Mentor needed / Pranav Tendulkar

[Vijay]

Pranav Tendulkar writes:


I have a friend of mine, who is right now studying in 12th standard.
She is a bit confused about how to choose her career itself.
She says that she doesn't want to go with the traditional engineering
and medical fields. Though, there dont seem much choices left over.

I need your help to resolve this typical thing.
Anyone for it?

Thanks,
Raj

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Pranav has posted this as a new Facebook discussion thread.

[sumreni lala]

Hi Pranav,

As a person who blindly went into Engineering, I can honestly say it was the worst thing I ever did to myself. It took me a long time to figure out what I was interested in during and after my undergraduate program.

I think if she has a broad idea of what she's interested in she should try and talk to people who are in those fields to get a realistic view. After I graduated from Engineering I decided to experiment and worked in advertising for a while, it was a great experience and it taught me a lot about myself. If she can get internships or something that'll be excellent, if not she should definitely talk to as many people as possible in the fields she's interested in - she should ask them about how they got into that field, what she should expect from it, growth opportunities, basically whatever she thinks is important to her career-wise.

It might be easier for us to give more specific advice if she tells us the areas she'd like to explore.

There are TONS of choices, unfortunately, in India we're all too narrow minded to see them. Tell her to honestly think of what she'd like to do, even if she can't be specific, she should narrow down areas and I'm sure we'll be able to put her in touch with people who can give her good advice.

Best,
Sumreni

[Jaineel Aga]

Hi Pranav,

 

I am with Sumreni on this one. I know I should I have done my Bachelors in Economics or something  but I jumped towards engineering ....whats even better is I took a year's drop to   get into IIT ( which I however didn't). However the one year  taught me a lot  about myself.

 

If you are already in 12th and have little time to decide... I would second Sumreni on doing a  number of internships ..across sectors ( narrow down at least 3  based on your interests or lets discuss that). Even if this means  doing only internships for an entire year. Trust me you will be so much more passionate about what you take up next as your bachelors degree aftter having invested a year to figure it out.

 

However, having said that, rem if you discount traditional engineering and medical fields cause "everyone does it" then you are a target of the same "narrow mindedness" which haunts this country. You should opt away from these traditonal  degrees because you think your interests and skills lie elsewhere and not cause you want to do something that others dont. Remember, engineering done the right way ( without the rote learning) is still intellectually very stimulating and  really prepares your mind to think analytically. It makes you very comfortable with numbers which is a huge asset to get into a lot of top B schools and I banks/ consulting firms.

 

Hence in conclusion: - Narrow down 3 sectors. Start applying for internships across these sectors - Invest a year. I know you will never get family support to "waste" a year ... but then thats the exact mindset we are trying to change aren't we?

 

Regards,

 

Jaineel

jaine...@duke.edu
India (Mumbai) Number - 9833855968
India (Bangalore) Number - 9663382590
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jaineel

[Sandeep]

Hi Pranav,

She seems to be quite determined that she does not want to go with
the traditional engineering and medical fields. In that case,
logically, she should explore what she is most passionate about. A
good way to begin would be to reflect on:
- Where do I want to be 10 years from now?
- What am I good at? Some people are more creative, others are more
analytical, some are more organized and practical, some are great at
communicating ideas.
- What kind of balance between my personal and professional life am I
willing to accept?

Twelfth grade is pretty close to the end of high school, so in my
mind, I think a liberal arts or pure science education in a broad
subject would be a good idea in case she does not have a clear goal of
what she wants to do; she can figure that out while in school and
choose the right thing to study in graduate school / find relevant
work before graduate school.

For example, starting from a background in English she could pursue
communications, journalism etc. Starting with any Science opens doors
to others: Math --> physics, math, computer science, finance,
consulting (I know someone who went to consulting after math at
Stephen's). Something like Economics can be widely applied to a future
career in Finance, sociology, public policy, the law etc. Let her ask
herself where she finds the best 'fit' and how she wants to wake up
from bed 10 years from now. After that, the first year or so of
college in any one of these broad fields will provide with her plenty
of opportunity to examine her interests more closely. Like others on
the board suggest, she should actively seek out internships and plan
for the future.

It takes time to figure this stuff out. And people make career moves
throughout their career. I know researchers who worked in Bell Labs
for 10 years, then went to a hedge fund, then when the markets
collapsed, went right into management consulting. Sure, as you grow
older, making career switches becomes more difficult (since we tend to
paint ourselves into a corner and hyperspecialize); but it also goes
to show that no matter what you do, being really really good at what
you do is more important. And the only way to be really good at
something in the long term is to do something that you like.

Cheers,
Sandeep

[Reddy]

Hi Pranav,

I agree completely with Sandeep, when he points out that you should
look ahead and see what you would like to be in 10 years. In addition
to this I would like to add another aspect that I think is equally
important - what you would like to do for your family? I have been
really lucky as my parents (although not all relatives!) have given me
enough leeway to pursue what I am doing now (which is a PhD in
Political Science and International Relations). So speak with your
parents about what they think about your future and then reason out
what you want to do with them. It is a really challenging task, but if
you can start convincing (you can't convince them completely for
sure!) them then your goals will also become clearer.

