Figuring it out

Modern culture is obsessed with the idea of your career. We are made to believe that one's job is a defining attribute (maybe this is another way capitalism has crept up into our collective psyche).

However, if it was up to me, I would be the modern version of the "renaissance" man: a jack-of-all trades. Yes this dream is still possible but with my strange combination of interests (currently neuroscience, economics, art, and literature) and the hyper-niche world that humans have created as everyone becomes an expert in their field, I will be hard-pressed to find a job that incorporates all these subjects.

It seems that many people have known what to do their whole lives. However, I have not been quite so lucky. Rather than knowing what to do, I only really know what I don't want to do.

As I get older, the pressure to narrow down my fields and focus on one career path is daunting; I never feel as if I will pick the correct one.

When thinking about who I was going to interview, it was a tough choice. I don't even know if I have chosen the correct major let alone know what job I want later in life. With this in mind, I wanted someone who had changed career paths multiple times, been successful due to their ability to adapt in these new environments, and someone who had as many varied interests such as myself.

In all this thinking, I finally understood the phrase, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. All of my descriptors sounded like I was describing my dad. In addition to being my loving father, Thomas Verghese has had an interesting career journey. He started out as chemical engineer and even earned his PhD. However, in time, he realized that he wanted to do business so he went back to school for his MBA. Now, he works in private equity. Even though I knew the basics, I thought I would learn more about the man who has inspired me for so long and hopefully gain some wisdom.

When you were younger what did you want to be or did you feel pressured to do a certain job? How has these ideas evolved over time into your current career?

When I was growing up, I wanted to change the world or make a major impact. At first, this manifested itself in my interest in science because I wanted to be an inventor or win a Nobel Prize. In those days, you were forced to narrow down your choices early, so I chose to stick with science. I also felt pressure from my family and from society. Living in India gave me the perspective that I needed to do something practical in order to get a job. As for my father, he has always wanted to be a surgeon and in turn, wanted that for me. Since I was interested in the sciences and there were many good jobs in that field, it made my decision about my major pretty simple: chemical engineering. It wasn't until I got to college that I realized that the world wasn't so black and white. I suddenly was interested in investing, politics, and other subjects that I had never discovered. Despite getting a PhD in a subject not relevant to my current job, my degrees taught me how to think for myself. In addition, I was a big cricket player in college. This gave me an unforeseen advantage as through being the captain of my team, I realized that I had the skills to be a leader and I enjoyed it.

After college, I started working at ICI. It was this job that pushed me to get my MBA and this degree really helped me put everything that I learned together. After working for two major companies, I realized that I wanted to be the leader of my businesses and have the freedom this brings. In 2012, I joined a private equity company running the business division. When I left that business, I was appointed CEO of another business, joined boards, and invested in other businesses. This has helped me achieve my dream of building my own business.

How have your different jobs and educational experience helped you find your path?

First of all, I studied in India, the UK, and the US. This made me experience multiple cultures and different systems giving me an advantage since I was able to adapt to new situations. Then I joined large companies like ICI and GE which trained me very well but made me realize that I didn't want to be part of a large bureaucratic machine, I wanted to be in charge. Cambridge and my PhD taught me how to think and how to learn new things, not just memorize facts. I always read a lot on multiple subjects and the MBA taught me how to put it all together from a business perspective.

If you could go back, what would you do differently?

I wouldn't have specialized so quickly. When I decided to specialize in science, I still hadn't explored the vast amount of subjects out there. Even though it worked out in the end, keeping my options open in the beginning would have saved me lots of time and confusion about what I should do.

In addition, I would have taken more advice from others. Traveling to the Uk to study by myself at 16, I learned to be very independent from a very young age. This made me figure out things by myself rather than reaching out for help from others. However, taking advice and help from others is an important part of your journey because people giving you advice have gone through many of the struggles that are facing you. Of course not all advice is good, but there will be pieces that will stick with you forever. I always say figuring life out on your own is a lot harder than having others to help and support you.

Lastly, I would have followed my own instincts. This may sound contradictory to the other piece of advice but at the end of the day, you know what is right for you. Follow your gut because it will most often steer you in the right direction.

What is your advice for people figuring out their own journey?

Get a very good education.
Learn to think.
Build a strong foundation of basic skills.
Try different things.
Don't be scared to learn and fail.
Build a network of supportive family and friends.
Try and be excellent at your chosen field.

My final and most important piece of advice is to integrate your knowledge because this is a major advantage in a hyper-specialized world. I have many different skill sets, mainly chemical engineering (STEM) and business, and these combined have given me a unique angle in all the areas I work in, no matter how much you may think it is unrelated.

What is a time that you failed and thought the world was over?

There were so many instances from struggling to adjust to the Cambridge system of education, taking too long to finish my PhD, not understanding the importance of building networks in my early career, and leaving my first private equity. Each of these instances taught me the importance of resilience, networking, creating options, and making your own luck. In a complex world, the ability to think, integrate, empathize and lead people are valuable skills. Without the setbacks, I'm not sure I would've achieved what I have because I wouldn't have learned these lessons.

Have you had any important mentors?

Yes. I always looked up to Dad. He was a CEO and I always wanted to emulate him. Til my early 40s, he was always the person I looked to for advice when faced with difficult business decisions.