This week, I was invited to speak before the West Windsor Plainsboro High School North students. They all are part of firstrobotics1923.org, the MidKnight Inventors who are a FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics team based out of the West Windsor-Plainsboro School District in New Jersey.
I must say it was a profound experience. I was skeptical initially when I took this engagement, as I don’t have a robotics background and did not know if I would be able to add value. Once the program started, they explained what they do and how they have won many awards as well as championships. It was so inspiring to see the kind of work they do. I must say, these are a really smart bunch of kids.
I was invited to speak about the work I do and career opportunities in the Information Technology area. I began with my background, how I started my business and what made me successful. It was a group of more than 50+ high school students and to my surprise, everyone was listening very carefully. Once I finished, I was surprised by the kind of questions they asked. They picked up on many points which I had mentioned and asked me great questions. They asked questions around our company services, keys to success, time management, and skills to be successful in life. They asked questions about Big Data and future trends. I was shocked because these questions were by no means of school standard; they were thought-provoking questions. A few of the students had visited our company’s web site as well and studied my background on their own. I could see the fire, the energy, the curiosity, and the excitement that they had to learn and succeed in life.
My talk revolved around certain messages. I encouraged them to not be afraid of failures, to stop trying to always look smart. Take chances in life and please do not pick any profession where you won’t make any money.
I wish to convey my thanks to Dr. Kathy Rogers, who is an advisor to the group, Libby and Dr. Ruth Kamen, Mother-Daughter Duo who started the group and Rinku Joneja, who introduced me to this wonderful group. I must say that I left with much more admiration for this wonderful group than I entered. I am 101% confident that these very smart kids will do exceedingly well in life. They reminded me that curiosity is very important and one should always be curious in their lives.
I was asked why I was there. I believe that even if only one kid benefits from hearing about my experience and is able to implement a takeaway in real life, I will be delighted that I could touch someone’s life. Good Luck Midknight Inventors!