My Light Bulb Moment!

My lightbulb moment

~Journey from being a Biotechnologist to being a Writer~

College Life! Aah! One really gets to live the life of Riley when it comes to going to the college. It is more like getting one’s share of weal and woes. But doesn’t everyone want to have some of the other extraordinary experience during the college life that can be relived and cherished? Well, I had one and probably that will be remembered by me forever, if not cherished.

Post Class XII, it was the right time to jump on the bandwagon and start toiling for my career. I chose Biotechnology as my field of interest and readily decided to spend the five most precious years of my youth in the college. Unaware of what I would become, I started my journey in an entirely new direction. Like a bright- eyed and bushy- tailed student, I put in a lot of hard work and time to ace the test. And I had my share of joyous moments, adventures with friends and silly fights with the not-so-good people. Life was not at all bitter. And it was then when I had the bee in my bonnet about becoming a biotechnologist and working for the Research and Development Department of any blue chip company. But as the placements came I realized that I had bitten off more than I could chew. Research was not my cup of tea. But then what? I was clueless like never before. Things were falling out of place because I was about finish my post graduation. With such a weighty degree, I just had two options- either to opt for corporate sector or apply for PhD. But indecision failed my attempts to think logically.

I applied in one of the leading companies that offered Academic content to offshore students. It was like I became a content writer more by accident than design and that is how my light bulb moment arrived. Content writing had a bounded trajectory. Something was amiss. Amidst the detailed Biology and Nursing assignments, my interest for writing and playing with words was fading away. I wanted something that gave me freedom to express myself. And that is when I heard about a Publication that invited short stories and aimed at helping budding writers. I left no stone unturned and submitted my first story. Luckily, it got selected and I was published. The book was received with love and appreciation by my family and friends. Probably that was what I had been wanting- a break.

Thereafter, blogging was in full swing. I wrote day and night. This was followed by more stories getting selected and getting published. To cope with the upgraded reading and writing skills, I indulged in reviewing books. And my education helped. I had never parted ways with English- be it School or College. The love for the language kept me motivated. But opting to be a full time writer would throw me on the breadline. Then I applied for the post of a teacher in a school and I got a second bite at the cherry; I was given English as the subject. My happiness knew no bounds. It was suddenly like the things had fitted perfectly in the jigsaw of my life.

But my memory is not like a sieve. The thought of literally wasting five precious years of mine in doing something that has not come in handy yet, makes me cheesed off. The odds, however, did turn in my favour and I am enjoying my life now. For everything else I just say- different folks have different strokes!