Introduction

Origin of an idea

In December 2005, exactly ten years prior to the publication of this book, a group of three classmates of ours started a virtual discussion group out of the blue.  We were not sure what they expected when they initiated it.  The response was overwhelming and immediate. 

It was as though twenty years of latent demand that had been bottled up was suddenly uncorked, and the spontaneous joy of interaction was contagious.  Hundreds upon hundreds of messages and greetings poured in from all corners of India and the world.

An observer of this gush of enthusiasm might be forgiven for thinking that this would soon fade, perhaps thinking about such experiences with other discussion groups.  However, for reasons yet to be fully explained, this discussion group went from strength to strength and today in addition to its original format, has branched into the various multi-media platforms that we are all familiar with today - be they podcasts, blogs, chats, teleconference calls or in-person meetings.

Here is one telling example.  In 2014, two classmates hit upon an idea to propose one topic a week.  Every week a new classmate would propose a topic.  And the rest of the class would jump in with their points of view. 

These topics included work, family, current affairs, arts & entertainment and travel.  The conversation was so voluminous that we turned it into an informal book that we shared with the entire class.  This effort in 2014 was indeed the origin of the idea for this book.

Realizing what we had just done as a class in 2014 for our own benefit, we wondered could we not take the same energy and direct it towards creating a book for the graduating class of 2016 and beyond?  The response again was immediate and enthusiastic.   Thus 2015 was spent meeting, planning, writing, editing and publishing this book.

Why?

Any endeavor, and the explanation of any endeavor must always start with the question - Why?  What is the purpose of the endeavor?  If the question why? is answered, then the questions what? who? and how? will automatically follow.

The rationale for the book is this:  When we were 22 years of age and just graduating out of college, we were not at all aware of how much the world was changing and what we needed to do to navigate this world.  And indeed, when we look back thirty years, we are thankful that we have been able to navigate reasonably well thus far both in our personal and professional lives.  We have had great teachers, mentors and managers along the way.

What would it be like, we wondered, if we were 22 years old again, and a group ahead of us distilled their experience and shared it with us?  Not as a recipe or a formula or even a guideline, but rather as a set of observations, made in an open minded and flexible way that could shine a light, however faint on the path ahead.

We are inspired by a couplet in the Upanishads that says, “In the dark of the night when lightning strikes, you see the world as it is for a brief second. You hurriedly record what you see.”  It occurs to us that you need to be awake when the lightning strikes and be ready to ‘see’ when it occurs and then have the talent to record it!

We believe we have been awake to our collective experiences.  And we have ‘hurriedly’ made notes of it.  We wish to share these notes with you.

Who?

Ostensibly we have written this for the graduating class of 2016 and beyond at the PSG College of Technology, our alma mater.  This is because we have walked in your shoes on that very campus.  Thus, one might imagine that we relate to you most immediately.

However, our hope is that this book is for students of the graduation class of 2016 and beyond elsewhere as well, since these experiences are in a multitude of careers and span geographies across the globe.

What?

There are nearly 20 chapters in this book.  Each chapter is on a different discipline or subject.  There are chapters on Materials Science, Oil & Gas Exploration, Earthquake Engineering, Information Technology, Financial Services, Entrepreneurship and a variety of other topics including reflections on how to navigate a career or professional life in a new setting.

Each chapter follows a general guideline:  

·       Why did the author choose his or her field?
·       What was the career trajectory? 
·       What were the career choices? 
·       What is their view on the future of their field?

Finally, each chapter includes any advice and overall observations that might be of interest.  We have kept these chapters brief, personal and hopefully engaging.

Between chapters, we also have brief observations on leadership and career management made by a select group of classmates as well in sections titled, “Question & Answer.”  We have asked which leader has inspired our classmates in their careers and in their lives overall.

A disclaimer – the contents of each of these chapters are personal views of the authors and do not represent the positions of their respective organizations.

How?

This book is not constructed so that it is necessary to read it from the first page to the last.  However, you are free to do so!

This book is constructed in such a way that any chapter, or any observation should be able to stand on its own.  

· If a particular topic is of interest (e.g. Earthquake Engineering), you could jump to it.

· If a particular geography is of interest (say, New Zealand), you could go there.

· If you would like to read a chapter by a female author, rather than male, you could do it.

·  If you want to read a general chapter such as the one on entrepreneurship, rather than a specific topic in engineering, you could choose that.

In other words, you could choose to navigate to any part of the book that most immediately appeals to you.

Contacting Us

We encourage you to contact us with your comments and questions at the following email address:  TracingTheTrajectory@gmail.com.

A concluding thought

We have labored to create this book in the hope that you are inspired by our observations of this fast changing world.  And we hope that you find navigating your future just a little easier.

The Return On Investment (R.O.I) of our effort, we hope, is that a few inspired minds will make a positive contribution back to our alma mater.

Our warmest regard and best wishes for your successful future.

Class of 1986

PSG College of Technology    

On the occasion of our 30th year meet

Dubai, UAE

Surya Kolluri

Mechanical Engineering

General Editor

Boston, USA

December 31, 2015