Manit Jain: A kinda-sorta roommate, brother and bomb-AF advice-giver. You may remember Manit from the very first interview in the series of Life of Stressed Randoms! Manit is Dinushi Kulasekere's sweet boyfriend and obviously a lot more, too! He takes on the role of being a hardcore Cleveland Cavs fan, hardworking student, loving son and much more. Let's take a look at his stressful life!
How stressed are you right now on a scale of 1-10?
Right now? 8.5
Why?
I have a presentation on Monday for a club that I’m in. I gotta expand the presentation within two weeks for the client that it’s for. Then I’m two weeks behind on work and finals are coming up. Also, the Cavs are in the playoffs that start this weekend.
How do you feel about yourself as a student?
I think I’m an OK student, to be honest. Not that I don’t try but I procrastinate a lot and that’s been the downfall of my grades.
Are you passionate about what you’re pursuing right now in college?
Yes. I’m passionate about where I want to take it.
What do you want to be in the future?
In a perfect world, I want to be a general manager of a team in the NBA. Realistically, I want to work in finance or accounting for a company or organization rooted in sports entertainment.
How do you feel your business analytics minor will help you?
I was in engineering my first semester, and I’d been told that engineers have a superior analytical mind. When I left engineering for accounting, I felt like I’d be losing out on some of the analytical skills that I’d learned as an engineer.
Has your culture influenced your decisions on your career path?
Absolutely. Growing up, my parents always told me to be a "professional" (aka doctor, engineer, lawyer) which is COMPLETELY BOGUS. I knew I didn’t want to be a doctor, and I can’t talk right or argue with people so I wouldn’t be a good lawyer. I was pretty good at science and math so I wanted to go into engineering. Once I got into college I realized it wasn’t the path for me.
Have your parents influenced your decision?
My parents were not open to the idea at first, but they realized in order for me to be successful I had to do something I liked.
What else are you involved in outside of academics?
I’m involved in SCNO (Students Consulting for Non-profit Orgs). I’m a team lead for them and I’m working on a project for the Byron Saunders Foundation which works to feed families during Thanksgiving.
I’m also in Moneythink, which is a mentoring program for high school students where we teach them about personal finance and financial literacy skills.
How do you de-stress?
Usually, I would watch pointless Youtube vids. If b-ball is on, I’d watch that. Or, I nap.
Who would you usually go to vent to?
My girlfriend Dinushi. If I’m at home, then, my mom.
Is there any advice you wish to tell students who are super stressed or have similar goals as you?
For college students in general, you should definitely do something you like and now what people want you to do. It’s okay to not know what you want to do, as long as you know what you don’t want to do. Oh, and GO CAVS.
