Dr Saheb Sahu
Advice is easily given but hard to follow. In spite of knowing that, in this article I will make some suggestions for the college students of Odisha.
1- Get the Maximum Education You Can Get
Multiple studies from all over the world show that in general people with higher level of education have higher life-time earning than people with lesser degree of education. Students graduating in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields in general are more likely to get better paying jobs than graduates of non-STEM fields. But graduates of Arts and Commerce also have job prospects even though they are usually not as well-paying as jobs in STEM Fields.
All developmental experts agree that the benefits of girls’ education are many: delaying marriage, decrease pregnancy rate, increase personal income, and gender equality in family decision making. Women who are educated are more likely to work outside the home. Women who have independent income have higher social standing and more likely to run for political office. With political power women can create more opportunities for other women.
In Odisha, every student, even a good student, cannot be an IAS officer, doctor or a computer engineer.But most graduates in the STEM fields with advance degrees, can have other relatively well paying jobs like- biologist, chemist, agricultural scientist, physicist, mathematician, statistician, pilot, military officer, college professor, and research scientist in their field of study. With advance degree in STEM subjects they will get opportunities to migrate overseas. Even if you are not a graduate of STEM field you will have better job opportunities with a Master or PhD degree than being just a graduate. Even if you graduate in arts and commerce subjects, your job prospect will be better if you get a higher degree. Hence, try to get the highest level of education in your field of study. But before you enroll in postgraduate education and spend your parents’ money, do some research and be judicious in choosing your field of study whether in India or in a foreign country. With an American post graduate degree, your chance of getting a job in America is high but cost of studying is extremely high compare to Canada or U.K. Before you jump, do your research.
2- Maintain Your Physical and Mental Health
There is an old saying: Health is wealth. The state of our physical and mental health depends upon our inherited genes as well as our life-style. We have no control over our genes but we do have quite a bit of control over how we live. Recent studies are showing that some bad genes can be modified into good genes with a healthy life-style. The process is called epigenetic. It means that parents’ experiences (not just their DNAs), in the form of epigenetic tags can be passed down to future generations.
To maintain your physical health you have to be:
- Be physically active for 120 minute a week – walking, running, playing games, bicycling, and swimming and do atleast two days a week of strength training- squats, bench press, weight lifting and push-up.
- Eat a heart-brain healthy diet- whole grains, fruits and vegetables, legumes and lentils, some eggs (3-4 a week), milk and yogurt, fish, occasional low-fat meat and avoid processed food, too much salt and sugar.
- Get 7-8 hours of sleep. A short nap of 20-30 minutes is also good.
- Stay socially connected with your family, friends and colleagues.
- Do not drink alcohol or use tobacco products of any kind.
- Maintain the ideal body weight. (BMI (body mass index) – less than 22.9).
- Get all the vaccinations appropriate for your age and sex.
If you stay physically active and not overweight, you are likely to avoid getting diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis and some cancers and even live longer.
Mental Health
For good mental health do not use illegal drug of any kind, exercise out door when you can, socialize with your friends, meditate, and seek counselling if you are depressed or have suicidal thoughts. Anxiety during examinations is common but if you cannot function because excessive anxiety seek psychological help. Confide your problems to your parents and physician and do not be ashamed of seeking proper help. In United States 20 percent of people have mental health issues. In India it will be similar. India has one of the highest suicide rates in the world especially among students.
3- Delaying Gratification
In the famous Stanford University marshmallow experiments (google it), children were offered a choice between one small but immediate reward (a marshmallow) or two small rewards, if they waited for about 15 minutes. The children were followed for more than 40 years. In the follow-up studies, the researchers found that children who were able to wait longer for the two rewards tended to have better life-outcomes as measured by SAT (a high school exam) score, educational attainment, body mass index and other life measures. A growing body of literature has linked the ability to delay gratification to a host of positive outcomes, including academic success, physical health, psychological health, and social competence. The best part is you can teach yourself how to delay gratification in your day to day life.
Success in life in nearly every field requires you not doing something easier (delaying gratification) in favor of doing something harder (doing the hard work). As a student you study rather than partying. Graduate, rather than drop out. Delay having sex (especially unprotected sex), delay getting married and if you marry delay having children. Later on in life when you earn some money, save minimum of ten to fifteen percent, instead of spending it all by buying stuffs. In the long run you will be happier and healthier.
4-Migrate to a Better Place
Migration and education are two of the oldest actions against poverty. People have been migrating to the United States for more than four hundred years. The children of migrants almost always do better than their parents. Indians have been migrating to many parts of the world for at least two hundred years and have prospered. There are 32millions (320 lakhs) Indians are residing overseas. Every year 2.5 million (25 lakhs) Indians migrate to other countries for better opportunities.
