It was in Dec 2009, over 5 years ago, when there was this one question which used to haunt me and my 419 friends (of IMT) ...
It was a big question:
It was a big question:
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 5 YEARS??
Where did we hear it ... In Kapil Mohan, Hostel, Cafeteria, mock questions asked by friends, etc. etc. etc. ...
Thus we heard it ALMOST EVERYWHERE WE WENT...
Did we know the Answer to this question?
Well ... frankly, we didn't know.
And... Did we care??
HELL NO!!!
All that we cared about was to come up with an answer that would SOUND good enough and prevent any more questions. Coz we knew that it was a (I know I should mind my language) BULLSHIT Question that needed a good BULLSHIT Answer...
I remember what I said (somewhat) during my interviews:
In 5 years I see myself in an organization in a place where I am contributing to the organization's growth and learning as well as contributing to the learning process of others in the organizational structure. And I hope that its your organization.
(I remember I appeared in 17 interviews (WHAT!) for summer internship, 1 interview of pre-placement interview(eClerx) and 1 placement interview of HDFC-SL (thankfully/unthankfully I got through in my first interview), out which around 10(SI)+1(PPI)+1(P) asked this BS question and for all of these BS questions, I said this same load of crap...
I believe almost all of my friends had similar BS coming out of our pie-hole for this question as well as for the other question -
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 10 YEARS...
I mean really ???
...
Do you REALLY expect me to know where I am in 10 years
(HELL I didn't even know whether I'll be having my dinner or not .. or where will I be having it ... at the mess or DLP or at sonia or balwaan da dhaba?)
Even your company or the whole country doesnt know where it will be 10 years from now...
I dont know If I will be even Alive that far into the future... Though I didn't say that)
I postgraduated from IMT on 20th March 2010.
So the question of the 5 year mark is applicable to me now (as to some of the readers too here)
What I had actually hoped to achieve by 2015, 20th Mar, was this, I think:
1) Loads and Loads of money - half way to retirement actually as I wanted to retire at 35 and go out on my own doing things I liked post that
2) A plan for my own venture and money for it - I wanted to make a mark on the world
3) A fun life style - Enjoying to the limits
4) A 1-2 months long foreign trip to my desired planned destinations
5) Other stuff about family happiness, etc. (though not of marriage and kids)
I did not care if eClerx or HDFC-SL or any other company benefitted from me or not, truth be told. They were just the means to an end.
The past 5 years:
I have been in a private job, felt that I would have made insignificant difference to the world by the job and so quit my job for a dream (which just turned up to become a dream from out of nowhere but has grown over the years).
I remember a training exercise in HDFC-SL in which we had to act as insurance sellers (called as Financial Consultants to give them a semblance of respect) and prospective buyers. I did the exercise and acting as the customer, when I opened up about my dreams for the next 5-10 years, I realized one thing: I have big dreams but no plan to achieve them. And all the dreams were self beneficial (or, so to say, selfish) with no care for others. This made me rethink on my dreams. What I realized was that I wasn't doing enough in my life. If I wanted to achieve something bigger, I need to do bigger stuff.
The seed was sown. Then the final straw came in the sales stint, where I felt that I am simply wasting away my time here and wasn't adding much value. So, out of the blue, I sent a resignation mail to my boss - I didn't even discuss this with friends family or colleagues coz I knew their response: ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR BLOODY MIND. Actually I got this response the next day, when I told everyone..
This sudden resignation was followed by 6 months of joblessness and stay-at-home inertial state. (Details in another post of mine "NOSTALGIA ... INERTIA ...")
Then I joined BHEL as a 'temp job' before achieving my ultimate goal - "The UPSC"
I thought (and still think) that though better than private jobs, even this ain't enough... Its just a means to an end..
I planned on staying here for 1-2 years max. but then as they say, if you want to make God laugh, tell him all your plans... I have been here for 3years 363 days now (even I am amazed that I stayed this long) and it seems that I will be completing 5 years in it ... at least.
However this has also resulted in me putting a serious dampener on the plans and goal...
Anyways...
1) I have not at all reached even the quarter mark in terms of the money planned ( :-( SAD really). I guess the plan to switch to PSU didn't help matters in this direction
2) I planned a venture of my own but put it on the back-burner in view of more urgent need of clearing IAS
3) I have NO Lifestyle now... forget fun ... I haven't been able to meet with (almost) any of my friends .. due to various reasons. Its something that I need to change but sadly this isn't happening anytime soon.
4) Forget 1-2 months vacations, I haven't had a week long vacation in India even in the past 5 years
5) On other stuff about family happiness, etc. Well we have faced trials and tribulations but this is one front on which I am happy.
Though I am certain to say that I have not achieved ANYTHING that I aimed 5 years ago ... I am not sad...
The fact is ...
Anyways It has been a fun roller-coaster ride these past 5 years ...
And I certainly hope for 5 (and More) years of uninterrupted fun with achievement of all my goals and dreams...
Oh...
Feel free to comment ...
(Not to quote Coldplay or anything)
Thus we heard it ALMOST EVERYWHERE WE WENT...
