What Next? A Pragmatic Chat

A little dose of clarity as a professor counsels class 12 students on university and careers

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THE atmosphere in the room was heavy with expectation. Four young students—two boys and two girls—each of them from class 12, and each looking more lost than the other. Life after school loomed in front of them, and it was not a happy thought. Simply because, like most students in their age group, they were utterly confused about what to do next.

Along with these students came two wor­ried­ looking parents. And they were all in this room to meet a professor, someone who had spent several years working in the industry and had since moved to his current academic posi­tion at a premier B­School. Would he be able to bring some order into their thinking? The stu­ dents as well as their parents were desperate, and willing to give him a chance. And so the questions came in thick and fast. Starting with the first one, “Sir, I have been advised to take up engineering because of the number of opportu­nities available after this. And money. But I’m not really keen on it. What should I do?”

The professor smiled. He had seen many, many students over the years, and the questions were always the same. “My friend, let’s look at a typical career—you would start this career at the age of 20 or so, and carry on till about 60. Right? So that’s a career span of about 40 years or more. And this is very, very important, so listen carefully. If you do not like a par­ticular career—say engineering—can you possibly live through those 40 years? Imagine how unhappy you would be!”

He looked around the table for effect, and then continued, “Money is important, but it is far more important to be happy doing what you do. And that’s the most important principle in choosing a career—take up something you like, and are hopefully good at. Not something which you don’t like, just because it gets you money.”