How Being Unconventional Got Me Ahead in Life | Tharun Naik | TEDxPlaksha University

Summary

The speaker reflects on life's ironies and parental expectations, using the story of Rahul, an IIT Bombay graduate with an unexpected low salary, to highlight the changing job market influenced by AI and automation. He shares personal experiences and emphasizes the importance of experimentation and learning diverse skills in college to adapt to the evolving world. The '344' framework is introduced as a method to acquire new skills every three months, advocating for resilience, agility, and problem-solving as key traits for future success.

Takeaways

• 😀 Life's Irony: People often desire to be children after wanting to grow up, highlighting the changing perspectives on life stages.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parental Expectations: Middle-class parents often wish for their children to have stable careers, like doctors or engineers, which they may have missed in their own lives.
• 📚 Academic Pressure: The story of Rahul illustrates the high expectations and pressure on students to excel academically and secure top positions in their fields.
• 🏢 Job Market Reality: Despite academic success, the job market has changed, and high achievers like Rahul may not always secure high-paying jobs as expected.
• 🌐 Technological Impact: Advancements in AI and automation are altering the job landscape, making traditional career paths less predictable and stable.
• 🎓 Rethinking Education: The script suggests that students and parents need to reimagine conventional career paths and adapt to the changing times.
• 🛠️ Diverse Skills: Karthik's story demonstrates the value of developing diverse skills outside of traditional education, such as ethical hacking, which can lead to success.
• 🔭 Lost and Found: The speaker's personal journey from being a lost college student to finding success through experimentation and diverse experiences.
• 🧪 Experimentation: The speaker emphasizes the importance of experimenting with different skills and careers to find what one truly loves and is passionate about.
• 📈 Framework 344: A suggested approach for skill development where students work on a new skill every three months, accumulating a broad set of skills over time.
• 💪 Key Attributes: The importance of resilience, agility, adaptability, and problem-solving skills for students to navigate the uncertain job market of the future.
• 🔁 Continuous Learning: The message that the next five years will be challenging, especially for engineers, and the necessity to continuously learn and adapt to new technologies and job roles.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the speaker's talk?

The main theme of the speaker's talk is the changing landscape of career aspirations and the job market, particularly for students, in light of advancements in technology such as AI and the need to experiment and adapt to these changes.

Why did the speaker's friend Rahul not get a high-paying job after graduating from IIT Bombay?

Rahul did not get a high-paying job because the job market has changed significantly, with advancements in AI and automation affecting the demand for traditional engineering roles, leading to a situation where even top students may not secure high-paying placements as expected.

What does the speaker suggest as an alternative to having a fixed five-year plan for students?

The speaker suggests that students should not have a fixed five-year plan but instead should focus on experimenting and trying out new skills and experiences to discover their passions and adapt to the changing job market.

What is the 'framework 344' mentioned by the speaker?

The 'framework 344' is a strategy where the speaker recommends that students should work on a new skill for every three months during their college years, making it a hobby and learning it thoroughly before moving on to the next skill after three months.

Why did Karthik, a student with eight backlogs, have a gaming setup and a super bike?

Karthik, despite having eight backlogs, had a gaming setup and a super bike because he was an ethical hacker who earned money through bug bounding, where he found vulnerabilities in websites and web apps for companies.

What does the speaker imply about the sustainability of Karthik's career as an ethical hacker?

The speaker questions the sustainability of Karthik's career as an ethical hacker, suggesting that while it may be lucrative in the short term, it might not provide long-term stability or growth.

How did the speaker's own career evolve from being a lost student to running multiple ventures?

The speaker's career evolved through a series of internships and experiments in different fields such as copyrighting, marketing, digital marketing, web development, and software development, which eventually led to him running a creative agency and a successful YouTube channel.

What qualities does the speaker believe are essential for students to develop in the current job market?

The speaker believes that resilience, agility, adaptability, and problem-solving skills are essential qualities for students to develop in the current job market due to the rapid changes brought about by technological advancements.

What quote does the speaker use to conclude his talk?

The speaker concludes his talk with the quote, 'If You're Going Through Hell, keep going,' which emphasizes perseverance and continuous effort despite challenges.

Why does the speaker emphasize the importance of experimenting outside of the classroom?

The speaker emphasizes the importance of experimenting outside of the classroom because it is through real-world experiences and trying different things that students can discover their true interests and passions, which is crucial for success in a rapidly changing job market.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 The Paradox of Growing Up and Career Expectations

This paragraph discusses the irony of life where people first desire to grow up but later wish to be children again. It poses a question about career aspirations, contrasting childhood dreams with parental expectations, often rooted in providing stability. The speaker, from a middle-class background in Mida, Telangana, uses the example of his friend Rahul, whose parents wanted him to be an engineer. The story of Rahul's academic excellence and the stark contrast between expectations and reality in the job market, especially in 2024 with AI advancements, is highlighted. The paragraph ends with a reflection on the changing job landscape and the challenges faced by college students in adapting to these changes.

