Meander along like a River, to Make a Rewarding Career

As a Career Counsellor, I frequently meet students who are overwhelmed by anxiety and insecurity regarding their future. Many voice concerns like, “What if I don't pass the entrance exam?” or “All my friends have chosen their careers, and I’m still lost.”

While I often offer reassurances that everything will work itself out, I understand that such words alone may not ease their fears. To truly provide comfort, my advice must be grounded in real-life examples—proof that success is attainable. This blog serves as that proof! Here, I will share inspiring stories of successful individuals from various walks of life. These examples illustrate how many of them also faced uncertainty in their career decisions. They persevered, found their paths, and ultimately achieved remarkable success in their fields. Their journeys can guide students in navigating their own futures with confidence.

Economics:

2019 Nobel Prize-winning Economist Esther Duflo.

Nobel Laurate Esther Duflo & Abhijit Banerjee

At the book launch event for *Poor Economics* at BIC in Bangalore, author Roopa Pai engaged the audience by asking Esther Duflo a thought-provoking question on behalf of the youth present. She highlighted that this youngest-ever Nobel Prize winner and only the second woman to achieve this honor admitted she was uncertain about her career aspirations even after completing her graduation. With a knowing laugh, Esther compared her experience to that of many in Bangalore, where students often pursue engineering degrees while still contemplating their true calling. Roopa then asked, "So, what led you to the field of economics?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHFAzpt1_j4  (time-stamp 41:17)

Nobel Laureate Esther Duflo reflected on her journey (paraphrasing) : "I was an earnest student, diligently progressing through my studies and taking one exam after another. My passion for history was clear, so when it came time to choose my major, it felt natural to pursue it. Yet, I wanted to broaden my horizons by adding a minor. A chance encounter changed everything. I met the charismatic economics professor, Daniel Cohen, at my university, École Normale Supérieure in Paris. One day in the corridor, he said to me, 'Oh! You have to study economics. It’s fantastic—you’ll love it!' His enthusiasm was infectious, and I decided to combine economics with history. However, I soon found myself disenchanted. I felt as though I had been misled; economics was, in my view, oversimplified, dull, and uninteresting. I was ideologically opposed to the ideas it presented, viewing it as an attempt to dress up basic ideologies in complex equations that I couldn't support. As I approached graduation, I felt uneasy and lost. Economics was not the right fit for me, and I began to consider a path in politics. I took a gap year, embarking on a spontaneous journey to Russia. A funny twist of fate led me to meet Professor Daniel Cohen at the airport while he waited for a friend. He recognized me and said, 'Oh! Since you’re here, you should work for me.' I had always been his worst student, yet he offered me a position.

This twist of fate changed everything, leading me down a path that eventually made me a Nobel Laureate in Economics—a journey that began with uncertainty. Who would have thought that a student unsure of her future would end up where I am today?"

Business/Corporation:

Leo Puri

Leo Puri

In December 2024, I learned that Fortis Healthcare had appointed Leo Puri as the new Chairman of the Board, which piqued my interest in his educational journey. A Live Mint article provided some insightful details about him.

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/markets/stock-markets/fortis-healthcare-names-leo-puri-as-new-chairman-of-the-board/article69032568.ece

https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/votoU2JWKhuRgDWCuCCbyH/Leo-Puri-The-accidental-manager.html

Puri stated, "There is always an element of accident in my career—I don't plan it." Initially, his ambition was to enter civil services. After graduating from Oxford, he sought permission to take the IAS exam at the Indian High Commission in London, but his request was denied. He then turned his sights towards a legal career. With a postgraduate degree from Cambridge, he registered with the Bar Council of India, yet his tenure at JB Dadachanji & Co., a law firm in New Delhi, was short-lived, lasting only a few months. He soon realized that making a respectable income from law was challenging; in fact, he went unpaid for several months during his time at the firm.

Puri's journey—from aspiring IAS officer to legal professional, and ultimately to leadership roles at J.P. Morgan Chase and McKinsey & Co.—illustrates his remarkable adaptability and vision. His success is further underscored by his positions as a board member at prestigious organizations such as Tata Sons, Hindustan Unilever, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, and now Fortis Healthcare. This narrative illustrates not just his professional milestones, but how be carved out a remarkable career, inspite of he not getting his initial professional choices.

Art and Entertainment:

Amitabh Bhattacharya

Amitabh Bhattacharya

If you are a movie buff and music lover like me, I am sure you must be humming many songs, penned by this amazing lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya. Sadly though, since this blog is about Careers, I am compelled to stay within this scope and not allow myself to indulge in the magical lyrics he writes for us.

Did you know, that Amitabh Bhattacharya was good in Biology in his schooling days and back in the day, he was inclined in pursuing Medicine? During his senior secondary schooling days (class 11th, and 12th) he was influenced by his sister and brother-in-law's profession - Hotel Management. He appeared for the entrance exam and secured a seat to pursue a degree in Hotel Management at IHM Bhubaneswar, Odisha. 

Just days before leaving his hometown for IHM, he changed his mind to follow his heart. He decided to stay back in Lucknow for pursuing graduation in Bachelors of Arts, so that he could continue pursuing his interest in music and harnessing his skills for shifting from hobbyist into a professional in music (his parents were always there beside him supporting him to follow his heart). 