Odisha is one of the poorest states in India. Job opportunities in Odisha are limited and it is not going to get better soon. In 1940s, people from coastal Odisha migrated to Kolkata for work but their children were able to get an education and did well. People from Western Odisha and Northern Odisha went to Jamshedpur for work. These days, large numbers of Oriyas are migrating to Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Gujrat for work. Educated Oriyas are migrating to Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Delhi and other cities in India and some to foreign countries. Multiple international studies have shown that people, who migrate to a better place for job, increase their earnings by three to ten folds. Their remittance helps their families who are left behind.
If you have a graduate or higher degree in STEM field, your chance of getting a work visa and migrate to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Sweden and Singapore is easier. In the United States you will earn more but getting a work visa is not easy. If you can earn a post graduate degree from any university in the United States, your chance of getting a work visa (H1-B) will be easier. But the cost of education is extremely high. Do some researches before you decide on the country to which to go for higher study or work. Migrating to one of the Gulf counties may be the easiest. After earning some money there you may be able to migrate later to more developed countries in the West.
5- Don’t Try To Be Great. Just Be Good
Being great in any field involves luck, unique circumstances, and lots of other forces beyond your control. Instead of trying to be great, try to be good. Being good at study, at sport, or at work, or at social relationship, is usually under your control. You do not need luck, or social connection. You don’t have to be a scientist who owns the Nobel Prize, but you can be a good scientist who contributes to human knowledge. In Indian context, you don’t have to be an IAS officer but you can be a BDO and make a good living. There is nothing wrong in aiming high, but be realistic in your goal.
6- To Be Happy in Life Maintain Social Connections
The Harvard Study of Adult Development (HSAD) is the longest study of happiness (85 years of follow up) ever conducted- supported by many other similar studies show strong relationship makes for a good life. Good relationships keep us healthier and happier. What kind of relationship? All kinds. Marriage and long-term relationship: families, friends, co-workers, community gathering, place of worship. “Social fitness” as the Harvard researchers put it, is the key to mental, physical health and overall happiness in life. Hence, stay in touch with your families and friends and try to have few close friends, not just the face book acquaintances.
7- Think of Your Life as a Journey and Not a Destination
If you think of life as a journey and not a destination, then every setback you face will ultimately help you to succeed. The Japanese proverb “Nana korobi, ya oki” means “fall down seven times, stand up eight”. It means choosing to never give up hope, and to always strive for more. You have to persevere. Perseverance is defined as “the continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure or opposition”. Ninety percent of candidates, who clear India’s UPSC Civil Services Examinations, do so after multiple trials,average of three to four. In most field of endeavor success in the first trial is very rare. History is full of names of successful people who failed few times and ultimately succeeded.One of the best examples is Steve Job, the founder of Apple’s I-Phone.
8- Explore the World
You attend college to prepare for a better life. You learn how to think more critically. You get a better appreciation for everything from history to the physical environment around you. Your education should provide you with information, knowledge and hopefully some wisdom. Travelling is a great way to learn. Travel for an extended period in India and overseas if you can. After our final MBBS exam in AIIMS (New Delhi) twenty of us students with one teacher, went on a three week excursion by train to South India in Dec, 1968. We stayed in hostels of other medical colleges in South. It was just a fantastic trip. We learned a lot about South India people, culture, food, tourist places and nature. Go on group excursion with your classmates by train to different parts of India. It is affordable and enjoyable. You will also learn a lot.
9- Read Books
Books offer consolation, nourishment and care, said Machiavelli. Besides giving us pleasure, reading of books has multiple other benefits. Some of them are:
- Improves our brain‘s connectivity and makes us smarter,
- Improves our general knowledge and hopefully makes us wiser,
- Reduces stress and improves our sleep,
- Increases our empathy,
- Slows down the development of dementia (memory loss).
Reading is good for you, no matter how old you are. Be a life-long reader. Just be a little skeptical. Don’t believe everything you read in the internet, in a newspaper or in a magazine or even in books.
10- Do Some Community Service
Community service is something you do to benefit your community. For Bill and Melinda Gates their community is the whole world. For most of us it is the community we live in. Size is not important. As a college student you have limited financial resources to do big thing but you can certainly help your community tutoring some students, coaching some sports, planting trees in your village or anything else you choose. Do something for others. As the Bible says: “For everyone to whom much is given, much will be required.”(Luke12:48)
Bonus Point
Be kind to all!
PS – Dr Saheb Sahu is a retired pediatrician, settled in USA since 1970. He was educated at Mulbar, Primary School, Kamgaon Middle School, C. S. Zila School, and G.M College, Sambalpur. He graduated from AIIMS (New Delhi) and migrated to US in 1970. He is author of 17 books and booklets. His articles regularly appears in https://odishawatch.in/
Sources:
- Charles Wheelan. Ten and Half Things No Commencement speaker has ever said. W. W. Norton Company, New York: 2012
- Wikipedia.org
