Yearly Note 2012: Preparing a Transition
In 2012 I chose, on purpose, not to take the obvious next step.
I finished the four-year engineering degree and, instead of looking for a job, moved to Chennai to keep studying. My engineering years had no headline achievements, but they'd handed me a set of skills I knew I'd use. What I didn't want was the default, a master's in the same field. It wouldn't give me the breadth I was after.
So I turned toward design, hoping for something that would actually engage me. I read up on design schools across India and decided the first concrete step was CEED, the national design entrance exam. My first attempt wasn't good enough. Rather than take that as an answer, I decided to sit it again the next year.
The rest of the year was slow and unplanned in a way that didn't worry me. I spent it narrowing down schools and working out what I actually wanted. By the end I could see the shape of it, and I was ready to begin.