When he moved to Mumbai for a break, his first and only ambition (for many years) was to become a playback singer. He never got a break as a singer. Still, pursuing this dream, he kept anonymity in his initial works as a lyricist (using a pen name, instead of Amitabh Bhattacharya). Amitabh Bhattacharya, allowed the singer in him to take a backseat and he flourished into one of the best lyricists of contemporary times. Yet another amazing case study of meandering from Biology, to Hotel Management to Bachelor in Arts, to pursue singing, to finding one's niche in writing songs and becoming a highly accomplished lyricist, of our contemporary times.

If you are one of those rarity who has survived the onslaught of Reels and Shorts, and have preserved the quality of watching long format, you can indulge in Amitabh Bhattarcharya's full interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zwTiaj3vDA

To be continued.... :)

The Art of Bitfulness. Keeping Calm In The Digital World (Book Review)

 

Image courtesy: The Financial Express

Keeping Calm in the Digital World: The Art of Bitfulness

In today’s hyper-connected digital landscape, the ability to maintain a balanced relationship with technology has become both a necessity and a challenge. With every beep, notification, and endless stream of information, our attention is fragmented, our time consumed, and our mindfulness traded for bytes and bytes of digital content. The need to reclaim our focus and redefine our relationship with technology is urgent.

Many books have explored this contemporary issue, but The Art of Bitfulness by Nandan Nilekani and Tanuj Bhojwani stands apart. Written by seasoned technologists, this book offers a refreshingly nuanced perspective. It is not anti-technology but “pro-you,” advocating for a mindful approach to digital engagement. True to its name, Bitfulness draws inspiration from mindfulness, presenting a minimalist, thoughtful approach to navigating the digital world.

Understanding the Problem

The book begins by dissecting the design of modern technology and its inherently addictive nature. As the authors point out, our relationship with technology often mirrors a toxic friendship: it indulges our vices and demands more than we can give. Steve Jobs once called the personal computer the “bicycle of the mind,” a tool meant to augment human thought. Today, however, our devices have evolved into extensions of our minds, amplifying not only our cognitive abilities but also our distractions.

The authors argue that instead of helping us focus, technology amplifies our minds’ tendency to wander. Our devices, originally designed to aid our thinking, have become gateways for businesses to extract attention and data, fostering a crisis that rivals the pressing issues of pandemics and climate change. This “third crisis”—how we go digital—threatens to create an imbalance of power in society, as monopolistic business models prioritize profit over public good.

The Individual’s Journey

In the second section of the book, the authors delve into strategies for individuals to regain control. They reference Timothy Gallwey’s The Inner Game of Tennis and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of “flow” to illustrate the importance of a quiet mind. A state of flow—where intention and attention align—is essential for meaningful engagement. Technology, however, often disrupts this state by design.

The authors propose the “Art of Bitfulness” as a way to restore balance. This involves:

1. Mindfulness: Cultivating awareness of one’s state of mind, toxic behavioral patterns, and the attention-driven internet business model.
2. Quieting the Mind: Engineering flow by reducing distractions, creating friction between context switches, and staying engaged in focused activities.
3. Defining the Self: Separating online identities, dividing work and leisure, and recognizing emotions to maintain boundaries.

These strategies are not just theoretical. The authors share practical tips, such as using devices for clarity and reflection through self-notes, organizing documents for long-term memory storage, and splitting accounts into Creator, Curator, and Communicator modes to improve focus and attention.

Reimagining the Collective Future

The book’s third section challenges readers to rethink the architecture of the digital world. It critiques the winner-takes-all models of blitzscaling and aggregation, which concentrate power and wealth. Instead, the authors advocate for decentralized systems, drawing inspiration from Satoshi Nakamoto’s vision for blockchain and public-good services like Aadhaar and UPI in India.

They call for a collective effort to redesign the internet as a shared resource that belongs to everyone and no one simultaneously. This vision aligns with the internet’s original purpose: a platform for curious humans to share knowledge across oceans. The authors argue that now is the time to architect a future where the internet serves humanity’s collective interests rather than corporate greed.

A Call to Action

In its concluding pages, The Art of Bitfulness offers a powerful reminder: “The future is not inevitable; it is a blank page. We need to decide as a collective what we’re going to write on it.” The book’s optimistic vision for a reimagined digital future is both inspiring and urgent.

In 2005, Stanford held a big event to commemorate the birth of the internet. They revealed a plaque acknowledging not one creator, but about thirty people working in different teams at different universities. The plaque acknowledges that even that list of thirty is incomplete. It says, Ultimately, thousands if not tens to hundreds of thousands have contributed their expertise to the evolution of the internet. 

This is a heartening representation of what the internet was supposed to be. The internet was supposed to be a way for curious humans to share knowledge with each other, even if they are oceans apart. The internet, our social networks, and our marketplaces are too important to be controlled by anyone. They should belong, simultaneously, to all of us, and to none of us. Now is the time we architect that future." - the authors.

The internet has the potential to be a tool for empowerment, collaboration, and democratization. However, achieving this vision requires deliberate action from individuals and society. By adopting the principles of Bitfulness, we can reclaim our time, attention, and agency in the digital world. It is time to architect a future where technology serves as a trusted ally, not a toxic friend.

References:

How can you reclaim control over technology: In conversation with Nandan Nilekani and Tanuj Bhojwani https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIgAz8VLcLo