Focus! - Advice to students who will graduate soon!

The Covid-19 virus couldn't have hit at a worst possible time for students who are graduating soon. Plans for convocation, parents and friends planning trips to see their loved ones graduate, the quintessential job search, reinforcing those connections at the university/college with friends, faculty and staff who have been your family for many years have all been abruptly disrupted by a virus! I still hope this crisis passes by soon so students can have their well-earned graduation ceremonies!

As someone who has taught at Northeastern University for more than seven years, I have enjoyed the last few weeks of the semester. Parents proudly posing with their kids for photos near the university, walking with their kids in the library, gym and visiting the cafes and coffee places their kids frequented during their years at school, is a common sight. Frequently, students would see me at a coffee place and tell me about what's in store for them after graduation- their first jobs, higher education etc. They would proudly introduce me to their parents as their professor - "Lecturer", I would quickly correct!

This year, it's surreal. With the social distancing protocol and closures, I haven't been to my university in two weeks and miss the 1:1 interactions with my students. We all need to get used to the new realities and the new normal. Humans have an amazing power to be malleable and we will adapt to new realities soon. This storm too shall pass and we will have stories to tell.

BUT BEWARE: THIS STORM WILL NOT PICK UP AFTER ITSELF. IT WILL LEAVE A TRAIL OF RUIN FOR YOU TO CLEAN UP IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED!

Let me share a personal experience. In the Spring of 2001, I was close to graduating with my Masters Degree in Computer Systems Engineering. The economy was great! I had interviewed with NOKIA and after a 45 minute interview, they gave me an offer on the spot. Sun Microsystems sent a bus to Northeastern University to bring students to their open house in Burlington. I could walk to any office and talk to engineers there. They called me the next day and asked if I would be interested in joining their mobile team. I asked them to call me back if any positions on their distributed computing team opened up. Another company sent me a limo to take me to my interview from Tremont street to South Station. Those were hay days! Students going on coops were asked to stay back and the companies would cover the fees for rest of their education. I was in the midst of completing my thesis and planned to graduate in September 2001.

My convocation was supposed to be on 9/11/2001

As you can imagine, destiny had its own course. The tragic events of 9/11 changed the world forever. All my employment offers were withdrawn. Layoffs started happening at a pace you couldn't imagine. None of the job postings remained and students like me who graduated were left with their degrees, shattered dreams and hope that things would change soon.

This was something we had never experienced in our lives before and a new found sense of humility set in as we grasped the new realities.

As I see the impact and the never before seen havoc the Corona virus is causing for countries throughout the world, I see students already feeling anxious of things to come in the next few months. I won't sugar coat and say you will be fine.

Trust me, things will get bad-Very bad!

A few of my students are already reaching out to me seeing advice on what they should do. A few of my professional contacts are already seeing the writing on the wall on things to come! As someone who had been there, I thought to pen down a few thoughts and share a few tips to ride this storm!

1. It is not the time for you to track every bit of news, see each other as fellow victims of a dreadful plan nature had for you, pity yourself and others and grieve about missed opportunities and the happy days which lasted till just a few days ago! You got to keep the eye on the ball on why you started this journey in the first place. Stay safe, healthy and cautious. But don't let the stories and the media distract you in these last few weeks of the semester!
2. You have invested significant time, money and energy in your education. You have been preparing all these years to do what you really wanted to do! Now is the time to regroup and focus on what's really important. You need to bring your A-game to get the positions you deserve in the industry. You need to stay focused and ensure you complete your education with a high note! You will have fewer opportunities than before, you may not command the easy salaries that were offered a couple of weeks ago. But you need to strategize on what makes sense for you and how your next position would lead you to the career you have always aspired for.
3. It's easy to get lost in the chaos and miss the forest for the trees. But trust me, this too shall pass! However, if you aren't ready, chances are you will go with the flow and going with the flow during a storm isn't a pleasant experience. Take stock of what you have been preparing for and any skill gaps you have that would hinder you from getting the positions you are aiming for. With the extra time you have and the fewer distractions because of the social distancing protocols, use the time to learn skills you lack and will be key to get to the position you aspire for! You can learn anything you want nowadays with online education. When I started QuantUniversity, I knew that knowledge would be free to access. But you need to build competence on how to apply it. Strive to build a portfolio of projects that highlight your competence!
4. You are a few weeks away from graduation. Think of it as the last mile in a marathon. You don't give up, you stay the course and aim for the finish line. You need to stay focused, get there with your head held high, in-style, ready to bring to the world, all the energy, creativity and zeal you have been preparing for all these years! Now is also the time you stay extra-focused towards your goal! Don't lose sight of it!

I know its stressful and I know you didn't see this coming. No one saw this and that's the reason for all the chaos you see out there. But remember, you will get through this and have full lives ahead of you.

You just need to FOCUS EXTRA HARD now and set the trajectory towards where you want to go and PLAN METICULOUSLY towards it.

I wish you good luck and I know you will do it!

Best,

Sri Krishnamurthy

Follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SriKris