Reflections on Struggle and Perseverance

A personal journey through ambition, setbacks, and the lessons learned along the way

[Wrote this Post for myself in April 2024, but did not post. Sharing this so that people can relate with me and have faith in themselves]

Note: This post may feel a bit out of order in places, and you might notice some repetition. That’s because I am sharing the exact text I wrote a few months ago, with minimal edits.

Sometimes, you believe that you deserve things based on the efforts you put in, and when you don’t get those things, does that make you sad or disheartened? Do you lose faith in yourself or the process you are going through? You might face challenges at a particular point in time and feel unhappy due to the lack of positive outcomes from your efforts. But in the long run, you will get what you deserve, and when you look back, you will see that you have overcome the small hurdles you once thought were big.

Hello everyone, I am Prateek Chhikara, a 2024 USC graduate student with experience in Machine Learning and Data Science. I am writing this post for my future self, so that a few years later, when I read this, I can recall the thoughts, feelings, and emotions I am experiencing right now. There are a lot of things I want to share with my future self that I will explore in this post. I genuinely believe many individuals can relate to what I express here. If that is the case, feel free to contact me on LinkedIn or Twitter/X and mention that you came after reading this article.

What is success (in career)?

Success has different meanings and varies from person to person. For some, it could mean providing a better and happier life for their parents, while for others, it could mean achieving peace and stability in life, etc. Having enough time to pursue hobbies and interests could also be seen as a form of success, where you are free to do whatever you like without worrying or regretting the time spent which is not directly leading to the career growth. I know it’s hard to express in words, but I trust you understand what I mean.

Without digressing, I would like to highlight the success I seek in terms of my career and where I am right now. First, I will start with my life story so that someone may relate to me in some scenarios. As I said, you may face this in the future, have already faced it, or be going through it right now. So, let’s begin!

My Journey So Far

As I write this, I just turned 26 last month, weeks away from graduating with a Master’s in Computer Science from USC. While I feel incredibly fortunate to be in the U.S., many times I wonder if what I imagined about life here was far too different from the reality. Maybe I bought into the positive stories shared by others or mistook their lives as the average experience of a student in the U.S.

Life here is not easy. You have to balance coursework, part-time jobs, cooking for yourself, and, if you are lucky, squeezing in time with friends to relax. My life as a master’s student has been hectic; managing tough coursework, research on-campus job, and currently an internship. It’s exhausting. But you push through because you have to pay for living expenses and, for many, start saving to repay education loans.

On top of classes, homework, and projects, you are applying for internships and jobs. It’s frustrating, especially when there is barely any time for hobbies or personal interests. I love drawing anime characters (few artworks attached below) and writing, but I have had to set those passions aside. It overwhelms you to the point that you abandon things that once defined you, things you were good at, and enjoyed. To my future self, I hope you have started working on those hobbies again. If not, my friend, you are missing out on something important in life. Find the time to do what you love.

Do Efforts Lead to Results?

At times, you might feel like you are working tirelessly but not seeing results. Why is it that someone else got the internship or job offer, even though they know less than you? I get it. There is a factor of luck involved in the job search, but dwelling on that comparison will not get you anywhere. Take my example: I have worked as a Data Scientist for 2.5 years, published more than 20 research papers in top journals and conferences, worked at USC’s prestigious Information Sciences Institute (ISI), and am now interning at a UK startup. Given these qualifications, you would think that I should be at a top company like OpenAI, Apple, or Google by now, right?

But instead of fixating on that, I focus on moving forward. I keep working hard and leave the rest to luck (just like Zoro did in One Piece Chapter 380). What matters is that you did your best and improved yourself in the process. Right now, it might seem like your efforts are not yielding results, but you are only looking at the short term. Over time, your hard work will shape your personality, your attitude towards life, and ultimately, create opportunities. My mom always tells me, “Your stars will shine — early success is a scam; great things take time.”

Take my experience with rejections last year. I went through six or seven interview rounds, completed take-home assignments, only to get rejected with no feedback. It’s frustrating. You invest so much time and energy, and yet, recruiters simply say, “We can’t provide feedback due to company policy.” It feels unfair, but I have learned to move on.

One of my most memorable experiences was during placement season back in India. I interviewed with six companies for software engineering roles, even though I didn’t want to be in that field. My true passion was machine learning (ML). I was rejected from all six companies, while my friends landed jobs after just two or three comapny interviews. It was tough, but eventually, I was hired as a software engineer at Housing.com. On my first day, they offered me a Data Science role because they recognized my passion for it during the interview process. If I would have been hired by one of those other companies, I would have been stuck in software, disconnected from what I truly love (ML and AI).

Rejections can feel like failures, but often they lead to better opportunities. My noob younger brother once told me something that stuck with me: “When you don’t get what you want, it feels bad because you had hoped for it. But maybe there’s a better plan setup by God for you, which is why things are not working out right now.” That advice hit me, and since then, I have stopped overthinking interview results. Now, I focus on preparing well, doing my best, and leaving the outcome behind. One of my teachers once said, “Before the exam, give your all and focus. After the exam, forget about it and be happy with the effort you made.”

That’s all I have for my future self. I hope these reflections resonate with others reading it too. And thanks for reading.

If you want to connect:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prateekchhikara

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/pckraftwerk