Choosing career path

Well I am still busy searching and still trying to find my own.

Paulo Coelho says

"And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

In another book he wrote,

"If a person is living out his destiny, he knows everything he needs to know. There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve : the fear of failure."

But lets leave the meaning of these esoteric quotes for another day and discuss something practical instead.

If you are worried as to how you should choose a career path then keep reading. I have shared my experiences regarding what I think a person should do to explore and choose a career below:

1. Interview people

Some people are passionate about certain things since their childhood and they make sure that they pursue that passion and they really end up realizing their dreams. But this doesn't happen with everybody in the world so the next best thing for you is to research.

After graduating from high school (or even before that) talk to people about their professions and try to learn from them what they do and what a day in their professional life looks like and then think yourself whether you would like to see yourself working in the same position as them.

"How does it feel like working at this farm?"

"I am running on full capacity giving 10 liters milk daily."

"Holy Cow! That's too much!

"Benefits like grazing in this pasture all day long more than makes up for the loss."

2. Do as many internships as humanly possible

Even if you have already started a degree there are several distinct career paths which you can choose after graduation. The best way to test the jobs is to try doing as many internships as possible. They will not only let you sharpen your practical knowledge while you are in the university, but also let you observe different types of positions on which people are working.

Observe everything carefully while at internship

3. Follow your dreams but ready yourself for sacrifices

Many people advise that one should follow his dreams. While there is nothing wrong in pursuing one's dreams there is a strong possibility that you will run into things which you don't like. So you should practice intense realism (as Joost Elfers call it) while chasing your dreams and you should be willing to make sacrifices along the way.

“There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other.” Douglas H. Everett

4. Discover your strengths

Although this might sound odd but it is true that you are unaware of many of your natural talents. People, many a times, tend to overlook or underestimate some of their natural talents in the same manner as they exaggerate some of their attributes.

Now, don't just walk up to some of your friend and start asking for your natural talents. She might exaggerate your talents and you end up trotting arrogantly, full of yourself. Conversely, she can also underestimate your winning qualities causing you to feel even more depressed. What I suggest is to talk to anyone you can trust in terms of wisdom, for instance, your professor, maybe your parents or someone who has already experienced life, someone seasoned.

"I look so cool, why should I get advice."

5. Observe what makes you happy

OK, watching TV and lying in the couch may make some people happy but there are many other things in life that will interest you. See if its the numbers and number-crunching that interest you or painting florid landscapes. This may lead us into the left-brain and right brain personality discussion (which we will discuss some other day), the point is to actively observe your likes and dislikes and try to align your future career with them.



Good Luck!

How to cram for exam (or a test)

You have been lazy all semester(or year ) long and now exams are due in one week. You start to fidget and regret over your complacency.

Regret no more because I can help you to pass the exam. Go thru the tips mentioned below which will let you know how to cram for exams. Some of them will work for you, some wont. Good luck!

1. Try to think of topics that your professor holds dear

Its not really difficult. Give yourself just 10 to 15 minutes and think of all the instances in which your professor mentioned a topic again and again. As professors are human beings too they also tend to have some likes and dislikes regarding topics. Once you come up with some topics, start preparing for them. Give them maximum time. Talk to seniors or those students who have already taken the course. They can also tell you about professor's prefrences.

2. Grab notes from some nerd

Yes, some of them have really nice notes they have prepared thru the semester. I have found so many good notes myself (and many other have used mine). You search for them and its possible that you will find some really nicely-written ones, so lucid, that you understand all the points without reading you textbook. Some of those students might not lend you your notes so you might have to convince them to give you the notes.

Locate someone similar to this guy and ask for notes!

3. Use mnemonics

Dont waste your time looking up the meaning of this word. By mnemonics I only mean that you associate pictures or a funny or interesting sentence with the things you are trying to learn or memorize. Remember there is no time for you to pore the books. All you need to do is to memorize the important parts. And this technique is easier than you can imagine.

Let me illustrate here:

Its a very simple example and maybe you already know it. In that case I am refreshing your memory so that you can make your own mnemonics.

A traingle looks like this:


Now you know that cosine of theta = Base / Hypotenuse.

A very easy mnemonic to remember it is with a simple sentence: "She has Curly Brown Hair."

The above tips will not only help you to prepare for your exam they will come in handy while you are cramming for a test.

Now stand up and get busy!