Who doesn’t like planes, right? A piece of metal that gave a new perspective on the Earth. I mean, do you see that? It’s a 175,000-pound bird that’s about to fly 8 miles a minute.
I did too. When I was young, I was super fascinated by airplanes. Whenever I heard the faint noise of a plane passing above my head, I would stop what I’m doing just to watch it pass by.
It was my ultimate DREAM to experience what it’s like to be inside an airplane; the cockpit with its millions of controls, mechanics, and structure. This is why when I completed 12th, it made sense to pursue Aeronautical Engineering after that, and so I did. I left for Bhopal, almost 600km away, to finally achieve my dream. You know how sometimes you really look forward to something happening, and when it finally happens it was all you imagined it to be and more? That was Bhopal for me. I genuinely enjoyed my time there: the education, the place, the people. In 2 years, I had learned and experienced so much, much more than I could’ve imagined—I had gotten the chance to join the flight club and see the inside of a cockpit for the first time in my life, seeing planes take off and land in front of my eyes, sat beside a pilot and observed cockpit procedures.
Bhopal was one of the best, staggering times of my life. Unfortunately, 2 years was all it could give to me. Due to some personal problems, I had to return home to Agra as soon as I could.
After I reached back home, I fell into the worst state of mind. I was depressed, felt meaningless, didn’t know what to do or how to continue with this abrupt pause in my life. I went from having it all and being on Cloud 9, to falling into a deep, pitch-black pit. During this time, my dad was my rock; he supported me immensely and helped me get back on track to figuring out what to do next.
In this new expedition, I enrolled for a BSc in 1997, and to make up for the lost time of 2 years, I was doing Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Applications (PGDCA) side by side. I opted for computers since I already knew the basics from school. I learned programming, IT skills, all about the internet, C++, all that fun stuff. In 1997, this was a big thing. After finishing all my courses and degrees, I was offered a job in the same place I was studying.
Then life happened—I got married, had kids, started teaching what I had learned to people 5-10 years older than me, all this at the age of 21.
After a couple of years, when my family was settled and stable, is when I got into my first business: call centers and outsourcing. This is where it all took a turn—the knowledge I had gained from my PGDCA was helping me in this field much more than I had ever thought of; in fact, one of the reasons I was able to reach where I am today is because of how this knowledge has helped me. My technical skills, programming, etc. were all so strong that I was able to complete tasks in days that some people would take months for. And to date, the things I learned 20-25 years back are helping me direct a technical team for my business.
So, actually, I was using my computer diploma more than I could have ever used my engineering knowledge. There are two sides to every situation. I feel that if I hadn’t left Bhopal, I wouldn’t have had the opportunities that I have now. I wouldn’t have experienced the hardships that I’ve experienced now, and I wouldn’t have matured the way I did now.
They say when one door closes, three more open, I believe in that. Connect the dots in your life. Where you are now is the result of seeds planted years ago.It’s okay to experiment and take your time while doing so.
Some day—and that day will come—you will look at this with your life together, and you will finally understand why God made you go through all that. Look for the purpose. When it is happening to us, we wonder why the hell God is doing this to us, but believe that everything happens for a reason.
Grab onto that glimpse of hope. It’s so worth it.
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