Here is my number. 1 piece of career advice for young people

For Dr. Geeta Murali, the subject of education is a deeply personal one.

As the CEO of Room to Read, a leading non-profit organization with a mission to create a world free of illiteracy and gender inequality, she is acutely aware of the power of education to break cycles of poverty and inequality around the world. can break

“We’ve done a lot of thinking. [the] The skill sets that children need, which are like janitors, basic skills that allow. [them] To overcome other limitations in their lives, and when you look at young children … the basic skill you need is reading,” Murali told CNBC’s “Make It.”

“Once you’re able to read, all of a sudden, the world opens up to you, and you can develop learning pathways that help you make good, informed choices,” he said. “

According to UNESCO’s 2024 publication, globally, about 754 million adults are illiterate, two-thirds of whom are women. And in 2023, UNESCO reports that 250 million children are out of school.

Since it was founded in 2000, Room to Read has benefited more than 45 million children in 24 countries and spent nearly $850 million to improve basic education for children around the world. Murali joined the organization as a manager in 2009, and has since become the top leader of the company.

Murali was also selected to be part of “CNBC Changemakers: Women Transforming Business,” an annual list highlighting 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 many children of immigrants, he was given a different fate than his parents.

He spent his childhood in a developed country where he had access to decent education unlike his mother.

He said that we come from a family where child marriage was a practice. “My grandmother was married at two and 14.”

Murali said her mother – the eldest of seven – was gifted and had completed high school at the age of 12, yet she was expected to prioritize marriage over her education. will increase

She wished to continue her education, but her father only wanted to pay for his eldest son – the fourth child – to go to university.

“There were three girls before her, and with her, my mother felt such an injustice,” Murali said. “She wanted to go to school, and they wanted her to get married, and so she did something that was pretty revolutionary at the time.”

Murali’s mother rebelled against her family’s wishes and started taking classes on her own in their community. Later, she joined the Indian Army as a nurse, which became her ticket to the US on a nursing visa.

“So, she comes to America, puts herself through university, and eventually becomes a biostatistician with a brilliant career,” so much so that she is able to send money back to her siblings in India so they can also Can continue your education. Murali said.

“I say that often when I’m talking about her, and the parallels to what we do in Room to Read with girls’ education—a decision she made not to marry, really a It created a ripple effect for the entire generation,” he said.

Today, Murali’s aunts, uncles and cousins ​​have been able to continue their education and pave their way to success, all because of “a shift in the importance of education at home, especially for girls.” Murali said. .

Hearing these stories of growing up shaped Murali in a profound way.

Naturally, she took after her mother and was a star student. By age 22, she had a bachelor’s degree in biostatistics, a master’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and was working full-time in big pharma.

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

“I think a lot of the early part of my life was defined by just… you know, accumulating degrees, showing ability, and realizing that I had the privilege of making this choice,” he said. How do I use these skills? [my mom] was”

Murali was working at a large pharmaceutical company, doing clinical trial support and data analysis when she realized she wasn’t done.

“I was, in my early 20s, with a great job, looking around for the first time, going: ‘Is this really what I’m going to do for the next 45 years of my life?'”

During this time she was also working towards a PhD in South Asian Studies at UC Berkeley. After many discussions and explorations, Murali decided to focus his research in the social sector.

As part of his research, he embarked on trips to India where he spoke directly to local people to learn more about voting patterns.

And while she was on Earth, she gained more insight than expected.

“I think there are some that make the most sense. [experiences] “Really when we were doing the survey with the parents… and when we were talking about expectations from the government – it turned into expectations for me,” she said.

Parents will ask him about basic needs such as lighting their street to make it safer for their children to walk around at night, or building a school closer to their community so they don’t have to travel. . Until now

“In the end, all the conversations we could have had about … the different concepts we were applying through our PhD process weren’t as important as the fact that I didn’t see the light on the road. Sakthi, as I would give is everything to get the light on this road,” Murali said.

From that point on, Murali decided that she wanted to do work that was directly linked to social impact and community development, and to date, she has done exactly that. Under his leadership, Room to Read has also remained true to being an organization that directly implements and drives measurable change.

Murali reflects on the biggest lessons he has learned in his career:

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

“Humans, if given the basics… you’re capable of much more than you really think you are, so, I always tell people, when you think you’ve reached your limits But, push yourself a little further.”

On reflection, Murali thinks that what drove him to become a leader was simply hard work and a tendency to be bold.

She said that I was not afraid of hard work. “I’m no longer afraid of: ‘Let’s just make the incremental change and not take the risk.'”

“I’m at a point where I believe these basic rights should be given, and the steps we have to take should be bold. [in order] To make them happen,” Murali continued. “So I think there’s a level of boldness that has come into this part of my career that might have allowed me to push Room to Read a lot faster than I have in the past. is.”

For youngsters, Murali offers an important piece of advice: “I think a plan is good, but not more than a plan. A GPS can be helpful, but don’t be afraid to do some off-roading.”

“Finally, having a really strong, functional skill set that you can apply is really the way I’d start my career, because you can’t fully predict, especially on this day and age. in age, all the different job opportunities and career paths that will be available in the next five to 10 years.”

Developing these skills early on and learning how to adapt to leverage them for different functions is extremely valuable, he added.

Additionally, when choosing a career path, it is important to learn how to “follow your passion” and not let your passion take over. Developing a level of practicality by becoming good at functional skills can help you achieve financial security while doing something you love. That said, it doesn’t have to be one or the other.

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

Along with its core learning initiatives for young children, Room to Read also focuses on helping adolescents, especially women, to break the cycle in their own families and make a difference in their own communities. In developing essential life skills.

This organization works to teach “skill sets”. [adolescents] Murali told CNBC that they face daily challenges, whether it’s something like early marriage… or many other things — violence against women, trafficking, child labor, lack of food or water. Short of, Murali told CNBC “Make it.”

“They have to know how to navigate in a very practical way and be able to communicate with their families, communicate with their communities to be in school.”

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