My Story: “How Dropping Out Of Engineering College Became The Best Decision Of My Life”

The season of exams are on and hundreds of students who wrote them and their anxious parents will be evaluating the results with mixed emotions, some elated and some disappointed. Exams are a stepping stone to a potential career but they do not completely decide your life. #MoreThanMarks is a campaign by The Logical Indian to bring out real-life stories of ordinary people who became successful despite their marks and to stress on the fact that you can be successful and lead a happy life even if you are/were not an academic topper.

We always look up to successful people. All of us want to be like them, however, we tend to overlook the various adversities they might have faced to reach the position they are in now. Their success, more often than not, is a culmination of hard work, perseverance, patience and their ability to take calculated risks.

Mahesh, a final year law student, who at present is interning with a top law firm, was once lost and confused. However, the courage to follow his heart completely turned the table and helped him reach this position in his life.

This is his story:

“Like any other 15-year-old, my aim was to secure a good score in my tenth standard board exam. From very early on, we are made to believe that performing well in the board exam is the one and only ticket to lifelong prosperity and happiness. I worked hard and scored 91%. The day results were declared, there was an atmosphere of merriment and joy at my house.

As it happens usually, anybody who manages a good score in tenth, he/she is expected to take up the science stream. I have always had an inclination towards social studies and policy making. However, at that time, I budged in and took the science stream in Pre-University College (PUC). I scored 65% in my PU-II exam. Soon after, I joined a local engineering college.

I felt out of place and the desolate feeling that I was not cut out for engineering was always at the back of my head. However, it took me two internal tests in my first semester and my poor performance in them to gather the courage to finally stand up for myself. I then dropped out of my engineering course.

As expected, this decision of mine created havoc of sorts at my house. My parents staunchly opposed this decision. My mother even went on to say that I had disappointed her. I was hurt but that did not deter me from doing what I felt was in the best interest of my future. I was at home for a year. While it was easy to budge to the pressure amidst the constant taunts from society, I decided to take everything in my stride.

After extensive research on the career options I could take up, matching my interest and aptitude, I decided to study law. I took the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). My persistence and hard work finally paid off, when I cleared the test with flying colours. By now, my parents understood that my decision of dropping out of engineering was actually for my own good.

As a final year student of a reputed law college, I am now interning at a top law firm. My only message to all the students, standing at the critical juncture where they have to choose their career path, is to follow their passion. I would urge them to take up activities apart from their regular studies to understand where their true interests lay. And at the end, I would urge them to have courage and patience in the face of adversity.”

You can share these real-life stories of people who are eventually successful despite academic failures and struggles with anyone you know may get motivated learning about it.

Went back memory lane? Want to share your story, write to us at [email protected], remember to hashtag #MoreThanMarks.