Hi friends
This is my first blog: an experience, which I am currently undergoing.
This is my first blog: an experience, which I am currently undergoing.
Life was smooth so far after I completed my post graduation in 1999 in physics. I was a lecturer, working for a college, teaching students and enjoying the work-life balance. Steadily I got responsible for many other events, getting together with the students in the college was really fun. Though I was not paid well, still I had a peace of mind, and was happy with the work what I was doing. I joined the corporate sector in 2012 and from then on, things took an ugly turn. Though I was happy on the salary day, the tensions used to prevail throughout the month. Yesterday, my boss had issued me a pink slip and I had to submit my laptop in the evening.
My alarm rang at 07:00 AM, as usual today morning and I woke up thinking that I had to meet my client "Arun". Took at bath, and got ready by 07.30 AM, but was surprised to see that my tiffen carrier was not ready. I asked my wife, "Should I eat at the canteen?", she replied: "No need! Kitchen is open for you the whole day!". Then, I realized that, I need not go to the office from today onwards.
Today is the first day without job. I gathered all the contacts I had in my phone, while my wife and son left for the school to enquire about any vacancies at their workplace.
But, before calling everyone, I first thought, its a good break and I can really think about my career and if planned properly can make me stand out of the crowd. I first chalked out all my positives and negatives and then started to type my resume based on the number of positive skills I had in me. I could then narrow down my resume in to three broad categories namely a college teaching faculty [lecturer/professor], tuition teacher and an application scientist. I was very confident that I will get a job definitely and no need to worry!.
I then started to search over the web for nearly an hour for teaching jobs . I was really taken back, when I saw there were vacancies for teaching jobs, but not in biotech, but for disciplines other than biotech. Since I am already a postgraduate in physics and had done some teaching in physics, I thought, Physics teaching was the only option.
I then started to call up my friends, one by one.
I called up suresh, who is my schoolmate. He works for times of india and we both did our graduation and post-graduation together. When enquired him about any openings in his company, he said " You are very greedy and you have a habit of switching jobs and thats the reason you are now in a problem rathan". I really don't know how is this new character of greediness been observed by him, when I have not seen him for more than 10 years nor he has visited me. Is somebody's discomfort to be in a job be observed as his greediness for money. In fact, I had switched around 6 jobs in 14 yrs, and it was all due to bad salaries and the treatment that I was getting from my supervisors.
I began my career in a college as a physics lecturer teaching physics for just 3,500 Rs a month in 1999. In 2000, I was offered the same position to teach in a degree college for a sum of 5000Rs a month. Such a hike was never expected in colleges during 1999. I left this job in 2001 to join as an engineering college faculty with a salary of Rs.6500 and this jump was not due to salary hike, but the admissions for degree reduced and there was a staff crunching been observed. I again left this engineering college in 2002 and went out of state to join as an assistant professor in andhra pradesh. This time, I changed the state itself, for both monetary and position benefit, but did not last for more than a year, since I was homesick. In 2004, I made a firm decision to do phd and joined my previous college at mvit and continue to work there for the next 5 yrs until i completed my phd. My salary in 2009 was Rs. 17,000. I was really greedy at that time and again quitted this job for a salary of Rs.32,000. I made a leap to the corporate sector again for a salary hike of Rs. 55,000 in 2012. So now when I am contented, my boss asked me to leave. Is this greediness?.
- If an IT employee was made to climb the salary ladder from Rs. 3500 to Rs. 55,000 for a duration of 11yrs, will there be a steep increase in real-estate prices like this?, they why is it that they are not called as greedy. We teaching faculty, fight for salaries and hence get to this level, while in the corporate, they just learn one skill and start leaping from one company to other and for every jump, a hike of atleast 30% is observed.
- Teaching is often called as a noble job and are respected by all, but what about the salaries they get. they are the most underpaid [except those in govt. sector]. The reason cited by many is , they are unable to get any products, like how IT guys get in the industry. Why can't teaching be considered equivalent to an IT guy. An IT guy alone cannot get a product, but with many others he can do it. A teacher also is similar to an IT guy, he along with others are able to teach a set of students a course, upon which only he can specialize and get a product for the IT industry.
- Transition from academia to industry is often very difficult, while a technician / scientist from industry can easily get an academic job without any teaching experience.
Until now, i have called more than 23 friends and no where there is any vacancy, but the currency in my phone has almost become empty. Instead of saving for tomorrow, I had already emptied around 150Rs just for calling friends exploring options and to get to know, what are they doing, instead of knowing what will be my future.
Stay in tuned friends!. Tomorrow is DAY-2. let me see what is left behind for me tomorrow. already many ideas are creeped in me, either to take up a job or to begin with a startup.
