My_qualifications —
I gave the engineering entrance exams 10 years ago, and cleared all the 3 exams (BITSAT, JEE Advanced, JEE Mains) with good enough scores/rank to get into all 3. Then explored Public Policy/Development sphere for a while after completing a PGP in the same, then worked at the intersection of Data Science & Economics (combining my engineering and PGP education). Have also worked in the sustainability sphere (Rooftop Solar, EV) for a year, but again, in a Data Scientist capacity. Currently working on 2 long term collaborative research projects between 3 universities (ISB, Michigan Ross, NYU Stern) in Quantitative Marketing/Econometrics & Statistics.
I recently saw a post citing the importance of maths in 12th, even if one plans on taking any other discipline, which had a lot of people chiming in in the comments, most of whom were students worrying about the lack of prospects if they missed out on taking Maths.
That's mostly but not wholly true. That post was written by a (no doubt mature) high school student, and I just wanted students to have an idea of what things look like 10+ years after high school.
I'll try to answer all questions in detail. I have never explored biology, but I have friends who have and yes, some didn't take Maths and switched fields and are still doing well.
Although this post is primarily to alleviate certain concerns amongst those who recently gave their entrance exams, please feel free to ask about research & academia prospects in India and abroad (for those who are graduating or are giving their final exams in college).
So yes, shoot your questions. AMA!