Gauri Chhabra
An excerpt from a recorded conversation with Albert Einstein:
School failed me, and I failed the school. It bored me. The teachers behaved like Feldwebel (sergeants). I wanted to learn what I wanted to know, but they wanted me to learn for the exam. What I hated most was the competitive system there, and especially sports. Because of this, I wasn’t worth anything, and several times they suggested I leave…
The excerpt that is a student’s outcry was true yesterday seems equally true today. From cradle to the grave, from school systems to job interviews, we have one singular focus- Competition. To seek admission in a school there is competition that rests on the platform of elimination. Competition eliminates a set of students who after being eliminated from schools, colleges, and corporate start feeling that they are no good. And that’s when the downfall starts. What can you do? As students, keep playing the blame game that’s never ending or refuse to be eliminated? The latter option seems to be better but how do we achieve that state when we refuse to be eliminated. Remember, each one of us is unique. A person is eliminated not because he is not good enough but because his personality and his skillset do not gel with the system. So going forward, the catch is to find a system or a job that fits your personality like a glove. Here is how to do that:
Look within
Life, they say is best viewed inside out. The best way before even going for a job hunt is to find which company would suit you. For this, try to analyze your strengths and weaknesses.Where is it that you want to be? In the hierarchy of needs how and where do you place your needs of self- esteem, security, finances and affiliation.What do you REALLY want from life? What’s your big dream? Are you taking steps towards it? If not, why not? Perhaps you’re scared, or maybe you’ve built a huge wall of procrastination that you’ll never scale.
Look Around
Once you have analyzed your own strengths and weaknesses, round you. Analyze the environment around you. What does it have to offer? What are the threats it poses before you? What are its opportunities?If you feel that your strength is convincing others, the world is open to opportunities for acounselor. Go ahead and grab it. Now you are reducing the chance of being eliminated because you are pursuing what you are best at.Your chances of elimination increase when you keep applying for jobs in bulk and you get rejected in a bulk. Itis like finding aneedle in a hay stack.Instead, focus on what you want and strive for it.
Gear up
Once you know your target, which job you want, start preparing for it. I have seen students who once dreamt to be in companies like Yahoo and Google and found themselves there only by one magical touch- perseverance. Once you have identified the set of companies whose culture and job profile suits you, the next step is to inch your way towards it. Every assignment, task in your college should be treated it as a case study. When you are studying accounting and balance sheet items the balance sheet of the same company should be there before you as a ready reference.Don’t wait for your college to give you the opportunity.
Are you trying to analyze how you’re going to go after your dreams? Trust me, it doesn’t work. Some planning is certainly helpful, but ultimately you have to take action in order to learn what works and what doesn’t.
If Only…to…Only if
Once you start preparing for your dream job or your dream company, there would be many bottlenecks regarding the same.One of them is- if only
If only you had more money, connections,or talent, you would easily go after yourdreams and enjoy life. All those people who have been successful in their jobs and careers did not have any of these to start with.So, rather than indulging you to ‘If only’, move to ‘only if’. Rather than saying,” If only I had the necessary communication skills”,say, “only if I have the necessary communication skills, I will get this job” and then work towards honing that very skill set.
Zero in
Once you have equipped yourself with the cognitive and affective skill set for a subset of companies, your time comes to zero-in on the company that is the best fit for you.
Rather than the school or the company failing you, you hand pick the place where you would like to be.
This is what Albert Einstein meant when he said School failed me, and I failed the school.
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