers and their clients.

What should I prepare for a fund accounting interview?

Expect settlement cycles (T+1 vs T+2), the NAV calculation and what breaks it, three-way reconciliation, performance metrics like Sharpe, alpha, beta and maximum drawdown, GAAP versus IFRS treatment, and advanced Excel — lookups, pivot tables and automation.