What I want to be doing in X years

April 23, 2020

Ahhh the age old question. The deviations of this, Where do you see yourself in x years also attempts to pry an answer akin to what this question does. It has always been weird to me. So for once and for all, I decided to write about my answer to this.

At this given time, the heuristics that I use to decide what I want to work on revolves around three main factors: curiosity/enjoyment, people I am working with, and positive impact on the world. After experimentation with work here and there, I have found that when all the above three factors are quite readily met, I’m at my happiest and produce my best work. However, if any one of the factors is problematic, that is when I grow restless or become less engaged in the world. Now, all three of the things above are very big themes/topics and leave much for interpretation. To break them down a little more to get more granularity regarding my belief:

Enjoyment/Curiosity: Ever since I was a kid, I have been a very curious person. I remember when I was 10 or 11, I got fascinated by these little booklets that explored a single country and would attempt to give an overview of the world. To me, there was nothing else I would do in the world and my time than devour these short books. Once I grew a little older, I developed a similar obsession for mathematics and got obsessed with learning as much about the subject as possible. Nowadays, that obsession is mostly focused on software and learning as much about topics I am obsessed with as possible. I find that when I am in this state, I view knowledge and subject matters as this video game where to unlock the ultimate level, I have to first gain all the context possible to win. It’s also incredibly fun for me. I really enjoy being in phases when I completely captured by a field/area I am studying and therefore would like to be doing something that offers me this.
People I am working with: When I compare my work, output, happiness in areas of life when I felt like I had a tribe that I belonged to and times when I didn’t, I always seemed to be so much better in all those facets when I did have a community by me. For me, life is so much better when I surround myself with a group of friends that are kind, genuine, caring, ethical and inspiring. I have been lucky to be in situations where that is the case and the energy in those environments unleashes creativity unparalleled anywhere else. Therefore, in two years time, I want to be doing something with people who are uplifting and provide a positive environment.
Impact: Finally, I really care about the type of impact that my work is making on the world and take the responsibility of being a positive driving force very seriously. I think that I have a lot to be grateful for when it comes to life: be it things like being able to walk and see to having a world-class education. Due to these, I feel morally compelled to make the most of the skills I have and contribute positively to the world in a few domains that I really care about. Hence, I envision doing something that revolves around those domains and that help make the world a better place in those regards.

The reason I outline this is because I am quite unsure what exactly I will be doing in the next two years. However, I am determined to try to find an opportunity that fits all the above criterion. Currently, I think that may lie in the field of neuroscience and brain computer interfaces – but I’m not certain!