Skill meets Passion

Not always do we know what we want, sometimes we know what we don’t want. And that piece of information is equally valuable.

I was a biology student preparing for JEE Main not because I knew what Engineering was or because I was passionate about building bridges, but because I didn’t want to become a doctor and preparing for JEE was the only option left at that time.

I was once told that I would do great as an IAS officer and since any degree could take me there I thought, “let’s push our limits, get a B Tech degree from a prestigious institute like IIT or NIT and then prepare for UPSC and become a civil servant”. It was not an entirely foolhardy plan as I loved Math and Physics and Engineering had a lot of it.

JEE Mains happened and NEET happened. I wrote both (don’t ask me why) and scored 130 in JEE and 408 in NEET.

All the while I prepared for JEE but hadn’t prepared myself for IIT at a far-off place. So after much reluctance and drama, I agreed to put NIT Trichy after a few far-away IITs.

JEE Counselling happened at a steady pace and Medical counselling was already done.

I remember the day vividly, standing outside the Government Medical College, Tirunelveli, with tears in my eyes, and an admission script in my hand.

It was after 3 rounds of counselling in JOSAA and the first round of counselling for government MBBS seats. All I have in hand is a mechanical seat at NIT Durgapur and an MBBS seat at GMC Tirunelveli. It was the moment when I had to decide if I wanted the medical seat or not. I was hoping to get a Civil Engineering seat in NIT Trichy within the next four rounds of JOSAA counselling. But nothing assured so far.

It was crucial because I had to decide if I had to hold on to the bird in my hand or hope for a bird in the bush - a bird that may or may not exist.

Among all the clouded thoughts just one thought was clear, the bird in the hand is not the bird I wanted.

In between the tears, I convinced people - people who cared for my future that I would not take up the admission for medicine and wait for a seat in NIT Trichy. And in case I fail to do so, I would continue to do engineering in some other institution.

Why was it a difficult decision?

It was the image created for a medical seat in society and to intentionally give up on a “golden opportunity” like an MBBS seat seemed insane, especially because I was trading it for an “Engineering” seat - a seat that wasn’t even assured.

What helped me make the decision?

• Cushion to take risks: I had the admits from a few private institutions that could back me up in case I didn’t get a seat at NITT.

• Guilt: I was guilty of taking a medical seat that I didn’t want while so many people craved it.

• Skill needs to meet passion: It is easier for me to become skilled in what I am passionate about than becoming passionate about what I am skilled at.

• Support System: Supportive parents and well-wishers who trusted my guts and valued my interests.

However, there was a better time to have taken the decision, probably as soon as I wrote NEET, when I got the scores or when I got the admit, instead of in front of the medical college.

Important Take-aways:

• Not always do we know what we want, sometimes we know what we don’t want. And that piece of information is equally valuable.

• If you have seen the Ikigai Venn diagram you probably know that one’s dream job would be that in which one is skilled, passionate and earning enough. The brutal truth is, it is not always presented to us in proper balance. Sometimes we work hard in a job we are passionate about to develop the required skills and sometimes we help ourselves over time to find the sweet spot in any job that we do.

I do not regret the decision to date for I loved my college life and the course I learnt. I know from seeing parallels in friends that I don’t belong in the medical field and am happy for the decision that the old Sneha made that day.

Thanks for reading!

Have a great day :)