Hard works trumps talent every time

When I was in tenth, because that’s when it starts, I was told, all I had to do was study hard till twelfth, get into a good college, and that would be it.

Just till twelfth. Get into a good college.

So I did, I studied hard, and I got into DCE.

When I had gotten into DCE, I had dreams. I would find love in college. I will have an adventure. I will find friends for life. I will go on a road trip.

And a promise, I will not study for the first year. In the first year, I will relax, no more studying.

I wish, someone had told me, that you need to study in college too. I wish I had the view that I do now, of life long learning, of taking notes.

I got a back in the second semester. I could not recover from that. To clear the back in even semesters, I had pressure. I could not clear it and got another back in the fourth semester.

By my second year in college, I had come to the realisation that I needed to study. I was a topper after all. I was good at this. But, in DCE, everyone around you is a topper. I tried but I could not get the marks. The books were massive and I did not learn anything during the semester.

In my third year, I made a friend who made it simple for me. Take copies of notes, study from these notes. I also had a friend who told me I should study for the sake of studying. I tried both things and my marks improved. But my marks were set already.

I was reminded of it while looking at the requirements for masters at institutions. That academic record will stay with me for life. Of course it does not matter as much during life in general. But it mattered when I sat in the interviews for those companies in college. And it will matter if I ever go for higher education, a proper degree.

There were people around me, friends who did not make this promise to themselves. They continued studying through college. They got good grades.

I had the best rank in AIEEE among my friends. I got the worst grades at the end of the four years.

Today, of course, all of us are doing good. I am in Finland, a friend is in Japan. One is in HPCL, one in Honeywell, and the final one will switch soon for a good package at Accenture.

Hard work trumps over talent, over any other thing, every single time.

If you want to create something in this world, you have to work for it. You have to keep working hard for it.