05:01

🎮 Diverse College Experiences: From Gaming Setups to Ethical Hacking

The second paragraph introduces the audience to Karthik, a fellow student with a lavish gaming setup in his hostel room, which initially leads to assumptions of wealth. However, it is revealed that Karthik is an ethical hacker who has successfully made a name for himself in bug bounty hunting, earning significant income despite having academic backlogs. The speaker questions the sustainability of Karthik's career path and contrasts it with traditional college experiences, pondering the unpredictability of life outcomes based on non-academic skills.

10:02

🛠 Experimentation as a Key to Success in a Changing World

In the final paragraph, the speaker shares his personal journey of transformation from a lost college student to a successful entrepreneur and content creator. He emphasizes the importance of experimentation and stepping outside of traditional academic routines to discover one's passion and potential. The '344 Framework' is introduced as a strategy for skill acquisition, suggesting that students should focus on learning new skills every three months rather than adhering to a rigid five-year plan. The speaker concludes with the advice to keep experimenting in the face of an uncertain future, especially with the rise of AI and automation, and ends with a motivational quote encouraging perseverance.

Keywords

💡Middle Class

The term 'middle class' refers to a socio-economic group that falls between the working class and the upper class. In the video, the speaker mentions coming from a middle-class background, indicating a moderate level of wealth and social status. This context highlights the aspirations and expectations parents from such backgrounds often have for their children, such as pursuing stable and prestigious careers like engineering or medicine.

💡Career Aspirations

Career aspirations are the ambitions or goals an individual has for their professional life. The video discusses how parents often have specific career aspirations for their children, such as becoming a doctor or engineer, which reflects a desire for a stable and secure future. The speaker contrasts these aspirations with the changing job market and the need for adaptability.

💡IIT Bombay

The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) is one of the premier engineering and technology institutions in India. In the script, a character named Rahul is mentioned as attending IIT Bombay, which was a significant achievement and a source of pride for his family. However, the video also points out the changing expectations from such an education due to evolving job markets.

💡Job Market

The job market refers to the availability of jobs and the demand for labor. The video script discusses how the job market has changed over time, especially with advancements in AI and technology, affecting the career prospects of new graduates, including those from prestigious institutions like IIT Bombay.

💡Ethical Hacking

Ethical hacking is the practice of testing a system or network's security by simulating an attack to identify vulnerabilities. In the video, a character named Karthik is revealed to be an ethical hacker, which is a departure from traditional academic paths. This example illustrates the emergence of new career opportunities outside of conventional fields.

💡Experimentation

Experimentation in the context of the video refers to trying out different activities, roles, or skills to discover one's interests and passions. The speaker emphasizes the importance of experimenting with various skills and experiences during college to find what one truly enjoys and is good at, which is crucial in an ever-changing job market.

💡Resilience

Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from difficulties or adapt to change. The video speaker mentions resilience as a key trait that students should develop to navigate the uncertainties of the future job market, suggesting that being able to bounce back from setbacks is essential for long-term success.

💡Adaptability

Adaptability is the capacity to adjust to new conditions or changes. The script highlights the need for students to be adaptable in the face of a rapidly evolving job market, where traditional career paths may no longer be viable or desirable.

💡Problem Solving

Problem solving is the process of finding solutions to difficulties or challenges. The video emphasizes the importance of strong problem-solving skills for students, as these abilities will be crucial in tackling the complex issues they may face in their careers, especially in a world increasingly influenced by AI and automation.

💡Automation

Automation refers to the use of technology to perform tasks without human intervention. The video script warns that automation, particularly through AI, will take over many jobs, necessitating that individuals find their unique value and passions to remain relevant in the workforce.

💡Five-Year Plan

A five-year plan typically refers to a long-term strategy or set of goals for the future. The speaker in the video argues against having a rigid five-year plan for students, suggesting instead a more fluid approach of continuous learning and adaptation through experimentation.

Highlights

Life's paradox: the desire to grow up and then return to childhood innocence.

The societal pressure to conform to parental expectations of becoming a doctor or engineer for a stable life.

The story of Rahul, a top student whose parents wanted him to be an engineer, illustrating parental aspirations.

Rahul's academic excellence and the high expectations placed on him as the 'poster boy' of his school.

The contrast between Rahul's academic success and the reality of his job placement with a lower-than-expected salary.

The changing job market in 2024 due to advancements in AI and automation, affecting traditional career paths.

The dilemma faced by college students on how to adapt to the evolving job market and the need for new skills.

