Mystory@Sonali Khanke: How my college education impacted my career

Hello readers! It is a wonderful opportunity for me to share my journey on a platform like Shiksha.com. I started my career in 2004 by taking admission to a 5-year law course. To a lot of people, it seemed to be a long time span and even I took it like that initially. But finally, I didn’t realize how time has flown and the 5-year course had come to an end. To be honest, I sincerely and regularly attended my college lectures, always sat on the first bench, solved my queries in the class itself and thus found my professors keen on guiding me on my doubts. In a span of 5 years, I was thrice elected as the class representative, which was decided on the basis of university results. I secured top scores in each semester along with participating in and winning various competitions like moot court competitions, debates, quizzes and essay writing events.

My college education played a major role in shaping my career. I had realized that participation in activities that provide practical knowledge is as important as reading books and gaining theoretical understanding. Keeping this in mind, I attended numerous Lok Adalats at Gramin, Taluka and district levels. I also participated in seminars held on state level, which immensely helped me to strengthen my oratory skills.

The field of Law has always been considered noble. This area attracted my attention since my early school days and I genuinely feel that one should take up whatever suits their interest. Being a 6-time merit holder in the University ranking has fetched me immense acknowledgement and a unique position in my own eyes. My college education has taught me that we must constantly strive to learn new things in life. For a law student, every situation is a new challenge and whoever is able to resolve it is a clear winner.

The key factors that kept my interest intact in the course were the dedicated faculty members who were well versed with their subjects and specializations. We gain valuable knowledge from our past experiences. Some people appreciate this while others don’t. We don’t know what happens tomorrow and how it is going to be in the real work scenario. So, we should be prepared for any kind of challenge. Students who study law are considered wise and knowledgeable and this was something that intrigued me about this career stream.

I must admit that I have made many mistakes but I believe that I have learnt a lot from them. If I have the option of turning time around, I would choose to establish a channel for providing education to the illiterate population and make them aware of their rights and responsibilities. Even today, I tried contributing to society by putting to use my legal knowledge in the rural areas of India.

I am a simple person. I want to understand the actual problems of people and resolve them through my analytical thinking. I wish to impart my knowledge to people who want to attain education and the weaker class of society.

My message to the world is: “Make mistakes but learn from them!”

About the Author

Sonali Khanke is a Sr. Process Executive – Operations. She is a B.A LL.B, LL.M (PGDM in Intellectual Property Rights). She also happens to be the recipient of Ramabai Chapalgawkar Smruti Gold Medal Award. (This award is meant for female students hailing from small towns who stand 1st in their Law course). Her hobbies include reading, cooking, gardening and listening to music.