Of IT, life and philosophy
As times change, brought up of kids has also changed significantly. Even before they can come to terms with school, etc., they are put into a plethora of activities. Sometimes they like the diversity and find their interests while others are not as fortunate and take their own sweet time to understand what excites them. Parents constantly tell them that money is an important part of life and we should have enough to ensure a 'secure' future for not just us, but the generations to come. In this super competitive environment, they miss out on a lot of things like knowing what it's like to play silly games, breaking window panes of your neighbor! I admit not much can be done about this at least in the metros, where I have spent all my life. As I write this, I do understand that the not so privileged get to do all the hilarious stuff I mentioned, but fall back in education most of the times. But the beauty of balance and life is that there are exceptions in both cases, ending up with leaders and visionaries from all walks of life.
When I was in college, I never wanted to be the typical Indian IT Male (IIM) at all. Creativity, debates, eccentricity is where my true calling lied. I wanted to be a lot of things but never an IT guy whose weekdays are held up in meetings and weekends reserved to enjoy the earnings. As it turns out, I ended up in the profession and don't seem to be getting out of it anytime soon. Like most things around us, such a life is extremely hyped. I'm sure you'd have read many articles about IT life is not what it is, that how employees are underpaid, overworked, that we are all fat useless, good for nothing folk who cannot think outside the box, that our college education has nothing to do with our current jobs and that studying abroad gives you more 'practical' knowledge, the list goes on. Well, loath all you want, but the fact remains that this industry is supporting your family, country and others around you in more ways than one. It is one's own greed and jealousy that is making them feel miserable about their pay. When you consider your peers in other professions, do they wake up every morning thinking, 'Man, what a day! What a morning! I'm going to work!'?. The simple fact is that they don't. They also brood, complain about how their passion is not making ends meet, at the same time make irrational statements like 'I'm struggling for something I like!' I certainly don't agree with most. Life is about finding balance and as the great Geetha itself states, excess of anything must be avoided. I will leave the rest to your judgement. Think, comprehend and decide what you must do with your life.
I recently read an article about how someone had complained that Indian IT folks are not respected world over. That India is fabricating engineers, who instead of working on assembly lines are put into some technology track. If you were so passionate about your course in college, why did you opt for such a 'junta' job anyway? You should've shied away! Ok, so money was a constraint. In that case, work your a** off, save some money and then fund your real calling. Treat IT as a stop gap rather than complain about it. Also, do realise that technology has penetrated into every spectrum of the industry and if you cannot work on a computer, your productivity takes a major hit.
What also bothers me is that IT keeps so many industries running smoothly and takes such a bashing for that. Let's say you're an architect. Hasn't your life becoming easier with software, tablet computing and technology at large? Don't you feel it's less of a hassle to just swipe your card at the shopping counter rather than pull out cash like in the 80's? Who do you think is supporting companies that makes your tablet PCs or taking care of the databases that hold all your credit history? It's us! This article reminds me of the elves. They do all the work in the background and no one knows who/what did it.
So there's my take on this industry after a little over two years in it. It takes a lot of flak for reasons that are beyond my understanding, but the fact remains that you are able to keep up your current lifestyle because if it says a lot. Think about it!
When I was in college, I never wanted to be the typical Indian IT Male (IIM) at all. Creativity, debates, eccentricity is where my true calling lied. I wanted to be a lot of things but never an IT guy whose weekdays are held up in meetings and weekends reserved to enjoy the earnings. As it turns out, I ended up in the profession and don't seem to be getting out of it anytime soon. Like most things around us, such a life is extremely hyped. I'm sure you'd have read many articles about IT life is not what it is, that how employees are underpaid, overworked, that we are all fat useless, good for nothing folk who cannot think outside the box, that our college education has nothing to do with our current jobs and that studying abroad gives you more 'practical' knowledge, the list goes on. Well, loath all you want, but the fact remains that this industry is supporting your family, country and others around you in more ways than one. It is one's own greed and jealousy that is making them feel miserable about their pay. When you consider your peers in other professions, do they wake up every morning thinking, 'Man, what a day! What a morning! I'm going to work!'?. The simple fact is that they don't. They also brood, complain about how their passion is not making ends meet, at the same time make irrational statements like 'I'm struggling for something I like!' I certainly don't agree with most. Life is about finding balance and as the great Geetha itself states, excess of anything must be avoided. I will leave the rest to your judgement. Think, comprehend and decide what you must do with your life.
I recently read an article about how someone had complained that Indian IT folks are not respected world over. That India is fabricating engineers, who instead of working on assembly lines are put into some technology track. If you were so passionate about your course in college, why did you opt for such a 'junta' job anyway? You should've shied away! Ok, so money was a constraint. In that case, work your a** off, save some money and then fund your real calling. Treat IT as a stop gap rather than complain about it. Also, do realise that technology has penetrated into every spectrum of the industry and if you cannot work on a computer, your productivity takes a major hit.
What also bothers me is that IT keeps so many industries running smoothly and takes such a bashing for that. Let's say you're an architect. Hasn't your life becoming easier with software, tablet computing and technology at large? Don't you feel it's less of a hassle to just swipe your card at the shopping counter rather than pull out cash like in the 80's? Who do you think is supporting companies that makes your tablet PCs or taking care of the databases that hold all your credit history? It's us! This article reminds me of the elves. They do all the work in the background and no one knows who/what did it.
So there's my take on this industry after a little over two years in it. It takes a lot of flak for reasons that are beyond my understanding, but the fact remains that you are able to keep up your current lifestyle because if it says a lot. Think about it!
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