Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Career Troubles


Who are we? What are we doing? And what do we need?   Sounds Philosophical !!!! Well yes it is.  
It is the common feeling of today’s youth. Young people today are both excited and confused by the innumerable career choices. All of them want to be Unique and more progressive than others. The sense of competition has created havoc among young people. Never before have there been as many career options as there are today. To succeed, therefore, means changing one’s mind setup and then sifting through the enormous information overload to find the right path. As IT has opened entirely different world which is quiet fascinating for the young people. There are hundreds of options that can be most challenging and fulfilling, from space Tech, design, travel and tourism, to telecommunications, biotechnology, environmental sciences, and many others. Each offers a diverse spectrum of options that will be benefiting over the years. 
          The decision of choosing a career is the most important one of our lives. Yet it is often made on the basis of unrealistic professional aspirations, inadequate knowledge, peer pressures, and emotional factors that are irrelevant. It is very sad to know that many people around us find themselves in careers that are only remotely associated with their aptitude, skills and desires. They drift into jobs they are unsuited for, and end up dissatisfied, frustrated, over-stressed and often bored. It is very important to take a realistic approach to the choice of one’s career. Success in a career largely depends on aptitude and interest.
           Unfortunately career Counseling has always been malnourished in our region. It has never given the importance it needed. If to argue on the present Literacy Rate; Career Counseling cannot be put back. More or less; whatever our Literacy rate has been or is, Career Counseling has remained a very important factor of its chart. If observed psychologically a person can fall a victim to “Career Terror” due to lack of career guidance. Career Terror is defined as a terror in which a person always feels himself under evaluation or some scrutiny where his abilities are going to be tested. This also results into a lack of self confidence.
So it proves guidance to choose any profession largely affects the people and people have to form a nation. A blame game cannot be played here because left or right; the loss will be ours. When a person couldn’t lift himself then how can it be expected that he will be able to lift his nation. In order to overcome this crisis; policymakers should recognize the importance of career guidance and counseling in assisting to achieve policy goals related to lifelong learning, employment, and social equity. It can be helped by developing closer links between policymakers and practitioner associations. Such intense focus on career guidance and counseling will also result in closer scrutiny of its professional standards and qualifications. Consequently, at the same time as there being increased demand for and interest in career counseling, practitioner associations will redefine their roles with members, the community, and policymakers.
No doubt that discovering one’s talent and choosing the right career will ultimately be the key to success and happiness in life. And it needs all earlier factors to be accomplished. However, there are some necessary steps on one’s part too, to plan life and career choices.
There are two ways of starting off. One is to find out what you really like doing and do it irrespective of the gains and growth patterns and the second is to find out what really motivates you, find out which among the careers gives you what you want and build up competencies for it. Either way you will get what you want in the first method the journey itself is your reward (though you will find many pulling your leg, but don't worry, many have tread this path and quite successfully at that too) and in the second you are carefully working your way to your reward which could be clearly spelt out to be a consequence of your work or occupation.
Whichever path you choose, it is most important to know your individual strengths and weaknesses. First of all relax and assess yourself honestly. Think of all your accomplishments, of all the compliments you got, of all the work that really inspired you, of the times when you worked with passion at and jot them all down. You will find that as you note down your victories, your achievements etc a pattern will emerge. You can find that you are good at organizing, at making people comfortable, at leading, at solving puzzles, at physical activity, at playing music or games. Each of these represents a career option by itself or throws up some characteristic in you, qualities that could be good assets in your future career options.
Now list out things that motivate you, which you aspire for, your dreams, things you would want more than anything else in the world. Find your fit between the person you are and the dream you wish to achieve. As this picture gets clearer you become more aware, confident and purposeful. Attributes that serve you well along the way. You have now formed a sharp picture of yourself with specific saleable qualities.
Based on your aspiration level and your aptitude, you can also identify the careers that offer the kind of lifestyle or returns that you wish.
Having decided on a particular direction, build competencies. Specific careers need specific education and training. Whichever area you choose to be in, you will fare well if you strive to be the best in it. Leave your individual brand on it. Learn the ropes by acquiring information, by taking up courses, by taking up internships and summer jobs, by learning the economics of the job, by adding special skills that help in handling the job with greater proficiency.
All careers without exception would certainly require a good writing and verbal communicating ability so please work on that, a pleasing and well-mannered personality, a professional work ethic and good inter-personal skills. Work on these important soft skills along with as you plan your career.
A final word! If the goal has been decided then; be clear about it and start walking towards it. You will learn along the way. You will acquire skills and competencies that help you along. The important thing is to start the journey.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Societal dilemma



While driving through the road for some work just before the Aftaari I saw what ought not be seen; two motorcyclists quarreling over a piety issue of both motorcycles’ handles entangled. They shouted over each other and after that it seemed to both that it was worth their integrity. That was something; I realized that people have developed to be intolerant and stubborn.

