Desperately need advice for life : Lifecoach

[suman-saha-ojy9l]

I am a working professional with MBA from a reputed institute. I have been working in for more than 3 years now. Since my post graduation I have been longing to get into a PhD program and build my career in academia. I got admit from Arizona State University and went there form PhD. But the overwhelming cultural shock and homesickness got to my nerves and I couldn't stay there for more than 1 month. I came back and got back to the industry that I was working in. now I feel demotivated and purposeless. All the research proposals that I wrote are still there and I desperately want to work on them. I know I can only be happy in academia. Still not being able to gather enough courage to leave the lucrative corporate career again. What should I do?

[piyushmahajan]

Hello user,

Thank you for writing to us. We understand the situation you are in. Most of us get into such confusion state at different points of career.

What makes you say that you feel demotivated and purposeless? Do a self analysis and understand what is your long term goal and what will motivate you? Do you think there can be an option of overlapping corporate career with your academia interest or being in academia and corporate will be two different work profiles?

Set up the priority between two options by evaluating pros and cons (with respect to your personal and professional considerations) of them for yourself and people around you.

Answering these questions for yourself will help you gain clarity and take appropriate decision. We will be happy to chat/talk with you to work with you on this aspect.

Best,
Piyush
Team YourDost

[achsri123]

Dear Suman,

It all depends upon what your interests are and also your financial situation. No doubt being in the industry is lucrative but academia has its own benefits. Even academia offers a lot of growth and financial stability. You can definitely pursue your Ph.D. program from some of the reputed universities in India. Once you complete the doctoral program, you can choose to pursue your career as a professor at some reputed university.

If you think your financial situation can support education for a few years, then I recommend you to go for Ph.D. and pursue your passion and interests. otherwise, if you cannot afford to lose income in the present situation, then you should postpone your plans for some time in the future.

Let me tell you about myself a little bit because it might give you some comfort. I have done my MS in Computer Science from the University of Southwestern Lousiana, Lafayette, USA. After completing my MS I worked in California as a Software Engineer for 3 years. But I got into some health problems and after staying for 5 years in the US, I returned back to India. I pursued a career in the IT industry for more than 15 years and then out of interest, I shifted my career to teaching and worked as an Assistant Professor. Why I am telling you this is because if I can pursue my interests with passion, then you too can.

So evaluate your goals, make a plan for the future and work towards achieving your goals. All The Best.

Regards,
Sridhar