Saturday, 14 September 2024

Career Switching: A Blend of Art, Science, and Engineering

Dear Friends,

Recently, I read an article that Archana Kamath, an Indian table tennis player, is stepping away from elite sports to pursue a Master's in Public Policy at the University of Michigan (TOI, Aug 22, 2024). She won the gold medal in women's singles at the 2023 National Games of India and was part of the Indian table tennis at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Hailing from a family of doctors (olympics.com), she began playing at the age of 9.

It’s easy to read, relish, and comment on this switch, but from an individual’s perspective, it’s not so simple. At 9, providing such an opportunity to a child is not an easy choice for an academically focused family. Her parents deserve recognition. Many parents today would rather have their children prepare for IIT or NEET at that age. Taking someone from that point to the Olympic level requires tremendous effort from both the parents and the individual, who would undergo significant social, psychological, and societal pressure. When an individual reaches the highest level, quitting and taking up an academic pursuit is another major challenge for both the individual and the family. Archana is a great example of this.

Career switching can be viewed as a combination of art, science, and engineering:

  • Art involves creativity, intuition, and personal branding. Switching careers often requires reimagining one’s identity and presenting transferable skills in new ways.
  • Science involves analyzing data such as market trends, job growth, and aligning personal strengths with opportunities.
  • Engineering requires methodical planning, reskilling, networking, and creating a roadmap for transition.

There are similar examples. VVS Laxman’s parents are physicians, and he is related to India’s second President, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (Wikipedia). Laxman was brilliant in academics, scoring 98% in the science stream on the Andhra Pradesh board exams. Though offered a medical seat, he chose cricket as a career. Similarly, Aavishkar Salvi, who balanced a successful cricket career, and PhD in Astrophysics, demonstrating how transitions can be successful across domains.

Career switching is neither easily accepted in India nor easy to execute. I’ve experienced this firsthand. I started my career in IT (13+ years), transitioned into the Academic Ecosystem and Enablement (13+ years), and now am involved in formal Academics and Ecosystem roles. Formally, systems are not designed in the Indian context. However, things have improved in recent times.

Every career demands specific skills and comes with certain expectations. Adapting to a new job is like wearing shoes with intentional pebbles inside—it comes with inherent risk. The chances of failure are high, and the family may face financial risks. Apart from your personal strength, faith in God is often required.

However, as we enter the age of AI, I believe everyone should experience a career switch at least once in their lifetime. Why should you try switching?

Read the paragraph below: Our jobs are being encroached upon!

On Sep 12, 2024, OpenAI launched new models called o1 and o1-mini, significantly outperforming previous versions in reasoning and problem-solving, particularly in math and science. These models reportedly scored 83% on math Olympiad problems and performed at a PhD level in physics, biology, and chemistry. Today, o1 can build a video game using just a single prompt.

Are you planning to switch careers? Remember to apply art, science, and engineering to your process and create a safety net.

Ravi Saripalle

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