2017

Friends,

Thank you all for your birthday wishes.

As yet another year passes by I would like to share my experiences and would love to hear from you too!

I quit my job at Schlumberger as a Wireline Field Engineer after 18 months of active service. The time I spent with Schlumberger was marked with very high responsibilities, tough working hours, and extravagant vacations. Even though I was a field engineer, the most important skill required for the job was that of people management. I found that I lacked that quality and the only way to learn it was by observing on the job. Surprisingly, during the last few months after I decided to quit, my relationship with colleagues became stronger. I continue to cherish those relationships even today.

I left my job to pursue Masters’ at Stanford University. Here, I find boundless synergy across all environments, be it in the classrooms, the clubs, or the sports teams. The atmosphere centered around creating value and impact through work fascinates me. I find my coursework along with independent research to be extremely interesting and stimulating. However, I still don’t know if I want to pursue a Ph.D. The biggest thing I have learnt so far at Stanford and the US is to respect people by listening to them without interrupting. I found that it is extremely beneficial in communicating effectively with people.

As a wish for my birthday, I would like to ask each one of us to be more aware of our impact on our environment. I was shaken to see some of the irreparable damage we have done to our planet in the documentary Before the Flood. Moreover, the movie also talks about how small changes in our lifestyles can have a significant contribution towards saving our planet. As I turn a year older my urge to act grows bigger. I am confident that you will support me in this endeavour.

Thank you for staying in touch,

I value it immensely.

Krishna Rao