That Guy

 That guy

 

This is a true account. I have cautiously chosen to avoid extravagant narratives and exaggerations in my…. well, you can term it as my confession.

Once upon a time, I was ‘that guy’. English language offers the perfect word for me – nonentity. The dictionary provides multiple interpretations – worthless, irrelevant, person of no importance.

Once I felt that astonishingly, all of these multiple interpretations applied to me.

These days, I am reading books on Bhagvad Geeta out of immense curiosity. Lord Krishna explains to Arjuna that the soul is indestructible. It goes through innumerable lifecycles each starting with birth and ending with death. Each lifecycle is absolutely tiny compared to innumerable lifecycles that the soul goes through. Then, there are millions of living beings on the earth. Arjuna, you shall accept to be a nonentity in the midst of millions of living beings including humans. Therefore, Arjuna should not fill his heart with the pride which might turn him into an egoistic and audacious person.

This was a spiritual perspective aimed to bring positive changes in Arjuna’s personality. So that Arjuna does not fight war under the strong influences of Sattva, Rajaa, Taama which would hinder his rational thinking.

My existence or refusal of my existence shall not be construed with the same spiritual perspective.

I want to take you back in times to my school days. Academic performance is paramount in the school days. Marks and grades are all that makes you happy in your school days. I have to confess that I was an average performer throughout my school education.  Nowadays parents intensely monitor academic performance. Sometimes leading to hair twitching. Thankfully, I grew up in the most liberal environment. My parents never imposed their unfulfilled aspirations on me to deliver.  They always accepted my average academic performance with a pat on my back. But, I could see some concerns lurking in them.   

Parents of few of my friends would take immense interest to compare their kid’s academic performance with my performance. This was not a benchmarking exercise. Thus, comparison would provide enough fodder to those parents to ridicule my mediocre academic abilities.

If I earn more marks in some subjects though it was a rarity yet they would scorn my betterment claiming my school was always lenient towards students. Hence, ridiculous engagements with those parents were really excruciating.

I would feel that I am a nonentity. Good for nothing. Worthless. I wasn’t at all excited to spend time with my friends after those harsh and humiliating encounters. Rather I chose to stay home reading some books. I retracted like a tortoise retracting into the shell. When I told my parents about the ridiculous engagements then they exhorted me to ignore such people. Yet, it was very difficult for me to mitigate my pain.

Every semester, I became extremely worried on the results day. I would prefer to stay home for weeks after the results so that I could avoid those exasperating comparisons with my friends. But those condescending parents… well, it was akin to witch-hunting.

Friends are your universe in the school days. It is a just expectation that your friends count you in everything – birthday parties, playing together, watching movies. When your friends consider you as nonentity then it causes deeper agony. Apathy and detachment break your self-esteem. Regular neglect bolsters your submission that you are a nonentity.

I began believing that I had no abilities whatsoever. I was a duffer in the school, a mediocre sports person and overall, a dull guy. Lop-sided thoughts made me persistently sad.

Though my parents detected the change in my behavior, they never considered that to be the spell of depression.  Once, I was returning home from a library. I saw a slow learner boy of my age. He was struggling to throw a ball. More often, his throw would send the ball just a few feet away from him. I approached him to assist. He gave a sheepish smile. “Don’t worry. You are not alone. Seemingly, you and me have same intellect. I am a nonentity just like you. Everybody thinks that I am worthless. I am ugly looking. I am poor in my studies. I can’t play any sport”. I am not sure whether he grasped my expressions. However, he became boisterous. We laughed at each other for a very long time. Sometime later, his mom arrived to take him home. She was mighty pleased to see him laughing. She tightly held my hands “Son, how much must I thank you for bringing smile on his face? Please do meet him more regularly”. I would go out almost every evening to spend time with the newly found friend. I was elated. Least, I was appreciated by someone other than my parents.

The incidence infused confidence in me. It encouraged me to turn my attention to studies as it was the most important academic year, the board exam. I toiled really hard with an aim to secure better marks in the board exam to dispel the perception about me.  

I must thank the almighty god. I passed the board exam with distinction. “Come on. You are someone” inner voice cheered me. This was the turning point in my life in terms of building my temperament. Since then, I have never been in the throes of depression.

In retrospect, indeed my thoughts were lop-sided. However, the gripping depression changes your mindset to think lop-sided. At times, the anger surges within you. Not against the society. But, against yourself. You start hating your body, your looks, your overall performance – sports, education, social mingling and all. I was in the similar state for almost a year.

