Hi, I hope you’re doing well. When talking to friends and acquaintances these days, I often get asked, “What are your plans after graduation?” This post is an attempt to address that. If you did not already know – it is a veiled attempt to populate this site with more writings. Anyway, let me state my case.
I did not sit for placement, nor for third-year internships. 1 Why? No reasons, in particular, I just did not feel like doing them. Instead, I worked with a professor on campus. While the work did not result in a publication or a significant recognition, I learned about how research is done and if I’d like it in the future. Consequently, if you’re a junior tempted to ask about the whole placement and internship deal, I’m not the right guy.
So, what’s the plan? I don’t know. I just hope that people stopped asking me that. I don’t know of many people who graduated from college without a plan or a job in hand. Of course, there would be a few, but I do not know them. If there aren’t any, I’ll be happy to be the first.
That said, I do have a few long term goals. In fact, there are way too many wishes. I don’t think one lifetime would be enough to do them all. I might do an MBA, work for a few years, pay bills, and bring some stability in life. Then go for an MSc in CS, and eventually a Ph.D. Then write UPSC, be an IAS or IFS, spend a few years there.
I also want to start a not-for-profit like the incredible Khan Academy and provide access to quality education to more folks. I’m sick of rising education costs and education being inaccessible by millions of people. At some point, I wish to run for public office and do some good for society. I believe that political power can significantly change healthcare, education, and the climate much more quickly than NGOs.
Basically, I want to do them all, but I got only one lifetime. So, I’m sure I’ll eventually narrow down my focus on a few things. I’m 21, and I believe I’ve got many years ahead of me to make tough decisions. I guess spending half a decade on an MBA and a corporate job before going forward to get Ph.D. matters much, assuming I live 70 or 80 years, of course.
You can clearly see many conflicting interests right away. If you plan on becoming a politician, why bother getting a Ph.D.? Hey! Look at Angela Merkel. If you wish to post tutorials on YouTube, will IFS life be meaningful? Let the boy dream. I’ll see what to do when the right time comes. For now, I just wish to be happy.
Yeah, so in conclusion, I don’t have solid plans for what to do after graduation. “We’ll see.” That’s what I keep telling myself and others. I don’t know how it’ll turn out. I’ll update this post sometime in the future if I remember. Or if you care, you can remind me. I wish all the best to everyone sitting for placements and congrats to those already placed.
notes
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I technically sat for internships, if you count it that way. I registered for the internship drive, applied to a few companies, but withdrew after a week. ↩
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