Decision Paradox

Ankit Sanghvi -

"Figuring it out" is hard. From time to time in life, I quite never understood the right path for me. And it's always hard to pick from so many options, especially when they start feeling like 1 way doors.

So I've always followed this simple framework of getting the advice of people for my path ahead. You can use it for selecting colleges, picking career roles, deciding to start a business, or any other decision that seems like a long-term bet.

It's a 5 step process, and I'll share a template for the same too:

  1. Start by writing 1-2 sentences on what you would like to see after 10 years. can be anything.
  2. Write about where you're at.
  3. Write about the options in front of you and how the paths looks like for each option.
  4. Draft 4-5 specific questions now. Reach out to people from diverse backgrounds (friends, family, linkedin, whatever) who've travelled these paths you've written about and tell you their experience + answer your questions. Preferably talk to people with polar opposite views so you have a really good understanding of all sides.
  5. Now that you know all stories, jump for what your heart is most excited for.

So in 2023, I also had to take the decision to go either for masters or starty my own company. And as much as I wanted to build a company, I did not have cofounders or some unique insight (and even the confidence, for that matter). So I wrote down my plan, talked to people and took the call - my plan (you can copy this template for you). The goal was to come to US, find a cofounder in Stanford and figure it out from there.

Did it work out? Not exactly. I circled around in my US college for a while - trying to figure out if I wanted a PM intern or I liked coding or I wanted to do AI or startup. And it was a long 6 months. At the end, I started up with 2 cofounders I already knew. Now we're selling to customers in India, while I'm still in USA and figuring out my financial situation post graduation, since our startup is young. I know we'll make it through but point is, given the same variables set last year - I'd probably still make this decision. Because I talked to people and was informed well.

What I want you to take back from this is 2 things (and I hope it helps):

  1. It's cool to not have a path. Just write down a plan (as rough as possible) and discuss it with people who you respect for opinions.
  2. At the end, do what you want and stick with it. It will not exactly work out as planned but atleast you know you made an informed decision.

You can copy this Notion template for making your plan for "advice for path ahead" and see if it helps - link