Why should you take your career (very) seriously?

Do you ever feel that you should have studied harder and performed better in the most crucial years and the most important exams of your life (i.e., after class XII)? I do feel. And I feel it almost every moment with the heaviest of my heart. No matter, I eventually landed up in the most prestigious media institute in the country (IIMC), but the regret of not landing in an IIT-level (or an NIT) institute right after passing the senior secondary exam still haunts me every single day. Throughout the six long years, I have faced innumerable moments of repentance and have cursed myself for not giving my best in the exam that was potentially the most imperative for me to crack.

Being an engineering graduate, I am keeping this blog post central to the engineering domain and the exams associated with it. But the same lessons hold true for all the students passing their 10+2 exams, irrespective of their stream. The ones who want to pursue their careers in the field of medicine should replace the IIT examination with NEET; law, CLAT; arts, top colleges of the Delhi University; civil services, UPSC, etc. The crux of the post will be the same for everyone.

Being our benevolent wishers, most of our friends & relatives have always consoled us after our failures with their 'verbal pamper' like – ‘IIT’s not the only exam in the world’. ‘look at her, or him…they are at the zenith of success, and they have also failed IIT miserably’, ‘there are certainly many more good institutions across the country', ‘one exam doesn’t define you, or set your destiny’, 'you'll get many more opportunities to showcase your skills & talent' etc. I also (fortunately) have a number of people in my life who have been my permanent cool breeze in the blistering hot times. Being true well-wishers of mine, they always tried their best to make me feel good and helped me get over the failure’s impediment in life. And I will,  no doubt...certainly be grateful to them for all their eternal love, and the utmost care they have showered on me so far. When one falls in his (or her) life (especially at this tender juncture), and his heart bleeds, and soul aches; these people actually serve as the panacea to relieve him from the excruciating pain.

But, six years down the line, after completing my engineering and sparing two years in further preparation, I realized that the failure at that time was really a huge one and I gotta face the repercussions of it in my life for a long. The pampering console by my kith and kin at that time certainly helped me lift myself up again with full confidence, and a motivating spark in my mind; but now, as I have grown up and have witnessed multiple facets of life, I have realized it well that ‘had I cleared IIT at that time, I would have been living a sheerly peaceful life at this time, and the mental state of mine would be way more calm and relaxed’. I still agree that all the advice and consoling pamper that I received at that time was true to some extent, in fact, was indeed crucial for me to get over that big setback. But, I have gathered enough shreds of evidence now that proves that life in real actually doesn't go that way. If you haven't worked hard for an examination (or anything), and you have miserably failed in that; you'll certainly suffer. That's how it goes. As you sow, so shall you reap! 

(However, why and how did I land up in civil services preparation, and in the Indian Institute of Mass Communication after engineering remains a starkly different topic and shouldn’t be intermingled with this.)

Of all the ‘partially true’ verbal consoling, the one that I still find completely legitimate & sensible is - ‘Hey Anant, this wasn’t the last opportunity. You’ll get many more chances to prove yourself and reach the pinnacle in your career.’ It simply meant that if I haven’t landed up in the lavish cruise of IIT at this juncture, I’ll anyway get ample opportunities in the future. Be it the GATE examination after completing graduation, or pursuing PhD from an IIT, or altogether changing the track and get the desired success in some other field (exactly what I did).

But the point to note here is that no matter how many opportunities you get in your future, or how successful you become; the latent baggage of that first big failure of your life will keep on biting you for a long. Maybe you’ll get all the success & fame, or become an erudite personality in the future, or get admission to an even more prestigious institution, or earn way more than you would have earned passing out from IIT; but, the mental toll put by that failure will keep on obstructing your ways, and your quest to eternal happiness will get hampered in one way or another. 

Photo by Marissa Grootes on Unsplash

So, to all those who deliberately and carelessly cut their preparation and put sub-optimum hard work consuming all the 'sweet-poison' from the society (and even the toppers) – I would like to tell them all that these failures only seem hunky-dory until you find yourself indulged in one, or get yourself into the shoes of depression. Not getting admission to a good institution, (or land up in a quality job) you literally will have no idea about the difficulties and the 'would that(s)' that will actually make your life suffocating. Struggle will become the synonym for your life, and every day, everywhere you'll have to swallow the morsels of despair, shame, and regret. Life is anyways not easy as you grow older, don’t make it more difficult with the baggage of the most tormenting failure. Timely getting into the premier institute/job of your niche will make your life's journey a smooth road, and will remove all the unhappiness & regrets' thorns from your way.

It was bold though, but very true. So, keeping all the clutter aside, just focus on your studies well (at least in the few crucial years). IITs (or any other premier institutes or jobs) do make the rest of your life amazing!!!

Best!