Millions of people aspire to join these prestigious institutions IITs in India. We all have slaved and slogged long hours to get into these dreamlands which have made every uncle and aunty its ardent devotees. But, was it all really worth it?
I am writing a post on my personal blog after what seems like a lifetime. I have been busy with other chores, course curriculum and personal and professional commitments. It is as if I almost stopped listening to the voice inside whenever it spoke about life's "general stuff". Too immersed in the competitive dogma of the institute, we often forget that we are independent and free people and can choose to live without following the doctrines of this false process of life.
Not more than a couple of months ago when I started building my Resume, a thought struck me. It has never left me since and I am pretty sure it is taking up an even larger and well defined form as we leave days behind. I read a lot, both on books and on web. I have got a varied variety of friends ranging from Army-men to journalists, from producers to lawyers. Everyone has their own set of stories as different individual but when you put them all together, you would find out that life isn't as difficult and harsh as it is portrayed here. Resume is heavily hyped and so is placements. Placement is merely a rendition of institute organized job opportunities which is not "it". There are tons of other stuff that a person can do and can hope for. Life doesn't end at IIT and neither does it begin here. It is a phase and it will go someday. One should make good use of this place for their learning curve but that's it. If someone tries to extract everything thrown at him from the institute, he is only doing what he is being asked to. That is not independence. One should be wise enough to properly think about the stuff that he wants to do and not regret later. I hate to say this but there is a lot of negativity in this place. Wherever you see, there is a false premise of highly increased expectations and a fixed set of jobs that a person can do and has to do. There is no getting out of this. But, this is where it gets tricky. They try to conform you into its set of rules that vanish once you are out of this place. Is there a way out of this without feeling left out?
My prime concern deals with the amounting tension and pressure around the work. Does improvement and advancement mean that we work longer hours, give up holidays and have life only on weekends filled with pressure due to work? Isn't life supposed to be full of merrymaking and living it on our own terms? What if I follow the same path, tried-and-tested over generations, only to find out it was wrong? What if I look back at this day and find out that my apprehensions about my future path were right and that I should have figured out my own way? Well, I think no one can answer these questions perfectly but on some or the other levels, we all know what's best for us. We are just not ready to listen to that inner voice called instinct.
IITs do teach us a lot and prepare us to earn a lot of money without a doubt. But the way things happen here and the way you are "supposed" to move in your life is worrisome. Are Finance-consultancy, IT-coding and core jobs the only set of jobs available? Are Masters, IAS and MBA the only set of directions one can move if he wants to do something other than a job at the moment? Is it really that difficult for us to get a job in this country or anywhere in the world? C'mon, we more than anyone else know we will definitely get hired by someone. We just need to know where to look for. If you don't want to try at all, you can always go for a coaching firm which pays a handsome salary with no burdens. If only this thought was made available to those people who have commited suicide! People feel that if they can't score well, they can't get placements and without it, there is nothing. No one goes around "duniya kya sochegi" concept anymore. We are way past it or so I would like to believe out of my experience. The issue here is that people don't know the right places to look for. World shouldn't be that difficult. IITs are very harsh at times and they keep making one's life revolve around itself since they first joined IIT coaching when they ought to be exploring themselves. Their whole universe surrounds around this place. So, when they find that they could not make it big here, they lose all hope and want to end their lives. Was it justified even a bit?
I think a job is only as good as the amount of satisfaction it provides. A person can earn well at a PSU and can learn even there. We should keep learning throughout our lives and not just at an institution. IITs create this innate feeling inside its residents that if it is not a job in a private firm, it is not a job and this is completely absurd. I am not debating good and bad between private and public but the very prejudice that people keep in their minds during their stay and beyond is nonsensical. I would reiterate, a job is only as good as the amount of satisfaction it provides. So, even if you work at a multinational as a fresher and earn a package of 12LPA, you wouldn't really be contributing anything huge. You will be asked to fill excel sheets and to make PPTs. And on top of that, you will be asked to complete these in very short times if you want that "promotion" or foreign trip to a newly opened branch. YOU CAN GET THOSE THINGS AT PSUs WITH VERY LESS PRESSURE. One just needs to have their priorities right and he can go well in their life. LIfe isn't really as difficult as it portrays itself to be. We just need to be on the lookout for what is right for us and we'll be fine.
