On Career, meaning and social change

All my life up until this instant, career is the only thing I was supposed to work toward. A career which provides (stability/security). All the narratives I’ve ever heard from the society I have been part of is to get a good job and settle, disconnected from the issues of public or environment. Not a nudge towards its meaningfulness or contribution to the public. I do see where such ideas stem from (begs a different and broder question), but in this blog, I uncover some of my inclinations towards a ‘meaningful’ career, and analyze different nuances associated with a background in science, especially in abstract math and theoretical physics.

I am at 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 the needs of the country, I am also hearing a strong voice inside me pushing me to look for careers that actually create a change in this chaotic world. Every day, when I see the traffic in Hyderabad I get pushed to do something about it. To 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 are changes one can bring, 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 perturbed to do something about them. I don’t think a career in those directions 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 which also improves 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 -

If your surroundings match your expectations - like cleaner roads, formal procedures, rule obeying and in general surrounded in an environment with better civic sense and education, what would you chose your career to be?

I think I would happily continue to pursue Science. Math and Physics, and work towards becoming a fine teacher and a researcher.

The career I’m most fit to pursue right now is of course, scholarship in math and physics. So, I don’t really want to become someone in power/expertise to be able to work on all of those public issues directly. But I do want the citizen responsibility initiatives to be integral part of my day to day life. And infact, this occupies a lot of my outlook on career. So, I think right now, academia is a career option that’s only 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 deep rooted interests in (abstract) scholarship that might seem very selfish. 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 a scholar matches my values very well 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 to look for them to navigate my path. There’s a project (InSciniyat) that I want to begin, which brings people who are taking non-linear trajectories around sciences.

So the next question is.

Is it possible to use academia as a means to an end? Is it possible to become a fine academic and also a solve ninja? What other career to pursue if not academia then? Which one of them is closest to my qualifications?

I think, becoming 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 densenly-packed goal. I want to work in a more natural rhythm. Again, I don’t know if such a personality is welcomed in current 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 market of academia, 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 :).

PS: August 14th, 2026

I felt some hollowness in the above. Have I not done anything at all on the ground level? Were all of the thoughts/feelings I had theoretical?

No! I have indeed tried to move things a little! I tried to represent the undergraduate students of Physical Sciences, and work towards some change. And I have given a lot of energy to it. But soon, I had to prioritize my own (physical and mental) health and passed on the baton to someone else.

There is also of course finding strength through other people, and doing these collectively. Indeed, I want to do it. I hope I find ways. HCSC is a nice gateway in the traffic wing. I hope I find movements which are initiated in the directions of my interests, academic, climate, civic issues or otherwise…

But I could wait. I could wait to build my career first and then I can start becoming a solve Ninja. Because academia already has enough things to act like a solve ninja! So, yes, right now it’s important for me to figure a path in academia. I will be guided by many of these voices/values that I have been talking about of course.

PS: April 3rd, 2026.

Academia already involves a lot of societal issues, and is not a very clean path either. It demands a disconnect from many pressing issues, both in science and around. I am of course not well trained from the young age to navigate things with a hollistic approach. But it’s sad how academia mostly rewards this disconnect with human values/culture!

So again, taking it simply as a means to an end is very tricky.

But, there’s hope. There are things happening in some of these directions. For example, there’s Scholar Square community which is working towards nurturing independent scholarship, or para-academics. There is Science Gallery Bengaluru, trying to reconnect public with scholarship, through Art x Science exhibits, setting up something like ‘a public space for scholarship’. It is in these movements, that I might find my answers to navigate a career around scholarship.

Read my blog on Scholarship: The current state of affairs for more!