The story of Karthik, an ethical hacker who defied traditional college life and achieved financial success.

The question of sustainability in unconventional career paths like Karthik's bug bounty hunting.

The personal journey of the speaker from being a lost college student to achieving success through experimentation.

The importance of having no fixed five-year plan and instead focusing on continuous learning and adaptation.

The 'Framework 344' for skill development, suggesting learning a new skill every three months.

The value of the journey in skill acquisition over the specific skills learned for personal growth.

The necessity of resilience, agility, adaptability, and problem-solving skills for the future job market.

The inspirational quote from Steve Jobs on the unexpected benefits of learning calligraphy.

The final message encouraging experimentation and perseverance in the face of an uncertain future.

Transcripts

[Music]

so don't you all feel that life is funny

because first we want to grow up and

then we want to be kids again ladies and

gentlemen I'd like to start today's talk

with a question that all of us have been

asked

before what do you want to become when

you grow

old a scientist an

astronaut or anything that sounded cool

as a kid right but the real question is

what did your parents want you to become

well if you're someone like

me who comes from a normal middle class

background from a small town called Mida

in Telangana your parents would like to

would want you to become maybe a doctor

or an engineer because your parents want

you to have something that they missed

in their life what is that a stable life

or a lifestyle right and same in the

same way one of my friends Rahul his

parents dreamed of him to become a an

engineer right so ladies and gentlemen

this is story time this was back in 2011

right I and Rahul were classmates and we

were like something around 11 years old

we used to sit in the first bench in our

class right Rahul was this you know

topper friend that I used to have he is

the dream kid that parents can dream to

have and like a ideal student that

teachers would pray to have right he was

he was always first in the class

first in exams first in submitting the

assignments everything right years

passed by year after year year after

year year after year his you know he was

very very studious and he finally put

the know the school's name in front of

the you know entire town right and he he

actually became the poster boy of the

school right and 10 boards happened and

then 11th class 12th we went to the

coaching and what do you expect from him

he became the topper over there as well

he finally cracked IJ and finally went

to IIT

Bombay first year second year third year

he finally started to excel at I Bombay

as well what else his parents could

dream of everyone thought that this

Rahul would now become you

know join hands with some of the best

companies in the world and earning

crores and crores of

money fourth year he finally side in the

placements 2023 it was December day one

day two day three he didn't get placed

he finally got placed on day five and

guess his

package 5

LPA the same kid

who was supposed to get crores of

package is now a out of IIT Bombay with

with a five lakh

package why did this happen everything

was supposed to happen good he's a dream

kid he's a dream child he's the studious

one he's the most disciplined one so

what happened why five LPA why not in

crores little did anyone realize that

the year is

2024 and the job market isn't the same

anymore the times have changed with the

advancements in AI with the advance

advancements in

llms with the recent release in AI soft

Ware engineering like engineer a lot of

things have changed the job market

doesn't seem the

same so what do we do what do we the

college students do right now how do we

cope up with this what should we

learn are we all messed up right now

imagine studying four years five years

in a college you study engineering and

then you get out of the college without

any job in fact you're not even

employable how does it feel like

so what should we

do I mean before we answer this question

I'd like to tell you I'd like to share

two more stories with you the first one

is back in

2022 right and before going to the story

we have to realize the fact this is the

time for us for the students for the

parents to reimagine the imagined

conventional career parts that we have

been looking forward for the last 20

years in India the times have changed

now let's get back to the story the year

is

2022 Co finally like covid-19 finally

started ending and I along with my

friends we started going back to IIT

kakur this was back in my second third

year of

college and I just packed everything my

bags luggage books laptop everything I

just packed everything I just went back

to the college I got out of the cab I

just started entering my hostel room

right and two rooms apart there used to

be one of my friend his name is

Karthik

right so Karthik I've just looked at him

I was like what is this guy doing

because this guy had three four other

people with him they were carrying huge

boxes along with him we like entering

the hostel and then I see the boxes are

just like people are opening the boxes

and then they see huge monitors a big

game gaming setup a PS5 all of those

things coming a big lighting setup and

all of the things coming out of his room

I was like man this caric is so rich I

guess his parents should be so rich like

how can how can he have like so many I

used to have like a chair which was made

of that iron and all of that stuff when

I move it it used to give me that Kur

sound and now this guy in like just two

rooms apart this guy has like a gaming

setup entire thing Studio inside his

hostel room how is that even possible I

was just jealous actually but 2 days

pass 3 days passed of couple of weeks

passed and then I realized I slowly

started talking to uh Karthik and I

realized that this guy he had eight

backlogs and then I realized that this

guy was from my department in my college

itself I've never seen him seen him in

the class so I just went I was like very

curious I talk to him was like what are

you doing in college like such a waste