I am writing a post on my personal blog after what seems like a lifetime. I have been busy with other chores, course curriculum and personal and professional commitments. It is as if I almost stopped listening to the voice inside whenever it spoke about life's "general stuff". Too immersed in the competitive dogma of the institute, we often forget that we are independent and free people and can choose to live without following the doctrines of this false process of life.
Not more than a couple of months ago when I started building my Resume, a thought struck me. It has never left me since and I am pretty sure it is taking up an even larger and well defined form as we leave days behind. I read a lot, both on books and on web. I have got a varied variety of friends ranging from Army-men to journalists, from producers to lawyers. Everyone has their own set of stories as different individual but when you put them all together, you would find out that life isn't as difficult and harsh as it is portrayed here. Resume is heavily hyped and so is placements. Placement is merely a rendition of institute organized job opportunities which is not "it". There are tons of other stuff that a person can do and can hope for. Life doesn't end at IIT and neither does it begin here. It is a phase and it will go someday. One should make good use of this place for their learning curve but that's it. If someone tries to extract everything thrown at him from the institute, he is only doing what he is being asked to. That is not independence. One should be wise enough to properly think about the stuff that he wants to do and not regret later. I hate to say this but there is a lot of negativity in this place. Wherever you see, there is a false premise of highly increased expectations and a fixed set of jobs that a person can do and has to do. There is no getting out of this. But, this is where it gets tricky. They try to conform you into its set of rules that vanish once you are out of this place. Is there a way out of this without feeling left out?
My prime concern deals with the amounting tension and pressure around the work. Does improvement and advancement mean that we work longer hours, give up holidays and have life only on weekends filled with pressure due to work? Isn't life supposed to be full of merrymaking and living it on our own terms? What if I follow the same path, tried-and-tested over generations, only to find out it was wrong? What if I look back at this day and find out that my apprehensions about my future path were right and that I should have figured out my own way? Well, I think no one can answer these questions perfectly but on some or the other levels, we all know what's best for us. We are just not ready to listen to that inner voice called instinct.
IITs do teach us a lot and prepare us to earn a lot of money without a doubt. But the way things happen here and the way you are "supposed" to move in your life is worrisome. Are Finance-consultancy, IT-coding and core jobs the only set of jobs available? Are Masters, IAS and MBA the only set of directions one can move if he wants to do something other than a job at the moment? Is it really that difficult for us to get a job in this country or anywhere in the world? C'mon, we more than anyone else know we will definitely get hired by someone. We just need to know where to look for. If you don't want to try at all, you can always go for a coaching firm which pays a handsome salary with no burdens. If only this thought was made available to those people who have commited suicide! People feel that if they can't score well, they can't get placements and without it, there is nothing. No one goes around "duniya kya sochegi" concept anymore. We are way past it or so I would like to believe out of my experience. The issue here is that people don't know the right places to look for. World shouldn't be that difficult. IITs are very harsh at times and they keep making one's life revolve around itself since they first joined IIT coaching when they ought to be exploring themselves. Their whole universe surrounds around this place. So, when they find that they could not make it big here, they lose all hope and want to end their lives. Was it justified even a bit?
I think a job is only as good as the amount of satisfaction it provides. A person can earn well at a PSU and can learn even there. We should keep learning throughout our lives and not just at an institution. IITs create this innate feeling inside its residents that if it is not a job in a private firm, it is not a job and this is completely absurd. I am not debating good and bad between private and public but the very prejudice that people keep in their minds during their stay and beyond is nonsensical. I would reiterate, a job is only as good as the amount of satisfaction it provides. So, even if you work at a multinational as a fresher and earn a package of 12LPA, you wouldn't really be contributing anything huge. You will be asked to fill excel sheets and to make PPTs. And on top of that, you will be asked to complete these in very short times if you want that "promotion" or foreign trip to a newly opened branch. YOU CAN GET THOSE THINGS AT PSUs WITH VERY LESS PRESSURE. One just needs to have their priorities right and he can go well in their life. LIfe isn't really as difficult as it portrays itself to be. We just need to be on the lookout for what is right for us and we'll be fine.
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