The paradigm shift of my career..

Professions and career building promise half shift in any life and I am no exception to it. When I worked in USA, I was quite happy with the kind of work that came my way. I was one of the youngest in my company and did almost everything right from printing papers to designing skyscrapers. Most of the times, my manager-cum-mentor Mike shared his own personal experience of an entry level engineer..where he advised what all I should be going after to and be a proactive employee. “Purva, you should never restrict yourself just to one type of project. Extend your horizons and be ready for whatever comes your way. And don’t forget…always find time to read and study. Never stop becoming a student.” He said. I had dreamed of working in corporate sector for at least 20-25 years and then happily retire to pursue other dreams of life. However, when I moved back to India, the corporate culture here really disappointed me. No offences to Indian corporate sector though, I didn’t find the work exciting enough to keep me going. I was bored of an uninteresting job where all my work was to fill Excel worksheets with structures designed, attending meetings and endless discussions over project details.

One fine day, my manager gave me a new project and asked me to do some reading on it before I start. Thrilled about designing flyovers and other stuff I never designed, I immersed myself in books and other knowledge imparting things. Soon my manager realized that I was taking it too far to gain knowledge, given the limited office working hours and impending deadlines to deliver.

He came to my desk and said” Purva, I think you are taking it too hard. You don’t need to do research. We have deadlines approaching.”

And I lifted my head buried under the pile of books to answer him. “Sir, I think your worksheets are wrong. I have been checking them for sometime and they have a lot of errors.”

“What do you mean? We have built them over many years. Just start your work. Input your requirements, get the outputs and submit the design.” He rejected.

“Sorry Sir, I can’t produce wrong results knowingly. I am an engineer. Clerk, I am not.” I also retaliated.

My manager was rebuffed with this reply. He declared ”Are you here to work or to study? Stop being a student and start acting on deadlines. If you have so much interest in reading, go join a PhD program. Academics is a much better option for you.”

“Thank you Sir. I will think about it.” I ended the argument. The thoughts shared about me by my manager were doing the rounds in my mind too since long. But the argument with him sealed the stamp on them. I realized it was time to consider the paradigm shift. Taking a leap from a 6 year long corporate life to academics seemed too challenging in the beginning. But I decided to take the risk. I put in my papers and applied to the PhD program at IIT Delhi. My manager was astonished with this development and switched to a convincing mode.

This is the greatest irony in Indian corporate sector which I observed while working both in US and India. In US, when someone works hard, he/she is treated as an asset for the company and is showered with appreciation and encouragement along with varied perks and incentives. While in our own country, if someone puts their heart and soul in job…they are squeezed to the core like a leech. And when the employee resigns, it is when the real appreciation flows in. I was no exception to this mind set.

“I believed you will ascend high considering the amount of hard work you put in and your knowledge. Guess you took my argument seriously.” My manager tried to reason with me. “I hope you will reconsider your decision. I will talk to senior management for your job upgrade and other incentives.”

I was firm on my decision. “Sorry Sir, thanks for your consideration. I have found my way. Any job upgrade would never let me gain knowledge and know what I don’t know. I am better being a student, being a learner. I thank you for showing me the right path.” I uttered words of gratitude. And I joined IIT Delhi.

I don’t say that my life at academics has been peaceful so far. But it is fulfilling and rewarding in real sense. In academics, I stopped…claiming to have known what I didn’t, to have justified wrong results which I knew in my heart to be wrong and to have loved what I was living rather than to have lived what I actually love.  

I am happy to go back to my roots again rather than making a meaningless career…and that is...being a learner for life.