Before I left Deloitte, one of my bosses asked me a question I’ve given a lot of thought into these past few weeks. While we were chatting about my reasons for leaving and what I’ll be doing, he asked me: “What are 3 things you’re hoping to get out of this experience?” At the time, I hadn’t really thought about that question and just spat out the first few things that came to my mind, but now that I’ve given it more thought, here are 3 things I’m hoping to get out of my stint with TechnoServe.
1. Experience life through a different lens
Each and everyone of us, by and large, live life in our own bubble. The people we are friends with, that we associate with, come in contact with us, are typically individuals that come from similar backgrounds, live in similar situations, have similar interests and/or have similar aspirations in life. There’s nothing wrong with this, as one of the fundamentals in connecting with someone is establishing common ground.
However, one of the problems this leads to is we often fall in the trap of thinking what is ‘normal’ for us, is ‘normal’ for everyone else in the world. Clean drinking water and electricity on demand? We don’t even think about these things. Graduating from college and obtaining a white-collar job? In my social circle, that’s just what you’re ‘supposed to do’.
In coming to India and working and interacting with individuals with vastly different backgrounds and life aspirations, I hope to obtain a broader, and more appreciative, perspective of life in general.
2. Increase my mental toughness
Not that I don’t think I’m mentally tough. I do. But you never know how tough you are until you’ve really been tested. I’ve been incredibly blessed in many aspects of my life. Typically, as long as I did my part, did what I was supposed to do, most things have tended to work out.
Being in India, I expect to be tested in a wide variety of ways. Socially, culturally, intellectually, physically, linguistically. How will I respond? I’ve always enjoyed challenges and I’m sure this experience will be the biggest one yet.
3. Get a sense if working in the development sector is really something I want to pursue longterm
I’ve always had a keen interest in working in development and this was the primary reason I signed up for this stint with TechnoServe. Ever since learning about microfinance and reading books/articles about developmental economics, I’ve had an urge to work in the sector. It seemed like the perfect mesh between my interest in economics, finance and capital markets and my desire to make a tangible impact on people’s lives. However, there’s a big difference between daydreaming about how great the work sounded while lounging on my couch in San Francisco and actually being in the field, on the ground, working with stakeholders.
So let’s see how this goes.
Dive & Maximize 