Knowing the education system in India where the choice that you make
in class 12th more or less determines the direction of your career, I
would like to suggest that you take up pure sciences, i.e. only if you
can handle it at the under-graduate level, as you can certainly switch
over to social sciences, but not the other way round (which is
possible in the US though).

Rajdeep :)

[Pranav]

Dear All,

Thanks for the replies.
If I consolidate the replies, I come down to following questions.

1. Given the scenario in India, internships are quite tough to get at
12th grade.
Someone has to be extra-ordinary to do that, else mostly people won't
entertain.
However, that is my judgement. I would to have a second opinion on
that.

2. Its bit difficult at 12th grade to understand your own liking.
In my case, I mistakenly landed up in Electronics :)
But fortunately enough, I liked the field so much, that I am quite
deep into it.
However, generally people in 12th grade don't have any idea about any
specific field.
Typically what fascinates them would be some film in which they would
see a hacker, a doctor or something, they would try to figure out
that's what I would like to be. But for this underlying story is
completely different.
This viewpoint should be changed first of all.

3. They should understand that why do people goto traditional paths
and where they land up into.
Like lot of people seek some kind of security when they go into
Engineering or Medical Domain.
So then we need to explain that is there any kind of risk involved in
choosing some odd field.

Thanks,
Pranav

[Aarti Ramaswami]

Hi Pranav,

Just wanted to supplement the great suggestions provided by others below!

For someone who's just finished 10th or 12th, I would strongly recommend career counseling done by a professional. They will use standardized inventories and such services provided by some colleges (Strong Campbell Interest Inventory or Strong Vocational Interest Bank, etc).

If your friend is in Mumbai, then she can go to St. Xavier's College and contact Fr. Terence Quadros. These tests are conducted by him and his team of career counselors for 10th std and 12th std students studying in Xavier's as well as those from other schools /colleges. Actually, anyone can take it at any point in their life. I dont know what the cost is now, but whatever it is, it will be totally worth it. You have to fix an appt for Fr. Quadros, and his testing should begin in March I think (I just got a mail from him abt that).

So, while we (think we) know what our strengths and interets are, a professional will help clarify where are aptitudes lie. Based on scores you get on validated inventories, the counselor should be able to guide your friend about various academic and career options, what's realistic, and what the pros and cons of each area are, etc.

From my experience, many students in India dont go to career counselors, perhaps because of the unwarranted stigma attached to "getting into counseling"...i dont know. While many friends and relatives who know us well will adivce you on what you should do etc, getting an objective perspective from a counselor will help your friend clarify her "career identity". Of course as you grow and change with varied experiences, you may contemplate a career transition, and that's "normal" too. We just need to evaluate at various life stages what our "reality frame" is with respect to interests, as well as opportunities and priorities. So, in a nutshell, "know thyself" and make use of all professional services available in your college/city towards that end.

Hope this helps.

Aarti

[chet]

Hey Pranav,
I complete agree with Sandeep on '10 years from now'. And I agree that
its tough to get internships in India. I'm a big fan of counselling,
for a good counsellor can help you understand yourself sooooooo much
better than you can on your own.

I disagree with you when you say that most people don't have a clue so
as to what they want to do in life at 12th grade. It's a dangerous
generalisation, for it implies that we don't have to listen to a 12th
grader, what do they know anyway. I knew exactly what I wanted to do
at the age of 13, and it wasn't until after 10 years that I could
pursue it because then, I wasn't 'old enough' to know what's right for
me. And while this may not be the case with your friend, I strongly
suggest that you ask her, again and again, what she thinks. Because
the answer is to be found in the depths of her consciousness, and not
outside.

Internships are tough and taking a year off is even tougher. But
thanks to our admission proceedings, after her exams (all the CETs and
AIs) are over, she will still have lots of free time before she
actually joins a college. In the meanwhile, she can read up on various
careers, talk to people in various streams (NOT about what should she
do, but what do THEY do, and how do THEY like it). In answer to
Sandeep's '10 years from now' she can actually get in touch with some
of us, who are almost reaching that 10 year deadline and get a sense
of what life in different careers can be like. She can connect with us
on Facebook/Orkut or even via email.

Having said that, I also agree that a lot of people do feel lost, and
blindly pursue Engineering. But I don't think that's such a bad thing.
She may not be able to make up her mind by the admission time, which
is okay. She should still keep in touch with us, keep the dialogue up.
And most of all NOT COMMIT to the undergrad that she gets into. If you
do engineering and the switch over to mass com, you DO NOT waste a
seat!! Please tell her that she does not have to stick to something
she doesn't like just because she gave it four years. It's like
punishing yourself for all your life for a small mistake that you
inadvertently make. And if she really likes what she is doing in
undergrad- like you did, there's no shame in continuing it either. For
I have also seen people sacrifice what they have for a fake grandoise
notion of doing something 'different'.

When you don't know what you want to do, do what you are doing in the
best possible way. That's the best policy. So do convey my best wishes
to her for her board and entrance exams.
k