Why did I not accept the IIT Bombay offer?
Pragmatic decision-making at the critical junction of my career
More than five years ago, the incident of transitioning a career from the industry to academia invited numerous questions not only in my head but also in the minds of my people. However, thanks to excellent leaders, peers, and my students at ISDI School of Design and Innovation, my first engagement as a full-time faculty member, I was fortunate to get answers to those questions early in my academic career. Since then, this world of academics has treated me very well, and each day has brought me joy through my work. As a result, I witnessed what the academic world is like.
However, sooner I realized that my understanding of academia was limited, and therefore my outlook was myopic. The core academic responsibilities of a faculty involve curriculum planning, course design, content development, and delivering a superior learning experience to the children. In addition, significant time of faculties is also consumed in fulfilling the administrative and admission responsibilities. Additionally, numerous stakeholders must be attended to and, at times, entertained. An extremely large portion of academia that was beyond my radar was research. Coming from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore, the best research institution in the country, the term research was very familiar, but its understanding was fragmented. The idea of academic research was primed in my mind by my best friends and peers at work. Having entered academics late in my career (after 13 years of industry experience), I was made to believe that a Ph.D. is the real license for a faculty with lifelong validity.
Carl G. Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, quoted, “Life really begins at forty. Up until then, you are just doing research.” Well, I was approaching my 40 and wondering, will I have a life now? What would his quote read if Carl had met a few like me? Consequently, I had to rush to start my research. However, I needed an answer from within to dive into the ocean of academics, the depth of which I had estimated incorrectly earlier. Finally, I started my doctorate as a part-time scholar at IIT Delhi in September 2020. The first few conversations with my supervisor itself were very inspiring. They ignited my intent to do research and lit up the paths to explore my areas of interest. Completing coursework is usually the first milestone in a Ph.D. journey, where I scored a perfect CGPA. Another perfect score was my attendance in all three courses that I registered for at IIT. Later, I completed the comprehensive exam, also known as the work plan approval, stage within the first three semesters. There was enough evidence for my growing passion for research.
Zero daily commutes during the lockdown aided my time management skills when I started my Ph.D. However, the situation flipped in 2022 when the lockdown was lifted, and the shutter on my research work slowly started to move down. As I said, I loved my job as an educator as it came with a higher proportion of work that I liked to do than the work I had to do. I thus always remained happily invested in my responsibilities towards my students, peers, programs, and the institution. But my research work moved at a snail’s pace for a few months until the prefix zero moved ahead of it. My teaching hours were slightly reduced thanks to my managers, who understood my rising concern. This was some concession, but not much. Not being able to work for days and sometimes weeks started to unsettle me. Ironically, situations like these provide us with valuable lessons. I slowly understood that my challenge was not just about the scarcity of time; instead, I needed to be in an ecosystem where research is fostered. And, for the first time, my mind was occupied with thoughts of job change.
In India, IISc and IITs are The Best institutions for research, and like many others, I aspired to work there. I applied to the Industrial Design Centre (IDC), School of Design, IIT Bombay. The process required me to clear several stages spread over several months. My hopes kept rising at each step of this recruitment process. While I was still left with the last leg of this process, I received another opportunity with the upcoming School of Design at the FLAME University in Pune. This was a very tricky situation and the most challenging test for my decision-making skills. FLAME is the new entrant in the Design Education space but has a long legacy of liberal arts education. Additionally, unlike most private universities, FLAME provided a soothing environment and immense encouragement to faculties for research. While the FLAME campus is utterly mesmerizing, my first impression of the University was built by its people and their profiles. The faculties at FLAME have diverse research backgrounds and have a doctorate from eminent institutions. Moreover, I was intrigued by their philosophy of liberal education in design.
I didn’t want to delay making a decision since the prevailing situation was taking me closer to the point of rejection of doing research. That extreme situation would have been crazy. I knew I wanted to move, but I needed to figure out where am I going. I also did not want to leave my students in between the semesters and hence timed my move at the end of the academic year, watching the happy faces of the graduating batch post their juries. Only after I quit ISDI I had some room to think critically about my next move. Finally, I decided to move to FLAME and relocate to Pune with my family. A happy coincidence was that my first day at FLAME was ‘Guru Poornima’; thus, I started my new academic chapter with bumper blessings from my loved ones. Onto my second month, I am happily settled in here, and my engines for driving research have started to fire one by one.
And as expected, a few days after I started at FLAME, my last evaluation round at IIT was scheduled. With the consent of the faculties at IIT, I decided to appear for it. The outcome of this process was bittersweet; I was offered a full-time, entry-level faculty position at IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay. The long-lasted flux in my thoughts that had just settled a few days ago started to get active again. IISc, IIT Delhi, and IIT Bombay were not just affiliations but were like the three shining stars on army men’s shoulders. All my Gurus/ Senior Professors advised me to accept the offer, considering its value not just in the short term but for the life term. But, on the personal front, the decision was left to me.
However, I sensed certainty and growth in FLAME, rhythm and balance in myself, and excitement and joy in my family. While reasons to pick FLAME are plenty, reasons to unpick IIT are none. Yet today, when I declined the IIT offer, I wished to share how life sometimes acts funny, but it is essential to critically review the situation before making the decision. A heartfelt thanks to all the gurus, peers, and friends who provided valuable advice and heard me out at various stages of the process. I also express my gratitude to the faculties who found me fit for the faculty position at IDC and respected my final decision.
I hope I did not hurt anyone’s sentiments in this process.
Onto my research pursuits …
(This note is penned down to explain my state of mind over the last few months.)
