And Just Like That… From STEM to Storytelling in the Age of Squiggly Careers
5 days ago
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I got to thinking…(cue Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City), how many of us are really out there?
Not just British Asians with creative dreams, but anyone who’s traded algorithms for artistry, equations for expression, or presentation slides for stories. Those of us who once lived in the logical world of STEM or corporate careers — only to find ourselves wandering toward creativity, curiosity, and something altogether less predictable.
When I launched the Maya’s Worldly Wonders book series, I didn’t have a roadmap. I had storyboards, mind maps and a stubborn sense that little brown girls deserved to see themselves on colourful adventures around the world.
I’d spent over a decade in boardrooms and Bloomberg terminals, not bookshops. But somewhere between balance sheets and bedtime stories, I took a leap…from STEM to storytelling.
And just like that, my life recalibrated. I became a children’s book author.
And maybe this is my calling — maybe I was destined to do this. My father recently pulled out my A3 art sketchbook from my school days, from the attic, filled with surprisingly good drawings of sea life, animals (see the tiger drawing picture) and Bollywood faces (if I say so myself). But one page stood out: a UFO landing with aliens, complete with a pencil note in my neat italic handwriting — “My first book will be on aliens.” Classic 80’s kid.
Okay, granted, I haven’t written about aliens (yet). But maybe I’m 50% of the way there!
Still, I sometimes wonder… am I the only one?
Where are the others who said, “You know what? I’ll self-publish, because my story matters — and I’ll learn everything along the way”? Where are the engineers who became illustrators? The doctors who started screenwriting? The financiers and bankers who discovered their creative flair through interior design or fashion?
It’s a strange, exhilarating place to be, somewhere between pragmatism and passion. We’re not just pivoting careers; we’re reclaiming narratives. We’re rewriting the scripts we grew up with — those neat, “safe” career boxes in STEM — and instead, we’re sketching in the margins, experimenting, colouring outside the lines.
Because when you grow up British Asian, especially from the generation whose parents arrived in the UK in the ’60s and ’70s — the message was clear: security first, passion later. Our parents came with little more than hope, hustle, and maybe a single suitcase. The dream wasn’t about art or expression; it was about survival.
So, we followed the money.
Doctor. Lawyer. Engineer. Accountant. Banker. Dentist.
Respectable. Reliable. Recession-proof.
Creativity? That was an expensive hobby.
But things are changing now, aren’t they?
One of my best friends is a dentist turned singer and classical musician, whose voice now fills venues like the Royal Albert Hall, with the kind of soul you can’t learn in dental school (though she was trained from a young age). She’s partnered with her husband — a former corporate lawyer turned classical music producer, multi-instrumentalist, and all-round creative genius — and together they’ve built a life anchored in art, not analytics.
They’re proof that even the most “sensible” careers can evolve into something profoundly expressive and free. That it’s never too late to pivot, to reimagine, to create.
I recently binged the Victoria Beckham documentary on Netflix and found her honesty about reinvention fascinating — how she transitioned from popstar to credible fashion designer. Beneath the glamour were two traits I deeply recognised: endurance and grit. The ability to keep showing up, even when the world hasn’t yet caught up to your next chapter.
And it made me wonder…is this what the future of careers looks like? Will we all, in some way, become serial re-inventors?
The old narrative — one career, one ladder, one pension, feels almost quaint now. With AI reshaping the workforce, creativity is no longer a luxury; it’s a lifeline.
In fifteen to twenty years, I predict most of us will have multiple jobs and multiple incomes, fluidly moving between industries, roles, and creative ventures. The “steady career” will feel as dated as dial-up internet.
And in fifty years, when automation gives us back more time, will we, by instinct, return to our creative selves? To writing, music, art, design, storytelling? Perhaps we’re already seeing that shift — a collective yearning to create something machines can’t replicate: emotion.
Maybe the future won’t be defined by STEM versus art, but by how seamlessly the two can dance together. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned— it’s that no career pivot is ever wasted; it just becomes part of your plotline.
So, if you’re reading this and thinking, that’s me! - I’d love to connect. Whether you’re a self-published author, a doctor turned dancer, or a coder turned composer, drop me a message or comment below. Let’s celebrate the reinvention of our generation, the one that learned to make art out of ambition.
And just like that… maybe we’ll find we’re not such a minority after all.
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