This is my number. 1 career advice for young people

To Dr. Geetha Murali, the topic of education is a personal topic.

As the CEO of Room to Read, a leading non-profit organization with a mission to create a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality, he knows very well that the power of education can break the cycle of poverty and inequality around the world.

“We have done a lot of reflection on the set of skills that children need, which includes gatekeepers, basic skills that allow (them) to overcome other limitations in life, and when we see young children. .

“If you can read, suddenly, the world opens up to you, and you can develop a learning path that can help you make good, informed choices,” he said.

Globally, about 754 million adults cannot read and write, two-thirds of them women, according to a 2024 publication by UNESCO. And by 2023, UNESCO reports that 250 million children will be out of school.

Since its founding in 2000, Room to Read has benefited more than 45 million children in 24 countries and distributed about $850 million to improve basic learning for children around the world. Murali joined the organization in 2009 as a manager, and has since risen to become the company’s top leader.

Murali was also selected to be part of “CNBC Changemakers: Women Transforming Business,” an annual list that highlights women whose achievements have left an indelible mark on the business world.

Murali was born in New York and spent his early years on the East Coast. Like the children of immigrants, they were given a different fate than their parents.

He spent his childhood in a developed country where he received a decent education, unlike his mother, who grew up in India.

“We come from a family where child marriage is the norm,” she said. “My grandmother got married when they were two and 14.”

Murali said that his mother – the eldest of seven years – is brilliant and has finished high school at the age of 12, but is expected to continue the marriage through her education.

He had ambitions to continue his studies, but his father only wanted to pay for his eldest son – his fourth child – to go to university.

“There were three girls before her, and with that, my mother had a real sense of injustice,” says Murali. “He wanted her to go to school, and he wanted her to get married, so he did something quite revolutionary at the time.”

Murali’s mother rebelled against her family’s wishes and started tutoring herself in her community. Later, she joined the Indian Army as a nurse, which was her ticket to move to the US on a nursing visa.

“So he came to the U.S., went to university, and ended up as a biostatistician with a very good career,” so he was able to send money back to his relatives in India so they could continue their studies. , says Murali.

“I say this quite often when I talk about her, and parallel to what we do in the Room to Read with girls’ education – one decision she made not to marry really created a ripple effect for the whole generation,” she said.

Now, Murali’s aunts, uncles and brothers have been able to continue their education and pave the way for success, and it’s all because of “a shift in the importance of education in the household, especially for girls,” says Murali. .

Hearing these stories grew into Murali deeply.

Naturally, he took after his mother and became a star student. By the age of 22, he had earned a bachelor’s degree in biostatistics, a master’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and was working full-time at a large pharmacy.

Growing up in this environment, Murali was very achievement oriented.

“I think a lot of what was established in the beginning of my life was just … I stayed down and learned everything,” he said. “You know, collecting degrees, demonstrating competence, and realizing that I have the privilege of choosing how to apply these skills in a very different way than (my mother).”

Murali was working for a large pharmaceutical company, doing clinical trial support and data analysis when he realized that he was not being fulfilled.

“I was, like, early 20s, with a big job, kind of looking around for the first time, going: ‘Is this really what I want for the next 45 years of my life?'”

During that time, he also worked toward a PhD in South Asian Studies at UC Berkeley. During many conversations and explorations, Murali decided to shift his research to the social sector.

As part of her research, she began traveling to India where she spoke directly to locals to learn more about voting patterns.

And when he was on the ground, he gained more insight than he had anticipated.

“I think some of the most useful (experiences) were when we did the survey with the parents … and when we talked about the expectations from the government – it was an expectation for me,” he said.

Parents will ask for basic needs such as street lights to make it safer for children to walk at night, or for schools to be built closer to the community so they don’t have to travel. until now.

“In the end, all the conversations we can have about … the various concepts that we use through the PhD process are not as important as the fact that I can’t get a light on the road, as much as I want to. It’s all about getting a light on that road,” Murali said. .

Since then, Murali decided that he wanted to do work that was directly related to social impact and community development, and to this day, that is what he has been doing. Under his leadership, the Room to Read also remains an organization that implements and creates immediate, measurable change.

Murali describes some of the biggest lessons he has learned throughout his career:

“What I try to share with others is that we are not limited by what came before.”

“Man, if you’re given the basics … you can do more than you think. So, I always tell people, if you think you’re at your limit, you need to go further. .”

After thinking about it, Murali thinks that what makes him a leader is just hard work coupled with a tendency to be brave.

“I’m not afraid of hard work. I’m willing to put in the hours, and I’m very achievement oriented,” she said. “I’m no longer afraid: ‘Let’s make incremental changes and not take risks.'”

“I am at a point where I believe that these basic rights must be granted, and the movement that must be made must be bold (in order) to do so,” Murali said. “So I think there’s a level of boldness that has come into this part of my career that may have allowed me to push Room to Read faster than in the past.”

For young people, Murali has one piece of advice: “I think planning is good, but don’t over plan. Like GPS can be helpful, but don’t be afraid to do some roadwork.”

“Ultimately, having a strong set of functional skills that you can use is the way I want to start my career, because you can’t predict, especially in this day and age, all the different job opportunities and careers that will be available in five to 10 years. next.”

Build these skills from scratch and learn how to adapt and also use them for different functions, he added.

Also, when choosing a career path, learn to “drive your passion” and not let your passion drive you. Developing a level of pragmatism by acquiring functional skills can help you find financial security while still doing what you love. It doesn’t have to be one or the other, she said.

To date, Room to Read has distributed more than 42 million books worldwide. In October, the organization released “She Creates Change,” the first non-profit led animation and live action film project to promote gender equality.

Along with basic learning initiatives for young children, Room to Read also focuses on helping teenagers, especially women, develop the life skills they need to break the cycle in their own families and become changemakers in their own communities.

The organization is used to teach “the skills (teenagers) need to deal with everyday challenges, like early marriage … lack of water,” Murali told CNBC’s “Make It.”

“They have to know how to navigate very practically and be able to negotiate with their families, negotiate with the community to stay in school.”

Want to earn more money at work? Take CNBC’s new online course How to Negotiate a Higher Salary . Expert instructors will teach you the skills you need to earn a bigger paycheck, including how to prepare and build confidence, what to do and say, and how to make a counter offer. Sign up today and use coupon code EARLYBIRD for a 50% introductory discount until November 26, 2024.

In addition, Sign up for CNBC Make It’s newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and life.