The first course

The first course I was assigned to teach was Mass and Energy Balance for second-year chemical engineering students. This reminded me of an incident that happened years ago.

After completing my MTech, I appeared for an interview at a prestigious research organization. It was the best interview I ever faced. There were many candidates, yet there was no chaos. I was calmly told which room to go to. The committee consisted of five members.

After the usual formalities, one of the interviewers asked me to suggest a topic on which they could interview me. I said, Mass and Energy Balance. They asked me questions covering the breadth of the subject. I was comfortable. Still, I was not entirely happy with my performance.

That evening, the results were displayed. I was not selected.

I felt that I was not ready for the post. Yet the interviewers had never made me feel inadequate. Their questions were encouraging, never intimidating. That interview taught me the art of interviewing.

Years later, the first course I was assigned to teach was Mass and Energy Balance. I taught it for several years. I applied the concepts in many of my other courses and research.