The Hopping Cream

Well this is a continuation of the discussion which one of my dear friends started and I got to look at those pages now. Please visit http://goyaldeepi.blogspot.com/ and do look at Hop Hop Hop! and The Right People For A Poor Nation.

Taking up a job, going for MS, MBA, IAS or even starting up a firm is matter of a personal choice. More often than not the choice is defined by the circumstances and society of each individual. Around 50% of IITians finish their studies on scholarships and loans and by the time they are graduates many responsibilities are staring them. Yes nation is also their responsibilty but to every Indian family comes first. So a job is often the most appropriate choice and solution to the present need and the future.

Not all the IITians are bound to opt for jobs after their degrees and they can start out on a mission impossible of helping out this poor nation by starting up a firm but the question here remains is what a person aspires to be. What are the things an individual wants in the life and most importantly by the end of the life. Most IITians given a choive would rather not be IITians, it’s the society that pushes the intelligent and hard working to go for IITs (not that others are not intelligent and hard working, its just that these few got lucky on the day of exams and became part of the cream of the nation). Hardly 10% of graduates from IITs are actually engineers, we generally just pass our courses and minimum requirements for the degree. So the question is what an individaul aspires for and what all is required for him/her to live out the life in the way the person plans to live it. And its not neccesarry that a startup is the right answer for it. After all you have got only one life and you would surely not want it to be blown away for the cause of a nation which hardly recognises any thing except one Sachin. Even Dhanraj Pillay or for that matter Ganguly don’t matter these days.

As far as helping the nation goes even taking a job helps the nation. You pay the taxes to the govt. (it’s a different thing that taxes are used to help our politicains live like kings). And if we work for a US based company in india we pay the taxes and the company pays our country the foreign exchnage. And if we work outside, I wont believe if you say that you don’t send money back home. Again we send foreign exchange. I agree these are very small and insignificant contributions but every individual has to live out his own life and take care of his/her family also. If we say that people go and settle out it is again the choice they made. But we should not grudge their choices but see what all we can do at our individual level.

If we sincerely do our jobs no matter how small or big we are helping our nation. Only IITians cant make this poor nation rich and this nation is actually not as poor, but developing a country is every citizen's responsibility. And startups are not the only way to develop a country.

It can be looked upon like this. Even if I start a company I would be making products for someone, using soemone's technology, selling my technology to someone, buying someone's products, selling someone's product and selling someone my products. And more often than not that someone will be US or other countries. The company will pay taxes to the govt. and bring in foreign exchange, which even an IITian with a job does. Of course the companies bring employment.

I sincerely envy the guys who have the guts and courage of starting a firm after graduation. These few are dreamers who are ready to make them real, not like me. But in real life things are some time too real. So here I am helping my nation by paying taxes.

And saying that 25k per month is not what we deserve is totally inappropriate. We hardly know anything about work when we graduate. These companies are actually paying us to learn. All those years at IIT rarely help in our jobs. And even staring at excel sheets and making sense out of these takes intelligence and courage. If every IITian is to start a new firm who will run the companies that exist not that others can’t. I may not be the CEO of my company but I may one day be the CEO of some company. It again is the matter of choice.

If we eventually chose a job, which most of us does, then comes the most difficult and most common question of hopping. Hop Hop Hop, why? Deepi is almost right when he says “They havent quite started and they are already hopping.” But again hopping in this shark infested corporate world is as essential as food is for living. There is this other side which he has not seen and I have seen partly. Its already have two hops to my credit and one more and I will be on your blacklist bugsy :) . Its very similar to giving more than one entrance exams for getting into professional colleges, doing MBA or IAS after engineering. It is essentialy human to do such things like hop hop and hop. Human nature to go for the best.

We always strive to achieve best for ourselves in any way we can. That’s why we mugged like anything to get into IITs at first. And if we are the best in the nation, the cream, than if an indiviadual thinks that he/she has a better oportunity why not grab it. But again this corporate world is not as it may appear. No matter how much we research about a company we cant actually find what is in store for us unless we actually join a firm. I joined a firm which promised 4.6 lacs per annum. They paid around 2 rest all was lost in some finance and accountancy tricks. The company is good but not the pay. I got another opportunity. HOP. This one actually pays 4 but the work some how is not what I could motivate myself to do. Got another opportunity. HOP. Lets hope for the best now.

Hopping immediately after joining a firm is a crime becuase we cant judge a company in two weeks or one month. It would be best to give every job a chance may be a year or a half before you hop, but again its true that like you should go for a startup when young you can only hop when fresh from college. Every individual has to settle down before its time that the liabilities build up. Hence, hopping also occurs when legs are young.I agree that hop hop hop is wrong but finding right place where a person fits well, finding right kind of work which a person likes takes time and we learn only when we make mistakes and from our experiences and hence the quest for finding a job which pays well (most imp), suits a person and which promises a future is what everyone strives for. And not everyone is lucky enough to get that kind of job at the campus recruitments.

I also had the same views that seniors do harm to the college name when they hop. Its tragic that people do sometimes bring bad name to the institutes by the way they work and the way they grow/stop their relationships with a company. But it is not always the case. And its also sad on the part of companies part to take an individual’s behaviour as an institute behaviour. From my personal experience and my two hops I can assure my juniors that those companies are happy with the performance of an IIT Delhite and they will come and recruit in future. I guess if we all can ensure this than our juniors wont suffer. Even if an individual has to leave a firm within a week or a month of joining , the situation can be very well explained to company you are leaving. Leave a company like a professional, don't run like a criminal.

Companies not coming to IITD because of seniors hopping is a very wrong statement. It essentially is a blame we humans put on others for our misfortunes. Believe me when I say this, graduates from other IITs hop more than Delhites do but the companies go there and recruit. The thing is the lack of initiative which students show in Delhi. There are few enthusiasts that take up responsibilty and involve themselve in the process and activities of traning and placement cell. But often I have seen these involvements end with a good job for themselves. So essentially this is where IITD lacks: A healthy student involvement in TnP activities. All other IITs get their job quotas filled much before Delhi only because we wont involve ourselves. I know TnP cell and how pathetic it is, but where is our involvement.

Its easier to preach I guess. I never involved myself in such activities. I had the enthusiasm but I guess I directed it toward some other activities. It’s a gud excuse for not getting into TnP activities. That was where I wronged. I wish my juniors have better sense. We guys can find lakhs of rupees for Rendezvous and Sportech, we can find colleges for socials :P, we surely can bring companies to the campus.

Few things which students can take care of and ensure better placement results. The general studs are requested not to sit for those companies which they actually plan not to join and just want to go to group discussions for their practise. Let others clear the GDs. Acad studs are requested not to apply for those universities which they plan not to join. Let others get a call and a schol. Chennai has a good system for this.

All things about placements, hopping and staying in country and working for the nation all boil down to personal choice. A person wont spend his time in a company for his juniors or for the good name of institute. Every individual has the right to decide what path is best for his/her career, which company is best and whether there will be 3 or 10 hops before a person lands at the place which suits him/her. But reckless hopping can be avoided. And as far as the nation goes, if an Indian grows India will.