Member-only story
Trust the process!
In August of 2012, I entered a prestigious Indian university, BITS Pilani. Like 806 other kids of my batch, I too was bright eyed, optimistic and excited! As a Freshman, one of my major goals was to get a “Verti” (short for Vertical transfer, a transfer to a different branch) to Computer science. I worked hard, very hard! After a year of ignoring everything other than my studies, I failed to get a “Verti”.
Fast forward to 2018, I wanted to move to USA because I believed that my career prospects were better there. At the time, I thought that an MBA was my ticket there. I applied to numerous schools - from the business hubs of the East coast to the tech hubs of the West! Unfortunately for me, my profile at the time wasn’t good enough. The best I could get was a Waitlist from one university, which eventually turned into a reject.
The intent of the two instances above is not to whine, but frankly to do quite the opposite. As I write this post, I am seated happily in my room in the heart of the Bay, San Jose. I am gearing up for an amazing week ahead at a software engineering job that I always dreamed of!
When I failed to get that “Verti” I contemplated a lot on choosing a different career path, on giving up on my professional dreams. But little did I know that a career in software engineering did not require a degree in Computer science. In fact, my interest in coding despite a different branch was a key talking point in my Software engineering job interview!
When I failed to get an admission into the MBA program, I was tempted to settle for my relatively comfortable life back home. As fate would have it, my move to the USA was imminent, but through a different route! All the networking and leadership activities I had taken part in played in my favor and gave me the visibility I needed to be chosen for this wonderful opportunity to work in San Jose!
Time and again, the universe will present you with tests of varying degrees! The universe will constantly evaluate your commitment to your goals. When that happens, please know that you have to stay true to your vision and trust the process. The universe may nudge you on a different route and you may feel lost but know that the destination is worth it!
Sometimes the best thing that happened to you is the best thing that didn’t happen to you.
- The Rock
If you liked this story, do consider giving me a follow Abhishek Rathan Athreya for more content on optimism, self improvement, motivation and productivity. Thank you!