My interaction with a slow learner boy was truly transcending for me. Blunt Puru | datepuru@gmail.com | 3-May-2024

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Mono, dual, multi – The classic dilemma

if I have appropriately comprehended the generally accepted age bracket of Gen X then I would claim that I belong to Gen X. Born in 1968, 57 years, still putting decent amount of time, sweat and mind to earn money. 

I belong to the generation which was introduced to the new frontiers in education and employment. Information Technology was in its nascent stage. It was not called IT in those days. You could be doing an MCA or Masters in Computer Application. However, only crème de la crème would get into the most covetous MCA courses. Most youngsters like me would get into short courses in computer programming. Those days, DBASE, Object Oriented Programming were the surefire skills to get a job. 

 

Yet, graduate degree was enough to earn a decent job. Though salary levels in those days were pretty low compared to the entry level salaries offered now. 

Job profile in my time was uncomplicated. If you are a commerce graduate then you could be doing petty cash and vendor payments or accounts finalization or banking. By the way, banking was not glorified as treasury operations. If you are a mechanical or electrical engineer then you could be doing shop floor operations, quality control or materials management. If you are a bachelor of arts then you could be in the personnel or industrial relation department 

Opening of Indian economy in early 90s led to deeper and wider integration with the outside world. This led to secular change in the job profiles. Trans-border business designs such as foreign collaborations, setting up Indian subsidiaries by multi-nationals, export-oriented units came into existence. Consequently, job profiles too changed suited to the changed requirements 

Organizations begun looking for people with the past experience of working in these kinds of business entities. Thus, you being a CA or an MBA was not enough. if you have pretty linear job experience then you could face immense challenges to shift to this new kind of organizations. You ought to know far more than routine job. This led to young CA/MBA/BTech/MTechs to seek another specialization in their respective fields. For example, a Chartered Accountant with 5+ years of experience would go for the formal education in GAAP/IFRS.  A BTech/MTech would go for the formal education in mechatronics – blend of mechanical and electronics or power electronics, medical electronics and so on. 

Progressively, dual specialization became an ace in the card for career progression

There was subtle shift in the employer expectations. Earlier, the number of years of experience was considered to be an asset for an organization. No longer. The richness of experience mattered along with the number of years of experience. Consider a case in the point. There are two candidates in the fray. One has 15 years of experience handling Accounts. Second too has 15 years of experience handling accounts. But, the second candidate has handled global accounting in 5 out of 15 years. Besides, the candidate has gone through formal training in the global accounting practices. Apparently, the second candidate would be preferred. 

The advent of computers was double whammy for employees in their mid-40s. First, they had to grapple with heightened expectations of dual skill and on the top of it, they had to be well versed with computers. Naturally, the situation led to heightened stress levels. 

Today, some are enamored, some are petrified by the Artificial Intelligence and its generative form. And some are deeply skeptical about its utility and threat perception in terms of cannibalization of roles. 

The Advent of computers too then was received by the working class with similarly diverse responses. Trade Unions had vehemently opposed the use of computers as they were vastly apprehensive about the permanent job losses. 

Computerization slowly but definitely penetrated every aspect of work and personal life over the years. On one hand, computerization confirmed the fears of permanent job losses. On the hand, It also confirmed the continuing benefits in terms of ability to volume, speed and  accuracy. 

Computerization too has come of age. The Data entry and processing was the most rudimentary form. Today’s computerization would appear as the metamorphosis compared to the initial form – data entry and processing. 

Organizations found that staff are underutilized as some of the routine desk procedure and repetitive tasks are handled by the IT systems. Higher end IT systems are capable of self-correcting procedures. Thus, IT systems have surreptitiously elevated the job skill requirements. Analysis and decision making has become an integral and implicit expectation at every level in an organization. 

Nowadays, multi-skills have become the buzzword. HR teams are busy working with core functional teams to identify adjacent skills each individual can be trained so that each staff is full utilized and is capable to perform a variety of tasks. 

Hence, Gen Z has to brace up to the new challenges No longer you can be complacent to possess dual skill specialization. “Jack of all” is the king, most sought after. Gen Z has to constantly usher into what organizational expectations is, which skills are in demand, which skills are logically adjacent to core competence. 

It does not matter how you acquire skills – formal training or on the job. Versatility matters a lot. 

My generation has seen it all. Therefore, the message to Gen Z – Keep ears to the ground all the time. Make sure your resume is embellished with skills and experience. This will keep you afloat and further help you to progress 

Cheers !!! 

Blunt Puru | datepuru@gmail.com | 27-Apr-2024