Pragati Verma is a young professional who recently graduated from university and began her career. After finishing her education, she had to make an important decision about where to live and begin the next phase of her life. Many factors go into choosing a place to settle down, from job opportunities to cost of living to proximity to family and friends. This article will explore Pragati’s background, her options for where to live after university, and ultimately reveal where she decided to establish her new home.
Pragati’s Background
Pragati Verma grew up in a small town in central India. She was always a bright and ambitious student, excelling in her studies, especially math and science. When it came time to attend university, Pragati set her sights on one of India’s most prestigious technology institutions. She was thrilled when she was accepted into the computer engineering program at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.
Over the next four years, Pragati dove into her coursework and graduated near the top of her class. She balanced her studies with playing on the school tennis team and volunteering at a local nonprofit teaching computer skills to underprivileged youth. Through an on-campus internship program, Pragati completed internships at two major technology companies during her university years.
As graduation approached, Pragati began thinking about where to begin her professional career. She applied to jobs all over India, excited by the many opportunities available to her with an IIT degree. When several companies in metropolitan areas like New Delhi and Bangalore extended her job offers, Pragati faced a big decision about where to relocate.
Job Opportunities
One of the biggest factors Pragati had to consider was job opportunities. India’s technology sector has been booming in recent decades. Many major international companies have established offices in cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, and Chennai. These cities offer tens of thousands of well-paying jobs in fields like software development, IT services, data science, and more.
Some statistics on tech job opportunities in major Indian cities:
| City | Number of Tech Jobs |
|---|---|
| Bangalore | 1.2 million |
| New Delhi | 700,000 |
| Mumbai | 500,000 |
| Pune | 350,000 |
| Hyderabad | 250,000 |
With an IIT degree, Pragati was in high demand and received competitive job offers from top companies in Bangalore, New Delhi, and Hyderabad. After weighing the different opportunities, she ultimately accepted a position as a software engineer with a multinational corporation in Bangalore.
Cost of Living
In addition to job prospects, cost of living was another key factor Pragati had to consider when deciding where to move after graduation. India has vast regional differences in costs for essentials like housing, food, transportation, and healthcare. Larger cities generally have a much higher cost of living, especially housing costs.
Some average monthly living costs in major Indian cities:
| City | Monthly Rent | Groceries | Transportation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mumbai | 30,000 INR | 15,000 INR | 5,000 INR |
| New Delhi | 20,000 INR | 12,000 INR | 3,000 INR |
| Bangalore | 17,000 INR | 10,000 INR | 2,500 INR |
| Hyderabad | 15,000 INR | 9,000 INR | 2,000 INR |
Pragati made a budget based on her new salary and determined that although more expensive than some other cities, Bangalore still offered reasonable living costs compared to the job opportunities available.
Proximity to Family and Friends
Staying close to family and friends was important to Pragati as she made her decision about where to live after finishing university. She has relatives around different parts of India but her parents and closest friends still live near her hometown in central India. New Delhi or Mumbai would have put her very far away from her existing support network.
Bangalore, while still an 11 hour train journey, was the closest metropolitan area with strong job prospects. Pragati knew she would likely only be able to visit her parents a couple times a year at that distance. However, Bangalore had several university friends who were also moving there for jobs. Knowing she would have some familiar faces nearby helped put Pragati’s mind at ease.
Quality of Life
Pragati also considered factors like quality of life, infrastructure, and social opportunities when researching cities to move to. She wanted to live somewhere she could easily meet new people and enjoy amenities like parks, shopping, restaurants, and cultural attractions.
Bangalore is one of India’s most progressive cities, with a young, educated population. The city is called “The Silicon Valley of India” and is renowned as a technology and innovation hub. Bangalore has a thriving nightlife and arts scene. It also boasts plenty of green spaces and relatively good infrastructure like public transit and reasonably reliable electricity.
These quality of life factors helped Pragati envision building a happy life for herself in Bangalore as a young professional.
Where Pragati Moved
After carefully weighing all her options, Pragati Verma decided to accept a job offer in Bangalore and move there following her university graduation. Key factors in her decision included:
- Abundant job opportunities in Bangalore’s booming tech sector
- Reasonable cost of living compared to other big cities
- Proximity to some university friends also moving there for work
- Bangalore’s reputation as a vibrant city for young professionals
Pragati felt confident she would be able to launch an exciting and fulfilling career in Bangalore while also enjoying a high quality of life. She packed up her belongings and made the move to the bustling tech hub shortly after finishing her degree at IIT Kanpur.
Pragati’s Life in Bangalore
It’s now been about eight months since Pragati relocated to Bangalore. Overall, she is happy with her decision and feels she made the right choice for this stage of her career. Here are some highlights of her new life in Bangalore:
- Pragati enjoys her job as a software engineer at a large e-commerce company. She is learning new skills and technologies on cutting edge projects.
- She shares an apartment with two friends from university which makes rent affordable. The apartment is small but modern and close to their office.
- Public transportation in Bangalore can be crowded but is cheap and accessible. Pragati uses a mix of buses, shared autorickshaws, and the metro to get around.
- She loves sampling Bangalore’s great restaurants, coffee shops, and nightlife. There’s always somewhere new and exciting to explore.
- Pragati joined a local tennis club and plays in their weekend leagues. Staying active helps balance her demanding work.
- She tries to visit home twice a year but misses her family, especially her mother’s cooking!
While no city is perfect, Pragati has adjusted well overall to her new home in Bangalore. She is focused on gaining experience in her career for now and building her life in this vibrant, cosmopolitan city.
The Future
Pragati is just at the start of her professional journey and doesn’t know exactly where it will lead. She may stay in Bangalore for several more years as she advances in her career and develops her skills. Or new opportunities may arise that take her elsewhere in India or even abroad someday. She remains open minded about what the future will bring.
For now, Pragati is satisfied with her decision to move to Bangalore and feels the city provides the right foundation for this stage of her life. Her ambition and talents will surely continue opening doors to new places and possibilites. Wherever Pragati ultimately ends up, she will carry with her the lessons from this important first step into adulthood and independence in Bangalore.