like eight backlogs who who has

it then I

realized the same guy who had eight

backlogs whom I have never seen in my

class has recently bought a super bike

has recently bought a

car has bought a flat to live

in how parents comeone that's what I

thought but then I realized that this

Kik was actually a ethical

hacker right he used to do something

called bug bounding where you know

companies try to you know give some like

give a project to all the freelance

ethical hackers and these people try to

find bucks in the websites web apps and

all of those things like man this is

such a badass thing like I've never seen

someone do doing that at least in

college this guy is like on a different

level he's like he's not even playing

like the regular College thing like

regular College you know things that we

have to do he's on a different

level so so then I started asking myself

is this

sustainable I mean whatever he's doing

okay maybe he's doing bug bounding he's

a ethical hacker and all of the stuff

but this is not sustainable right that's

what exactly I thought do you think this

karik will do the same stuff throughout

his life maybe this year this year he

earned something around 30 40 50 60 70

80 LH but do you think next year he'll

do the same I thought that's like a

graph which is always coming coming

coming down right but let's not you know

conclude this right

away this gets us to the next

story which was in 2021 and this is

about myself I was this lost kid I was

in the second year of my

college I was just looking at my wall I

was just sitting in a corner of my room

this was again back when covid happened

and all of this stuff we are all at home

I was looking at the wall I was like tan

what do you want in life

maybe at this point of time all I want

is just like a normal College placement

which can pay me something around 1 lakh

per month that's like my dream job right

now anything any job is my dream job if

you can pay me something around one lakh

per month that's what exactly I thought

then what happened to you because when

you were a kid you thought of becoming a

scientist what what happened to all the

dreams right

now right I was just that lost kid in

the class I was scared that I would I

I'll not be placed and all of this

stuff then you know fast forward 2024 I

have a full-time job which pays me huge

amount of money I run a couple of

YouTube channels I have my own creative

agency where we provide you know post

production and preproduction services to

Brands and all and then I also run one

of the fastest growing videoing cohodes

in India so how did all of this change

like just two three years of thing and

how did like a normal

like a low confident well a kid how did

he do it how was he able to do

it well it all started with the one word

which which which goes like

experimenting so it all first started

with me experimenting I Ser I first

started with like a internship in

copyrighting and then that led to one

more internship in marketing and then

that led to one more internship in

digital marketing and then that that led

to one more internship at I am Bangalore

and that led to one more internship at a

startup based in Romania and that led to

one more internship in you know

uh the what do we say uh like web

development or software development or

whatever it is so when someone ask me

like tarun what is your Five-Year Plan

or maybe when someone asks you what is

your fiveyear plan especially when

you're in college what do you say

I believe I completely believe that you

know students at least in the year 2024

or 2023 you should not have like a

five-year plan all you have to do is

experiment because you have to keep

searching for what you love in college

and you won't be able to search for what

you love in college if you just go to

classes if you just submit your

assignments and if you just come back

and sleep in your hostel rooms you have

to keep experimenting it's not what you

do in the classes it's not what you do

inside the college it's what you do

outside your classes that's what matters

the most in like being a successful you

know in having a successful career as a

student in

2024 and I'm very confident that if a

student if a student doesn't have the

features like being resilient right or

if a student doesn't have the feature of

being agile or

adaptable right or if a student is not

good at problem

solving his life his next five years is

going to be very very very scary right

so what are the four things being

resilient being agile being adaptable

and being great at problem solving so

how do we develop this like these four

or five these features how do we do that

so I have something called

as the framework 344 it's very simple

for every 3 months that you have while

being in college try to work on a new

skill make it a hobby like learn it in

and out right and after every 3 months

try to move on to the next skill because

after after one year you'll have at

least three to four skills in your hand

and after four years you'll have at

least 12 to 16 skills in your hand and

it's not about what skill you're

learning it's not about is this skill

even valuable right enough because it's

about the journey it's about the person

that you'll become after you know

through this journey after finishing

learning this you know three years or

four years of

Journey right because I'd like to tell

Steve Jobs names here because one Steve

Jobs in his page told how the

calligraphy class that he took after

dropping out of college has helped him

to develop beautiful type type like

fonts for the Macintosh maybe you'll be

the next one talking about one of these

12 or 16 skills that you'll learn before

you

graduate and I'd like to end today's

speech by telling you one thing if you

have to take out like one thing take

away one thing out of this entire speech

that would be you have to experiment

because the next 5 years is going to be

scary especially for the engineers

because everything is going to be

automated AI is going to take over and

this is the time where we have to find

what we love right I and I'd like to end

this with one quation which is very very

close to my heart which is which goes

like If You're Going Through Hell keep

going thank you

[Applause]