Although Dr. Jubair Shamim’s remark may sound simple, it carries profound depth in reality. For most students, the hardest task is to identify their genuine interests. Academic decisions about studies and career paths are often made based on exam scores, societal expectations, or following friends. As a result, a young person gradually realizes they might be walking a path that doesn’t truly align with their inner passion.
Dr. Jubair Shamim’s life story conveys a different message in this regard. Looking at his journey, he did not follow a single straight path. Mechanical Engineering at BUET, then a master’s in Nuclear Engineering in Korea, followed by a return to Japan for a PhD in Mechanical Engineering—on the surface, it might seem scattered. However, beneath it all runs a clear thread: his keen interest in thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics. The subjects changed, but the core of his passion remained the same. At each step, he could connect his developing skills to his past experiences.
Many Bangladeshi students believe that once you’re enrolled in a particular subject, you’re stuck with it for life. But in modern science and engineering, disciplines are deeply interconnected. Knowledge of mathematics helps in medical imaging, while computing skills are applicable in analyzing biological data. Dr. Jubair Shamim’s experience shows that the real goal is to find the “core” of your personal interests. If you can firmly hold onto that center, its field of application can always change.
Another important aspect of this realization is the need to deeply explore your interests once you’ve identified them. Often, we talk about passion, but are not willing to invest the necessary time and effort. To delve deeper into a subject, especially in research or higher studies, one must patiently build competence—sometimes by learning to code, sometimes by mastering the tough parts of mathematics or theory, sometimes by spending hours conducting experiments in the lab. This long preparation is precisely what helps a student “reach the right place.”
According to Dr. Jubair Shamim, life often opens multiple paths before us. Which one to take depends on what we want and what work makes us lose track of time. From his own experience working in the industry, he realized it’s difficult to find stability where there is no passion. On the other hand, he has felt comfortable even on the uncertain path of research, because that’s where his curiosity and interest thrive.
This message is particularly relevant for Bangladeshi youth. In today’s competitive environment, career planning is full of external pressures. But in the long run, true satisfaction comes when a person identifies their own area of interest and then prepares step by step to make it a reality. The journey of preparation is never straightforward—there will be mistakes, delays, and disappointments. But if you remain faithful to your interests, those very mistakes turn into valuable lessons over time.
Dr. Jubair Shamim’s statement, therefore, is not just a summary of personal experience; it is a practical guideline for the young generation. Identify your true interests, get to know them deeply, and build your skills around that foundation. Then “reaching the right place” will no longer remain just a dream—it will gradually become reality.
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