There is a well-known saying that that life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans! The moot question is how well you receive the plans which destiny presents to you? What if destiny’s plan is completely out of sync with what you anticipated it to be? What if destiny suddenly makes you a part of a voyage which takes you to a new destination every day? What if your life becomes so intertwined with the lives of hundreds of people whom you meet that you make life altering decisions for those who come to trust you with their future to such extent that a single wrong decision could make or mar their lives!
All these questions started running in my mind off lately. This is because I completed four years in the field of foreign education counseling this month! And I must admit that I am unable to come up with any adjective which could describe my journey in the most appropriate manner. When I unknowingly took a plunge into this profession, I had no idea that I would be influencing the lives of so many wonderful people whom I would come across. I also had no idea that I would myself get so deeply influenced by merely being a part of these wonderful people’s lives. However, I did not share this feeling when I actually started off into this profession. I, on the contrary, grudged my stars. I thought that my starts were hopelessly faulty. I felt as if the whole world was conspiring against me with the simple objective of shattering my dreams! I found myself in a whirlpool of incidences which I simply couldn’t make any sense off. I did make plans! A lot of them! Plans like any other youngster who aspires for a better life! But life had other plans for me! I did go to US for my masters in Industrial Engineering! Those two years in Clemson were without an ounce of doubt the best years of my life and I wanted to settle down in US like any other engineering graduate. I do not think I was asking for too much from destiny. But I guess destiny is like a woman’s mind. You will never really be able to completely decode it. I came back to India because I lost the most precious man of my life, my father! It’s his birthday today and I still miss him badly! I did want to go back to US but couldn’t go back! After I returned from US I went through a lot of painful incidences for no fault of mine and for reasons I still am unable to fathom! I found myself being drowned in a whirlpool of pain! It was at this juncture that this profession happened! I can confidently say that this profession was an angle in disguise which pulled me out of the whirlpool of pain and acted as a savior! When I started off with counseling in the year 2010, I hardly had any idea about the finer nuances involved in the art of counseling. I did not take up this profession out of conscious choice! I never received any formal training for it! It just happened to me! And I must admit that it is the best thing that has happened to me until date! A lot of well-meaning people did question my choice of taking up counseling professionally! Some of the questions use to be like, “If you have spent 20 lakhs in your MS in US, why don’t you take us engineering job? Why are you wasting your degree? Why are you not joining some MNC? Is this what you truly want for yourself? What is your aim 10 years down the line? Will this help you achieve the standard of living you were aspiring for? To be frank, I did not have a conclusive answer to any of these questions when I started off into this profession. I did try to get engineering jobs but nothing right was coming my way. 4 years down the line I can now figure out why engineering jobs did not come my way! My dreams were shattered back than! Subconsciously I wanted to reconstruct my dreams! And the only way I could do this was not by taking up some technical job! It was my dream to have a good quality education and a quality life! The only way I can see my dreams being fulfilled was by helping my wonderful students fulfill their dreams! I feel as if a broken part within me being repaired when I see my student getting an admit in a good university! It gives me immense joy when their VISA gets approved! Trust me, the joy, excitement and enthusiasm of my students is infectious! I feel that I have succeeded when I see any of my students getting a dream job which they aspired for! I live my life through their dreams! And I now have the answers to all the questions posed to me when I started off in this profession. The answer to the above questions is as follows:
If you have spent 20 lakhs in your MS in US, why don’t you take up engineering job?
I admit I did spend a large amount for my MS in US. But the natural corollary to it is not that I should take up an engineering job to recover my expense! I took up a profession which helps me guide students in a manner that I ensure that they spend their money wisely! An engineering job would have prevented me from playing a larger role which adds meaning to my life and the lives of people around me. I am by no means advocating that you should take up a profession which is out of sync with your degree. But I am certainly advocating that you should try your level best to take up a profession which lends meaning to your life. The money that I spent for my US degree would be recovered by me, though not soon but at some point of time in near future for this is just a tangible sum. But the worth of the intangible returns that I am reaping by guiding students correctly cannot be measured in monetary terms! I use my US experience to guide my students correctly and that is the biggest return on my investment!
Why are you wasting your degree?
Am I? My students can answer this question better! It is my degree in US which helps me take a correct call for my students! When I have to help them make a choice between two conflicting universities, the experience that I gained in US is the one that I put to use! A simple “thank you” from my student after they get their admit is a proof of the fact that my degree is not a waste! My degree is not a waste because I am making use of it for larger good and not simply bettering the lot of myself or my family!
Why are you not joining some MNC?
I am not joining any MNC for the simple reason that I would not get to be a part of such a wonderful voyage! Trust me, the joy that you feel is without any bounds when you see that you have played a role in fulfilling some one elses dream! No high paying job would give you that kind of a satisfaction!
Is this what you truly want for yourself?
Yes! 4 years down the line I feel that this is what I truly want for myself! I truly want my students to succeed! My students are a part of my value system! They are a part of me! They influence me at many levels! I truly want to be a part of their lives and their dreams! I truly want them to be successful and I want to be a part of their success stories! I live my life through their dreams! Each year when a new batch enrolls, I get to be a part of new hopes, new visions and new dreams! Each year when these students fly successfully, I feel as If my hopes are being fulfilled, my vision is being achieved and my dreams are coming true! Can you really ask for something better than this? 🙂
What is your aim 10 years down the line?
My aim 10 years down the line, rather as long as I am living would be to continue doing what I have been doing! I would want to be a part of my students lives for as long as I live! This is what I aim and aspire for!
This is not to say that counseling does not have its pitfall! Anxious students call me all the time! It does take a lot of effort to calm them down, to motivate them, to ensure that they make correct applications, select proper universities, perform well in their GRE/TOFEL and other entrance exams, write their RECOS and SOPs to the best of their ability, arrange for finances, confidently appear for their VISA and fly safely! But then, this is what gives me the kick! The fact that I am there for them when they need me the most!
I take this opportunity to thank each and every of my wonderful student for allowing me to be a part of their wonderful lives! I wish each and every one of you great success and good luck!
Love you all…..