How a devastating flood changed my career path

From ScienceMag:

Four years into my undergraduate degree in the southern Indian state of Kerala, I awoke to a friend urgently shaking me, telling me the heavy rain the previous night was flooding our area. We rushed outside to a chaotic and distressing scene. Families were stranded on rooftops. Children were crying for help. Hospital patients were being evacuated. My friends and I immediately joined the rescue teams, volunteering to distribute food to the affected people. I had intended to devote days or weeks to the effort—however long it took to help my community. But the event had a more lasting effect: propelling me toward a new career path.

I had gone to college to study civil engineering. Growing up in an impoverished rural area, I was fascinated by architecture in cities, and I hoped to design buildings myself someday. However, as my degree progressed, I became enthralled with research and wanted to continue my academic journey. I wasn’t sure what to study. Then the flood came, and it all became clear.

After spending much of my summer volunteering in affected communities, I decided to focus my career on natural disasters, exploring the various factors behind them, as well as their impacts on society. As a first step, I applied for a master’s program in development studies—a multidisciplinary program that included coursework in sustainable development, geography, and economics, as well as hands-on community projects. This decision shocked my friends and family. Relatives kept asking my parents why I was leaving engineering to study social sciences. They warned my parents, who only have a primary education, that this path might make it hard for me to find a job. However, I was determined and went ahead with what I thought was right for me.

The opportunity to delve into an issue I care so passionately about … makes it all worthwhile.

• Muhammed Rashid
• Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

The program, which exposed me to projects that helped communities plan for climate change and other disruptions, convinced me I was on the right path. I decided to apply for a Ph.D. It was a bold move given my uncertain finances. I also found that many universities preferred candidates who had consistent academic backgrounds and hadn’t moved around between engineering and the social sciences. During interviews, faculty members often questioned why I chose to risk my career by changing fields. I received multiple rejections, both in India and abroad. But one program agreed to accept me, and I set out to study how better water resource management and policy can help vulnerable populations adapt to the uncertainties posed by climate change.

I was excited to start the program and be surrounded by some of the brightest minds in the country. It wasn’t easy, though. Most of my peers had followed a traditional path, without jumping around between fields, and had family members with degrees in higher education. I sometimes felt unsure about my depth of knowledge. I also had trouble connecting with my peers at times, leaving me feeling lonely.

My feelings of isolation began to change with the arrival of a new Ph.D. student who also had a multidisciplinary background and a similar family situation. Meeting him was a huge relief. We connected easily because we had both dealt with rejections from Ph.D. programs and faced mockery for our career decisions. Opening up with one another didn’t make our problems go away. But from that point on, I felt less alone.

Sharing what I’ve learned with people in my community has also given me satisfaction. A barber from my hometown whom I have known since childhood now regularly talks with me about the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. Despite only having a primary education, he’s filled with curiosity, excitement, and deep respect for the research I discuss with him.

Now, 3 years into my program, I am confident in my decision to pursue a Ph.D. There have been challenges along the way, but the opportunity to delve into an issue I care so passionately about and try to help people makes it all worthwhile. Above all, my journey has taught me that it’s OK to follow your heart, even when the path seems unconventional.

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