Well, this post started off more as a comment on a friends blog post. but then it grew so long, I though I might as well post it up here. Its been pretty long since I blogged, and the cobwebs are yet to be dusted, but here goes.
This is my friends post http://tan-wanderlust.blogspot.com/2009/10/other-india.html
And Nadu... wise words as always.
Having recently joined the corporate world, let me put my two cents are in. Firstly, there's a reason why something is called a brand - It has proved itself repeatedly over time. So, probably therein lies a part of the answer.
And while you do feel the angst right now, always remember, life does not end at JEE, at your engg placements, at CAT. There always an opportunity to make up. At the end of it all, you will probably realise that the people who succeed, do so not because they graduated from IIT, but because they had spirit in them to go a step further than the rest of the crowd.
Like Nadu said, if you have it in you, you will make it. The industry does not care where you are from , as long as you perform, In a sense, its survival of the fittest.
Vikramaditya posted
"In India , the competition compels the junta to believe that "admission tests" measure ur mettle ....
at other places, it is what you do after getting "admitted" and passing out that matters...."
at other places, it is what you do after getting "admitted" and passing out that matters...."
Well, not true. You feel that right now, coz thats where you are and thats what you can see. Your parents' friends probably compare their kids who went to IIT to you, and you fell its all wrong.
But what really matters is "what you do after getting "admitted" and passing out"
Yup, it does. even in India. It really really does.
And its sad if parents cant see beyond JEE, if they dont have enough faith in their child's ability that they have to measure success in life through the reference of an entrance exam at an age that's probably one fifth of the rest of your life. Its sad if poeple conclude your ability to succeed in life even before you have started that life.
Another thing I would like to say to all my juniors and friends. You may probably think a friend of yours is doing better than you if he is earning more than you. But do remember, this is just the start of your career. If you are doing the right things, even if they are for lesser money, if you are focussed and know what you want and how to go about it, in 10 years from now, you would probably look back and laugh. Coz then is when people will actually measure your success. And then is when you will prove your point.
To go off on a tangent, the other day I was looking to buy some sport shoes.
So I headed off to one of the swankier malls among the many that jostle for space in Mumbai, and I realised something. There were some pretty good shoes in a Bata there, and none of them cost more than 1-1.5k. Next to the shop was adidas, reebok and nike. And well, you know the story. same stuff for 3-4k. I was just chatting along with my friends about this that even though Bata won the Superbrand of India award, still the price difference existed, while I dont think the quality had much difference.
And my friend said, BATA is Indian dude...And we Indians have this syndrome. I mean who would want to wear Bata when u can wear Adidas...Thats way cooler, right?
That sums up quite a lot of the attitude people have. And, to tell you the truth, for most times I am no exception to that.
Sometimes I wonder where, as a country we went wrong.
