All my life up until this instant, career is the only thing I was supposed to work toward. A career which provides. All the narratives I ever heard from the society I have been part of is to get a good job and settle. Not a thing about how meaningful or contributing to the public it is. In this blog, I uncover some of my inclinations towards a meaningful career, and analyze different nuances associated with background in science, especially in abstract math and theoretical physics.
I am in a crossroads, where my background in science pushes me to get a career in math and physics. But now that I am exposed to different narratives, and needs of the country, I am also hearing a strong voice inside me pushing me to look for careers which actually create a change in this chaotic world. Everyday, when I see the traffic in Hyderabad I get pushed to do something about it. Create an awareness about driving clean and efficient. I see the usage of plastic and other environmentally bad stuff and get motivated to be part of the sustainability initiatives. In almost every aspect there is a change one can bring in, an awareness, and some initiatives which could begin from the citizens.
Does that mean, I want to work towards a career in civil services? I don’t think so. I think it’s just my personality to look at the things that can be improved and think about, and care about them. And get pushed to do something about them. I don’t think a career in those aspects is necessarily needed. For example, here is a table of my different thoughts during various situations I have encountered in the recent times.
| Situation | Action thoughts |
|---|---|
| NISER Canteen | Start a caring catering/canteen service on campus/throughout educational institutions which works for the benefit of students. To create a warm and healthy experience with food, and improve mental and physical health. |
| NISER Physics | Initiate a dialogue between students and faculty. A more curious, and grounded take on science. Initiate conversations about how to do Physics… |
| Railway Parcel Service | To create awareness about the perks of IRCTC parcel service, and demand a more professional dealing with the situation. |
| Driving\Traffic | To create an awareness and education about driving rules, concepts and strategies that help ease the congestion and improve mental health during driving. |
The list goes on and on, from mental health initiatives, cleaner roads/waste management, greener roads/colonies, hospital experiences to sustainable packaging/groceries. There is no, one career that directly allows me become more invested on all of these aspects. I think I just want to be a responsible citizen and through my insights, motivation and education - initiate a change in different areas. I think I just want to become a Solve Ninja!
This helps me in identifying the career I want to pursue. I would like to ask following question to myself -
I think I would happily continue to pursue Science. Math and Physics, and become a very fine teacher and probably even a researcher.
The career I’m most fit to pursue right now is of course, academia - math and physics. Now that I see that I don’t really want to become someone in power/expertise to be able to work on all of those public issues directly, I am inclined to conclude that career for me now is just going to be a means to an end.
I say this because, I opine that doing abstract math and theoretical physics is meaningless right now. I believe there are far more important jobs for the youth to pour themselves in. But I come from a part of society, and family who have struggled to rise, and have given me the best education they were able to provide. With it came only a minimal exposure to things, and a very linear career narrative. So, I was not able to enter any other meaningful or contributing fields. But even in Science, I could have chosen a more applied and contributing field. But I didn’t. So I must note that I have been very selfish with my approach in career, and interests. I like abstract and theoretical stuff, and I indulge in it. It’s just so happens that, there are career options linked to it (that’s why I even dared to pursue (and allowed to) it in the first place, but still…). I see no meaning in doing math and physics for the sake of public. I see it as a selfish and pleasurable endeavour driven by curiosity and creativity. But ethics and human values can never be separate from any career. I am motivated to become a fine academic, who is very human in their approach. But I note that, one can of course argue this career path is meaningful and contributing to the society – that’s why these jobs exist. What I am presenting here however is about what I find meaningful. I don’t want to be part of the math and physics community because I believe in what it gives to the society, but because I can get better at it, and serve the job’s requirements in order to receive a pay that can help me sustain my (and my family’s) life. More importantly, I love doing it, the lifestyle of an academic indeed matches my values (let’s say to a large extent) and I am going to work like I mean it, and genuinely give my best.
So yes, academia for me is going to be a means to an end. And using such a support I can probably become a solve ninja alongside and work on some of the public issues! But here’s the most important caveat. Academia is probably the most difficult career to chose as a means to an end! It’s hard to set boundaries between work and personal life. And it demands so much energy from an individual to work through a PhD and what not. Will it be even possible to work on other meaningful things while in academia?
I guess there are people who are doing that. And I need search for them, and my next project indeed focuses on meeting such people.
So the next question is.
I think, being such a fine academic takes a lot of work, but I think there is peace in knowing that, academics is indeed a tough work and it goes slow. I’m not interested in working my ass of towards some packed goal. I want to work in a more natural rythm. Again, I don’t know if such a personality is welcomed in academia, I don’t know if I will be able to produce enough material for them to allow me in. But I can try. I think right now, for me, the science career could be easier than other careers to get into. I have been looking at some other options too, like masters in climate change and sustainability, development, education and others from Azim Premji University. I can only apply them next year so, it’s indeed a good idea to keep working towards math and physics and then gauging my place in the academia market, I can take a call further. I can properly evaluate my career options.
Right now too, I think I can be a mild solve ninja. I have registered for the Hyderabad City Security Council (HCSC) as a volunteer in the traffic wing, and hope to soon start with it as weekly or biweekly contributions. I want to stay curious too along with studying math and physics in the next year. I want to indeed write articles, and move around the linear path. And thus creating more opportunities for myself around Science. So yeah, let’s see how things go.
I am now at slightly more peace to continue working towards math and physics. It’s an option get some means, and I think I can be good at it. I will stay curious (ft. tiny experiments) and probably learn a lot about this world :).