Academia

As some of you who read the blog would know I have always been interested in a career in Academia. I strongly believe, despite doubts expressed by people who should be supporting me, that I have the drive and passion for working in academia. I, not for once, believe or am sure if I have the ability to succeed in the academic career. I have realized with time that the way I look at a career in academia is very different from how my adviser or even many of his students perceive an academic career. I have observed that the primary motivation for most of the people I have interacted with are driven by strong sense of acceptance (or also called fame) among the research community i.e. research and publishing. Somehow this I think isn't my primary motivation. There is a part of me that does not believe in making it big. Don't I want to be successful (or well known) in my research area? Well I do. But somehow that is not any larger than other components such as mentoring students and teaching. I don't see teaching as a necessary evil (I am aware that this does not mean I am a good teacher!). All I am saying is if my students (if I ever teach) consider my class to be useful I will be satisfied as much as publishing a couple of papers! May be with time teaching and mentoring might lose the charm and I might become like the people I am talking about. I want to make it clear I don't for once think what they are doing isn't right. All I am stressing on is how I am different from the conventional guy interested in getting to Academia (in my relatively brief exposure in transportation).

Lets see if I ever get a chance to exercise some of the choices that will drive me towards being a different kind of academician. Well, if I don't may be its because it is not meant to be. May be not yet!