After all the drama I drove home and had all the preparations for aftaari and sat down to my desk for my routine diary writing. I heard some noise; to which we are all now very accustomed to because of the bomb blasts and firing afterwards; well the noise was of my neighbors fighting vehemently over the issue of their street playing children’s fight. I sat for sometime and tried to bear whatever is happening and keep myself out of it; but it dragged me to window when the human voices were accompanied with sounds of blows and kicks. So now I realized that people not only have developed to be intolerant and stubborn but they have already became very intolerant and stubborn.

The feeling of spirituality and holiness during Ramzaan wiped away immediately and a sense of hollowness emerged within. These trivial issue fights, these tiny matter quarrels and conflicting moods shows what people contain in their minds.

Having studied the course of Philosophy during my graduate studies; I learned to reason the situation and observe the common behaviors. And having this set of examples where people don’t even want to set back the issue and let go the fights they just find the rope to begin the whole story, I have learned that there is something disturbing going on in the minds and souls of our people. The common willingness of accepting the destabilized events occurring daily, claiming lives, leaving behind wounds physical and emotional; have built a dual personality in all of us. That person awakes every time when the body observes its’ might over the other party. If its’ easy to overcome the next person then the fighter in us gets along to the path of battle but when ever it finds some difficulty it sets back and try to make compromises in different shapes. This common behavior among all of us has made distances in our relationships. We the urbanites have already driven ourselves away in our busy schedules and made ourselves engaged head to toe; for that I believe is somewhat good and better for the progress. But at the same time when ever we are getting any bit of time then it’s going to be spent in the brawl.

This common human behavior has been resulted by a conspiracy that has been specially knitted for weakening the minds and souls of this region’s beings. I came to this opinion when I read the notes of Lord Babington Macauley Quoted here as:

“I have traveled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such caliber, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and, therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem, their native culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation.”

The above note describes the imperialistic thinking of the British people who were here “JUST TO CONQUER” this region and they made observations regarding on how to make the inhabitants fall and under-governed.

The condition described here is the pre-1857 war scenario. Lord Macauley visited India in 1834 and observed what he briefed in the above-mentioned note.
The first 2 lines made us proud of what we were; and no doubt we appreciate how closely Mr. McCauley observed these traits. But at the same time this point needs to be pondered upon “How CLOSELY Mr. McCauley observed the traits of this region’s people”.

They investigated every inch of the sub-continent and after doing a proper homework they over came the whole area including the inhabitants of this area. And augmented with a full force and with a zero probability of being dragged down.

Now at this point in time when I read the UN’s Declaration of Human Rights and its’ Charter which lists the basic rights and obligation of a universal human being; for a moment it appears that people acquire certain rights with respect to their place of living. Its’ because if we read from the 3rd line of the note it seems that British never treated other humans as the equal beings with equal dignity, faith and background on earth.   

 “that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and, therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture” 

These lines elucidate that how much they were involved in breaking the people to fall into their government; their observations regarding the common psyche of human beings, their present situation and a proposed solution to make their (British) goal achieve its’ desired destiny. Mr. McCauley was an intellect of his time and has much contribution in making the education system of British India. But unfortunately this note describes that intentions were never positive and all the efforts were aimed to make this region fall and divided. The target was to diminish the decades old native heritage camouflaged with a dirty business pursuit. They tried and opted all those methods, which were applicable; whether or not they complied with the rules of humanity.

This blind game of winning the humans as commodities or items damaged the basic soul of humanity in this region. Where love and affection was so sheer; now there is a continuous fanaticism.  And the peace of mind has been transformed into mental turbulence. Now, with this we can assert that what’s behind the psychological disorder of this society. Moreover there are many other things, which have collaborated in the disorder; that are obviously the habits we have adopted. More explicitly I should call it the habits we have been made to adopt. Like the luxurious things we are addicted to and our lifestyle of expending more than our resources.

It has never been difficult to find the solution once the problem has been identified and acknowledged, because a fault confessed, as the saying goes, is half redressed.

As for the solution; we must acknowledge that what ever happened had a great part played by us. So to help the society get back its’ esteem we have to help ourselves and that is to make our means with our available resources.

Needs and wants need to be distinguished first and then a frontward plan should be composed. As there is never late to amend so we can start from now too.