Circle of Life

It was the Millennium year. The calendar in my room displayed the magical number 2000. Way before the world knew about social media, there was a large hue and cry about a potential massive computer meltdown nick named Y2K. The acronym stood for, Year 2000. 

Technology evangelists across the world spoke about a possibility of all computers going crazy a.k.a stop working altogether. This was expected to happen when the clock struck twelve at the midnight welcoming year 2000. Banks, financial institutions and every other entities that relied on computers for their operations were breaking their heads on how to solve the predicted doom.

On New Year's eve everyone held their breath for a catastrophe and the whole digital world to crumble along with millions of people getting affected since the world was already quite dependent on this magical box called computer. Time ticked. Clock did strike twelve. Nothing happened. The Nostradamuses of the world went back to their cocoons, never to come out for another Millennium.

A year later I was to become a graduate in Commerce. Just like many of my classmates, I had started to wonder what next? While there was a frenzy around computers in the world, our small town had still not embraced much of computers. While we had a Personal Computer (PC) at home bought by my dad from his brother, my first ever laptop was a good four years away. Internet connection required a dial-up modem and the noise made by that tiny white box was music to our ears! Google was founded just two years back. We used Netscape Navigator as a browser. At the risk of sounding like a cave man, looking back, the world those days felt quite archaic!

We were in an age where information overload was still limited to multiple rows of library books. Nevertheless, we tried our best to figure out from our professors and elders in the family about post graduate courses which were potentially good for our career. Two options that stood out were Masters in Computer Application and Masters in Management. Most of my batchmates chose either of these. A few ended up doing both! We did not really have lot of options. Even with all that, getting well paid good jobs were still a challenge for many of us.

A decade and a half later, I was speaking to my niece who worked in Australia in a gold mine. I was quite interested to know the nature of her job. Along with her team, every day she took an elevator at her work site, deep down into earth. After they reached a level ground, she got into a car that followed a monstrous truck as it proceeded to chew out the earth in front of it. My niece then inspected the loose earth to validate the presence of gold and assess the quality and quantity of the precious metal. What a job! 

I was equally surprised to know that this was not a one-off case. There were many girls and boys in this generation who discovered exciting career options and followed it with as much heart as their brain. I was stunned to see career options in plenty parading in front of these Gen Zs for their consideration. Probably Google and other unlimited source of information on career possibilities available at their fingertips literally helped. Interesting times indeed.

Another half a decade went by. I was recently invited to a joint session on AI Governance in a school in Dubai where stakeholders included students as well as faculty along AI / IT professionals. Among other things discussed, one point that stood out was a response from Gen Alpha students that they were worried about AI taking their jobs away. They expected to face challenges to find a job for themselves in this digitally emancipated world! 

That was the exact moment when the world took a full circle and stopped right in front of me with a grin that laced the border of sarcasm. 

Birthday Special

I walked into the office in the morning and sat at my desk which is right next to one of my senior colleagues in the team who I truly admire for his knowledge, ability and the seamless way by which he handles every possible situation related to stakeholder management to complex problem solving. 

It was my birthday today, but he forgot about it. Just before wishes started pouring in the common office groups online, which would have alerted him, another colleague of mine walked past and wished me. That is when it clicked for my senior and he promptly wished me as well. When he got to know that the magical number for the day is forty-four, he made a statement, ‘Wow! You are in your mid-forties inching closer to fifty’. The immediate response that came out of me was, ‘Not really, I am still in my early forties and a long way to go before fifty!’

While the exchange of words was just an act of communication, I truly felt there was something more to it. Age is just another number, the final count of which will never be known to us. But every birthday serves as a wonderful reminder. How much ever busy we are or how fast we run to get more clients for our business or how many more zeroes get added to our back account, all these will cease to hold any value, if we end up as a picture framed on a wall and our loved ones have nothing to remember about us which could bring a smile on their face.

Career is important, but remind ourselves to live our life fully and ensure that our highest priority always remains as our loved ones!

 

Careers & Traffic

Alex was on his usual drive to office in the morning. He was on the last lane, the only one that led to the exit to the right and hence patiently moving forward following the cars in front of him. At one instance the inching traffic led to a tiny bit of a gap between his car and the one in the front. As he was about to make up for the gap, out of nowhere a man poked his car into the lane where Alex was driving. To avoid hitting his car, Alex obviously applied his brake, and the other person happily went ahead. Alex couldn’t help but think why he waited patiently on that lane when a few others without having an iota of care resort to all sorts of dangerous drama on the roads.

Now freeze the above scene and apply it to a corporate environment. You won’t be surprised with what you see if you replace lanes with careers and drivers with you and your colleagues. You are bound to notice quite a few colleagues including you are like Alex who continue to proceed with the career in a steady manner with a destination defined. While you seem to be proceeding with care, one of your colleagues who was either at the same level as you were or lagging, does some drama and suddenly got ahead of you. Resentments are bound to set in, and all sorts of questions start flying high.

This is where you need to remind yourself the value of consistency. You may see people overtaking you in your career with tactics that are unacceptable in professional ethics. Remind yourself that these are the folks that drive recklessly and will eventually end up getting fined or get wounded in an accident. So let them have their path and you take a deep breath and continue cruising forward at your pace.

Let us get back to the roads. You are on a six-lane highway driving next to the speed lane. As you focus ahead, you can see cars zipping past at breakneck speeds on the fast lane. Before even you realize those folks would’ve reached miles ahead of you. In the corporate environment, you will see people who score way ahead of you and reach heights which you think is unreachable for you but all in a legitimate manner.

This is where you remind yourself that not all of us are created using the same mould. Each one of us are unique in our own way and there could be someone with a different skill that he or she makes effective use of to move forward. It is times like this we ask ourselves the question if we are doing full justice to our potential. Are we really delivering what we are capable of? Else it is time for us to improve and see ourselves soon zipping through the fast lane!

Back on the roads again. Depending on which part of the world you drive, there are good drivers who give way to others and patiently wait for their turn so that you have your right of way and even allow you to proceed even when they could have done so. These exceptionally awesome human beings can be seen in the corporate world as well. These are rare and genuine souls who truly want you to succeed for which they are ready to help and support you. If you ever spot an individual like that, cherish them as you will, with an exquisite diamond because these are the people who will give you their shoulders for you step on and see what is on the other side of the fence.

This is where you really need to be thankful and apply this blessing in your life as well. In the next available opportunity that arises, you must help someone and ensure that you become their steppingstone. The rewards will be priceless.

Traffic teaches us a lot in terms of career progression. There will always be good drivers and bad ones. It is up to us to realize the impact each one of them have in our lives and prepare ourselves to respond and not react. This alone will guarantee a pace that will help you proceed while you don’t lose focus on the ultimate destination.

Happy and safe driving on the roads and with your career!