Public Policy: Landscape and Career Opportunities

Founding CEO at IDFC Institute, Reuben Abraham visited MDAE on April 2nd, 2019 to address student concerns about suitable careers, navigating the corporate world, and finding a passion in life. Reuben is also a non-resident scholar at New York University, an honorary advisor to the New Zealand Asia Foundation, and in 2012, he was featured in Wired Magazine’s “Smart List 2012: 50 people who will change the world”. Reuben used his own history as an example of how taking risks can be essential for maximum rewards, in personal and professional life, and urged students to not be daunted by failure. He talked about the need for a persistent and permanent learning process, thus elucidating the difference between schooling and education. Being a policy expert, he then also advised students who were interested in making a career out of public policy. He discussed what skills are required for a policy job, how to survive the corporate world, and how to ease the transition from a traditional consulting or corporate research role to an academic or policy research job. Finally, he had one on one interactions with students and heard their personal stories on a case by case basis. He counselled students to stay intellectually curious and keep developing analytical and critical skills through extensive reading. It was an enriching experience for all the students, and we, at MDAE are glad to have had him. Thanks, Reuben!