Baishakhi Bose
Current Occupation: Lecturer, The Ohio State University
Undergraduate University: Bangladesh University
Graduate University: Purdue University
Answers from the Mentor:
1. What led you to pursue your current career sector?
I was drawn to academia because it offers the perfect blend of intellectual exploration and genuine connection with others. The energy I experience through classroom engagement and mentoring students keeps me inspired, while the opportunity to pursue research allows me to continuously question, discover, and contribute new knowledge. Being in a space where I can both guide others and keep learning myself aligns with what I want from life – growth, impact, and purpose.
2. If you could give one piece of advice to graduate students exploring career options, what would it be?
One piece of advice I’d give is to pay attention to what kind of problems you enjoy thinking about when no one is asking you to.
In graduate school and during my postdoc, I noticed that the people who seemed most fulfilled weren’t necessarily the ones on the most conventional paths – they were the ones genuinely curious about the questions they were working on. When the external structure falls away, your natural curiosity (or lack of it) becomes very clear.
Career exploration isn’t just about skills or opportunities; it’s about noticing what sustains your attention over time. The work you’re willing to wrestle with even when it’s hard and unglamorous is usually a better guide than titles or trajectories. So instead of only asking, “What should I do next?” try asking, “What do I keep coming back to?”