Education Confessions

I want to punch my advisor for ruining my PhD

M33 | PhD student | I want to beat up my advisor. I am doing a PhD in an engineering department at one of the newer IITs. In 2020, I joined PhD as a 27-year-old in the belief that I would finish my PhD in 4 years. It has been 6 years now, and there is no end in sight. Almost all of the fault lies with my advisor. He accepted me as a student just to get some extra salary earmarked for PhD advisors. In fact, he has several other PhD students and he hardly gives any time to anyone at all. When he is not teaching, he spends most of his time as a 'visiting scholar' at the foreign university he got his PhD from. I think he gets paid extra for his second job as a visiting scholar, but I am not sure. His PhD students (including me) have complained to the PhD program office, but the office just told us that PhD students need to directly sort matters out directly with their advisor. We complained to the HOD of our department but apparently the college rules don't prohibit professo...

I am desperately trying to save a motherless girl's education

Hi friends, this confession is for a 17-year-old girl who is struggling to continue her education. In today’s world, having at least a graduation degree has become so important just to build a decent future. But unfortunately, this girl has been through circumstances that forced her to put her education on hold. Three years ago, she lost her mother. With the situation at home and the responsibility of looking after her younger sister, she had no choice but to step away from her studies for some time. Her father is completely uneducated and works on a daily-wage basis. Education is something he may not fully understand the importance of, but this girl does. I personally encouraged her not to give up on her studies, no matter how difficult things were. With that intention, I helped get her admitted into 10th class and arranged some of her books through someone who was kind enough to help. One person had also promised to pay her school fees, but for the past 20 days, despite repeated...

I completed my B.Tech in June 2023 and started my M.Tech in August 2025 at a private college. I will complete my M.Tech in 2027. I am an average student and had a two-year gap between B.Tech and M.Tech no job experience. Will I be eligible for TCS campus or off-campus placements after completing my M.Tech? Does TCS consider this a career gap or an academic gap? I am helpless in this situation.

Sincerity in teaching only left me with deep invisible wounds

Today, I am not writing this for sympathy. I am writing because I have carried this pain in silence for far too long. There are wounds that people can see, and there are wounds that remain invisible. The invisible ones are often the ones that change a person forever. There was a period in my professional life when I felt unsupported, unheard, micromanaged, emotionally exhausted, and left alone when I needed understanding the most. I gave my time, my energy, my sincerity, and my commitment believing that honesty, integrity, and hard work would matter. As a teacher, I gave my very best. I prepared my classes with sincerity, wanted my students to truly understand and learn, and believed that education was about knowledge, values, and responsibility—not merely producing marks. I gave everything I could, not because someone forced me to, but because that is who I am. It is deeply painful to watch something you planted, nurtured, and gave your heart to eventually end up in someon...

Hey everyone, ​I’m reaching out because I’m in a really tough spot both personally and professionally, and I could use some help upskilling to change my situation. ​I’m a 35-year-old female working in cyber security. Right now, I have a remote job managing a cloud security tool for a UAE client through a third party. The pay is in rupees, there are no increments, and the workload is exhausting—I’m managing the tool alone to the point where I get called even when I’m on leave. ​On top of that, my family situation is really stressful. My husband works abroad, and he keeps sending me back to India. First, it was because our baby was too young. Then, when my son turned 2 and had speech delays, he sent me to stay with my in-laws. This past January, I finally went back to the UAE and got my son admitted into a school. But my luck turned—due to the war situations, the school shifted to online classes. Expecting a 3.5-year-old to sit in front of a laptop or phone just didn't work. It requir...

I am a 30-year-old professional at a crossroads in my career and would genuinely appreciate some honest guidance. For the past several years, I have been preparing for the Civil Services Examination. After multiple attempts and considerable reflection, I am now planning to move on from this journey. However, I have concerns about my employability and career prospects outside the UPSC ecosystem. My educational background is as follows: • B.A. (Hons.) Geography, University of Delhi (2017)
• M.A. Geography, University of Delhi
• LL.B., Faculty of Law, University of Delhi
• Currently pursuing M.A. Environmental Studies, University of Delhi I am now looking to transition into the corporate sector, but I am uncertain about how my academic profile will be perceived by employers, especially given the gap created by years of Civil Services preparation. I would be grateful if members could provide an honest assessment of my career prospects, suggest suitable industries or roles, and share a...