Did we know the Answer to this question?
Well ... frankly, we didn't know.
And... Did we care??
HELL NO!!!
All that we cared about was to come up with an answer that would SOUND good enough and prevent any more questions. Coz we knew that it was a (I know I should mind my language) BULLSHIT Question that needed a good BULLSHIT Answer...
I remember what I said (somewhat) during my interviews:
In 5 years I see myself in an organization in a place where I am contributing to the organization's growth and learning as well as contributing to the learning process of others in the organizational structure. And I hope that its your organization.
(I remember I appeared in 17 interviews (WHAT!) for summer internship, 1 interview of pre-placement interview(eClerx) and 1 placement interview of HDFC-SL (thankfully/unthankfully I got through in my first interview), out which around 10(SI)+1(PPI)+1(P) asked this BS question and for all of these BS questions, I said this same load of crap...
I believe almost all of my friends had similar BS coming out of our pie-hole for this question as well as for the other question -
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 10 YEARS...
I mean really ???
...
Do you REALLY expect me to know where I am in 10 years
(HELL I didn't even know whether I'll be having my dinner or not .. or where will I be having it ... at the mess or DLP or at sonia or balwaan da dhaba?)
Even your company or the whole country doesnt know where it will be 10 years from now...
I dont know If I will be even Alive that far into the future... Though I didn't say that)
I postgraduated from IMT on 20th March 2010.
So the question of the 5 year mark is applicable to me now (as to some of the readers too here)
On 20th Mar, 2010
1) Loads and Loads of money - half way to retirement actually as I wanted to retire at 35 and go out on my own doing things I liked post that
2) A plan for my own venture and money for it - I wanted to make a mark on the world
3) A fun life style - Enjoying to the limits
4) A 1-2 months long foreign trip to my desired planned destinations
5) Other stuff about family happiness, etc. (though not of marriage and kids)
I did not care if eClerx or HDFC-SL or any other company benefitted from me or not, truth be told. They were just the means to an end.
Now I retrospect:
The past 5 years:
I have been in a private job, felt that I would have made insignificant difference to the world by the job and so quit my job for a dream (which just turned up to become a dream from out of nowhere but has grown over the years).
I remember a training exercise in HDFC-SL in which we had to act as insurance sellers (called as Financial Consultants to give them a semblance of respect) and prospective buyers. I did the exercise and acting as the customer, when I opened up about my dreams for the next 5-10 years, I realized one thing: I have big dreams but no plan to achieve them. And all the dreams were self beneficial (or, so to say, selfish) with no care for others. This made me rethink on my dreams. What I realized was that I wasn't doing enough in my life. If I wanted to achieve something bigger, I need to do bigger stuff.
The seed was sown. Then the final straw came in the sales stint, where I felt that I am simply wasting away my time here and wasn't adding much value. So, out of the blue, I sent a resignation mail to my boss - I didn't even discuss this with friends family or colleagues coz I knew their response: ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR BLOODY MIND. Actually I got this response the next day, when I told everyone..
This sudden resignation was followed by 6 months of joblessness and stay-at-home inertial state. (Details in another post of mine "NOSTALGIA ... INERTIA ...")
Then I joined BHEL as a 'temp job' before achieving my ultimate goal - "The UPSC"
I thought (and still think) that though better than private jobs, even this ain't enough... Its just a means to an end..
I planned on staying here for 1-2 years max. but then as they say, if you want to make God laugh, tell him all your plans... I have been here for 3years 363 days now (even I am amazed that I stayed this long) and it seems that I will be completing 5 years in it ... at least.
However this has also resulted in me putting a serious dampener on the plans and goal...
Anyways...
What have I actually achieved in the past 5 years or so:
1) I have not at all reached even the quarter mark in terms of the money planned ( :-( SAD really). I guess the plan to switch to PSU didn't help matters in this direction
2) I planned a venture of my own but put it on the back-burner in view of more urgent need of clearing IAS
3) I have NO Lifestyle now... forget fun ... I haven't been able to meet with (almost) any of my friends .. due to various reasons. Its something that I need to change but sadly this isn't happening anytime soon.
4) Forget 1-2 months vacations, I haven't had a week long vacation in India even in the past 5 years
Last (and only in past 5 years) domestic trip - Tirupati (5 days; June 2014)...
Last Foreign Trip: London/Norway (10 days; 2009)
ALL IN ALL...
Though I am certain to say that I have not achieved ANYTHING that I aimed 5 years ago ... I am not sad...
The fact is ...
Maybe I am not even the same guy who was there 5 years ago... And maybe that's okay ...
Anyways It has been a fun roller-coaster ride these past 5 years ...
And I certainly hope for 5 (and More) years of uninterrupted fun with achievement of all my goals and dreams...
But till then ...
Lets just Enjoy the Ride...
Oh...
And If any of you want to share where you saw yourself five years ago, where you are in your life right now and where do you see yourself five years from now (psst... you don't have to be an IMTian to respond)...
Feel free to comment ...
And till then ... Just Enjoy life ...
(Not to quote Coldplay or anything)
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