Blog - Amith Narayan, PhD

Amith Narayan, PhD

Sign in Subscribe

Blog

I write about my work, higher education, job search, book reviews, competitive exams, and fiction. I will share my journey (as a PhD, Researcher, Engineer, Husband & soon to be Father) and the life lessons I learn from them. I will also share my other interests (music & flute, writing fiction), books I read, stocks I am invested in, and, most importantly, my failures.

Dodging Tax Jail While Coaching and Creating: My Week in a Nutshell!

Dodging Tax Jail While Coaching and Creating: My Week in a Nutshell!

I don't want to end up in jail! 😭 Or be deported! 👮🏾‍♂️ From a career coaching model that's as much a leap of faith as it is a strategy, to lab shenanigans that might just save the day (and our equipment), and personal revelations that have me rethinking the very fabric of habit formation.

Rollercoaster Rides: From Negotiation Tables to Casino Tables!

Rollercoaster Rides: From Negotiation Tables to Casino Tables!

Grab a drink and join me on a wild ride: a vanished TV interview, a too-quiet job session, and a Vegas trip like no other. All in one unexpected week!

I will be on Live TV! My Wild Week Juggling Dreams, Hiccups, and Dilemmas!

I will be on Live TV! My Wild Week Juggling Dreams, Hiccups, and Dilemmas!

Okay, so here's the scoop – I'm going live on TV! I've been invited to discuss job-hunting strategies on a lifestyle show. The recording is this week, and I'm still deciding whether to suit up or keep it casual. What do you think? Any fashion tips?

Career Coach by Night, RF Engineer by Day: Who Needs Sleep When You're Chasing Dreams?

Career Coach by Night, RF Engineer by Day: Who Needs Sleep When You're Chasing Dreams?

In this issue, I'm peeling back the layers of my life – not just as a Career Coach moonlighting in the quiet of the night or an RF Engineer tinkering by daylight, but as someone just like you, trying to make sense of the hustle and bustle of life.

A Fresh Start: Embracing New Beginnings in 2024

A Fresh Start: Embracing New Beginnings in 2024

Happy New Year! In 2024, join me as I explore new horizons: my side hustle aiding job seekers, making strides in plasma RF Systems research, and personal growth in music and health. Let's embrace this year of learning and achievement together. Read on!

On Career Choices: The Stories of Three Men!

On Career Choices: The Stories of Three Men!

Having pursued several disconnected career choices, I always wondered if I could amount to anything worthwhile. While unsure how to make the appropriate career choice, I share three stories that tell you whichever path you choose; you can succeed if you are willing to keep trying.

Navigating Grad School: I won the Best Teaching Assistant Award, and here's how you can do it too.

Navigating Grad School: I won the Best Teaching Assistant Award, and here's how you can do it too.

Being a Teaching Assistant (TA) is inevitable for most Ph.D. students during graduate school. Being an effective TA is vital to navigating grad school successfully and pursuing a career in academia. I was a TA for the most challenging courses in Electrical Engineering and won the Best TA award.

Buying a House in the US: Six Tools & Tips to Do it Right.

Buying a House in the US: Six Tools & Tips to Do it Right.

If you google 'How to buy a House?', you will find a hundred step-by-step guides at your disposal. Yet, almost all of them only prepared me partially for my home-buying experience. I have elucidated the process with my personal experience. They can offer practical suggestions to new homebuyers.

Raising a Premature Baby: Five Life Lessons

Raising a Premature Baby: Five Life Lessons

Our baby was 39 cm tall at birth and weighed 1.25 kg. On the growth chart published by WHO, he was well below the 3rd percentile. A year later, he is 77.5 cm tall and weighs 10.7 kg. On the growth chart, he is at the 53rd percentile in height and the 74th percentile in weight.

I am back!

Sorry for the long pause. We had an unexpected pleasant surprise back home. Entering 32 weeks of pregnancy, my wife and I visited our doctor for a regular check-up. My wife had abnormally high blood pressure, and the doctors admitted her right away to monitor her health and the baby&

My Money Lessons

My Money Lessons

If there is one lesson I wish everybody takes home from this post, it would be to build an emergency fund. Every morning, I see several calls for help on LinkedIn and Facebook.

The Unfair Advantages of life - Part 2

Book Notes Featured

The Unfair Advantages of life - Part 2

During my bachelor's degree, I was broke for the most part. I didn't have enough money to pay for public transport to attend college. I would always hitchhike to college. My cousins and friends pondered my luck (how I found a ride almost always). I think I know the answer to that question now.

The Unfair Advantages of life - Part 1

Book Notes Featured

The Unfair Advantages of life - Part 1

Why do some students do spectacularly better than others despite going to the same school, getting the same education, having the same private tutors, and working equally hard? Read on!

ನಾನು ಗೀಚಿದ ಸಾಲುಗಳ ರಾಶಿ - ೧

ನಾನು ಗೀಚಿದ ಸಾಲುಗಳ ರಾಶಿ - ೧

ನನ್ನ ಇನ್ನು ಹುಟ್ಟದ ಮಗುವಿಗೆ ಬರೆದಿರುವ ಹನಿಗವನ: ನನ್ನ ಮುದ್ದು ಕುಂಡೆ, ನಿನ್ನ ಅಂಡು ರವೆ ಉಂಡೆ, ತಿಂದು ನಾನು ಆನಂದವ ಕಂಡೆ.

Becoming the Michael Jordan of your niche: A sports analogy to life.

Becoming the Michael Jordan of your niche: A sports analogy to life.

I am 5 feet 11 inches tall and weigh 242 pounds. The CDC classifies me as obese. I never found the determination to do a workout despite it. But, the first time I watched The Last Dance, I ran 140 miles (225 km) in 15 days.

Job Hunt in the US after MS/PhD: A Method to the Madness

Job Hunt in the US after MS/PhD: A Method to the Madness

Although the article is primarily focused on graduate students in the US, these suggestions should work well for any job aspirant in general. The only caveat to the above assertion is that the technological & cultural differences in different countries might hinder optimal results.

PhD in the US: My Learnings

PhD in the US: My Learnings

In the summer of 2014, I arrived at the Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI) to pursue my PhD at the University of Maryland, College Park. The funny thing about the BWI airport is that there is nothing international about it.