Post by Shubham Goel

B.Tech officially comes to an end. One thing I’ve realized during college is how much having the right mentor can change your trajectory. For me, working under Prof. Gautam Shroff during my Independent Project and B.Tech Project turned out to be one of the best decisions I made at IIITD. Initially, I don’t think he fully trusted my abilities, so he started by giving me smaller problems to work on. As I kept solving them and learning along the way, he gradually started trusting me with more challenging and meaningful problems. Over time, that trust and mentor-student bond naturally grew, and beyond projects and research, I learned the importance of thinking deeply, approaching problems from first principles, and staying curious even when things get difficult. A great mentor influences far more than academics — they shape the way you think, learn, and grow. To juniors at IIITD (and honestly anywhere): if you get the opportunity to work closely with a mentor who genuinely pushes you to grow, take it. The second most influential person for me during my time at IIITD was Prof. Pankaj Vajpayee. His discussions in Foundations of Finance and Valuation & Portfolio Management genuinely changed the way I think about money, investing, risk, and decision-making. These courses were far more than just electives for me — they taught perspectives that I believe everyone should learn, regardless of whether they plan to pursue finance professionally or not. I genuinely feel these are among the most important courses one can take at IIITD, and I would strongly encourage juniors to consider them. Ending this chapter with a quote Prof. Pankaj Vajpayee shared with graduating students: “Ships are safest in the harbour, but that is not what they are meant for.” I think this is one quote that’s definitely going to stay with me and help during this transition into the next phase of life. Grateful for the people, lessons, and experiences that shaped these four years. Excited (and a little nervous) for what comes next.