Speaker Hinesh Chauhan reflects on career observations, noting many senior leaders have backgrounds in political science, history, or English rather than purely technical degrees. He argues that technical students should actively seek complementary courses (communication, humanities, business) to better understand the world, communicate, advocate, and lead multidisciplinary teams.
Chapters
Figuring out what to do when you grow up. Teens, parents, supporting, helping, advising teens on this topic. This is a hard one. Looking at my career and looking at all the different industries I've worked in or worked with, something that's really fascinating to me is that the majority of the senior leaders have a poli sci history or English background. And the ones who spent 34, 40 hours a week in university pursuing classes versus the 15 a week, the guys who were partying and had it really easy coming from engineering. Watching the people in poli sci history, English, living very different lives was appealing at the time, but I did not think that it would lead to me seeing them at the helm of many, many business lines or organizations. And I really think it's. It's the lack of the broader understanding that you miss out in sciences. So if there is something to gain from being in, in a science field of pursuing academics and science, is to pursue the other stuff that will round you out to get you a greater understanding of how the world works, how business works. And the more you understand that with a technical background, the better you'll be able to advocate and communicate and lead multidisciplinary teams. This is coming from experience where I've lent multidisciplinary teams where I could speak to the poly sires and history guys and English guys while leading the engineering teams and communicating what matters. Because you're not taught that in science, you're not taught that in engineering. So become well rounded, seek out the other courses that complement the skills you get. Should you pursue a more technical post secondary education.