What to do when you realize you have jumped into a wrong stream of studies: Ankita Borthakur

Mystory@Ankita Borthakur

As far as I remember and if I have to trust what my parents say about me, I was an extrovert and a big time talker who hated the idea of studying 24X7. This was a huge cause of frustration for my mom mainly because she is a teacher. I was a last moment learner but also did fairly well in my class. In school, I used to be counted as one amongst the toppers in my class by my teachers and classmates. Though I never got a 100/100 in anything but I used to score more than 85% in most subjects, except Social Science and sometimes Maths. I also got a school level scholarship (from class 7 to class 10) from the State Board of Education in Assam, which made me a star instantly.

After my 10th, my parents sent me to a very good and reputed college in Assam to complete my Class 11th and 12th (we used to call it Higher Secondary 1st and 2nd year then) in Science stream and subsequently I went on to do my honours in Physics from an even better college in Assam. Thus, 5 years I dedicated my life to Science and Science only and people thought I would end up being an engineer like my father. 

Now, the catch was, that while I was pursuing my graduation, I understood that though I'm fairing pretty fine in the Science stream, somehow I'm not a person who is made for this particular field of studies. I was not born with a natural aptitude for Science, I was actually a mugger who was using the best survival strategy of mugging up everything just to evade failing for the past 5 years. This is the reason I remember almost nothing of what I learnt during those 5 years as a Science student. I don't regret anything though and proudly shell out my honors certificate, but sometimes I think what if I had invested those 5 precious years in doing something I was actually good at! This realization made me bunk the entrance exams for engineering and medical because I knew I would either become a bad engineer or a failed doctor. I discussed this with my parents and they agreed to the same. Thus, I started my journey of deciding what to study next. 

How I corrected my academic stream and career path

It was a known thing throughout my growing up phase that communication is one strong factor in my personality. Initially, post my graduation, I thought that I should take up a degree in Mass Communication and also ended up giving the entrance exams for a few renowned colleges in Assam. But then I realized that coming out of my comfort zone and taking up a course which grills you further will be the only way by which I can make my inner traits stronger. So I opted for MAT (Management Aptitude Test) and by securing 92.5 percentile in it, I got an admission in a good college in Delhi. This was where I fell in love with Management, especially Marketing. 

Once in my MBA, I started discovering more qualities in me which stayed hidden due to wrong stream selection earlier. While studying management I successfully dug-up my other strong traits – presentation skills, convincing power and self-confidence. I began honing these skills with the help of some very knowledgeable faculty members who mentored me in every way possible. Well, they still are mentoring me to say the least. Soon, I became a known face in my college and my classmates wanted to pair up with me for presentations and home work. The science graduate inside me was long asleep by now and I didn't have to mug up things for exams anymore.

Life after MBA

Post MBA, I got my first job in a company which made me realize more of my inert powers: writing skills and team handling capacity. Needless to say, I climbed the ladder of corporate success at such a pace that it made most people in my vicinity think that I must either be doing some serious good work at office or just bluffing in front of them. But actually, everyone knew deep within that it was the first option: the serious good work thingie. It was because I enjoyed my work. 

Today, with 6 years of experience in marketing and sales, I'm still undergoing the process of learning and unearthing what all lay within me. Some things I need to learn and some things come naturally to me, just some fine tuning is required most of the time. And it’s fun doing what you are good at and what makes you happy. It is a saying that a happy heart produces happy results. So is the case with me.

Hence, it is very important to choose a stream as per your interest and your capabilities. If you chose a wrong stream of studies under the pressure of someone or something, then most of the time you will end up being frustrated and face hardships in proving that you have chosen the right thing for yourself. Even if you happen to choose a wrong stream of education, then just like me, once when you understand your situation – switch to what you want to do in your life ahead. Believe me, life becomes much easier and happier then!

I believe that what you have chosen for your career does not mean you have to stop doing other things in life. You have to keep learning different things to keep the cycle of achievements ever-churning. This thought made me enter the world of pageantry. Needless to say, I'm still learning other things – succeeding in some and failing in some. But I believe that's how it should be.

About the Author:

Ankita Borthakur is Director-PR at Samadhan Abhiyan (NGO). She holds a BSc in Physics (Hons) and a management degree in Marketing. She’s a marketing and sales professional with 6 years of corporate experience. Ankita is Mrs Universe 2017 finalist award winner and a motivational speaker.