UPDATE

9 Feb 2025: It seems like many things can be done in this lifetime. I can see possibilities now. Hopefully it’ll all work out.

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.

I did not sit for placements, nor for the third-year internships. 1 Why? No reason, 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 person.

So, what’s the plan? I don’t know. I just wish 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.

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 2, and eventually a Ph.D. Then write the UPSC CSE exam, be an IAS or IFS, and work for the country and its people.

I also want to start a not-for-profit like the incredible Khan Academy and provide access to quality education to more folks 3. I’m sick of rising education costs and education being inaccessible to millions of people.

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 concrete choices. I don’t think spending half a decade on an MBA and a corporate job before going ahead to get Ph.D. matters much in the grand scheme of things, assuming I live too a hundred years, of course.

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. I wish the best for everyone sitting for placements and congrats to those already placed!

Footnotes

  1. 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. ↩

  2. As of 19 July 2024, I don’t see myself pursuing an MS in CS. I have an MSc in Strategy, Innovation, and Management Control. I still might get a PhD in some field but an MS in CS seems far fetched now. ↩

  3. I make silly YouTube lessons now and then. You can check them out here. ↩