Ten Years in Industry

This June 17th, I will be finishing 10 years in industry. The duration is almost a dog-life. A kid born 10 years ago would have learnt to eat, talk, read, write and walk, and must be in 5th standard; probably would have had a crush or two by now. My learning fall short in comparison; nonetheless, here are a few bits I picked up in last 10 years:

1.       I added up my earnings so far. It crossed 1 crore. Katrina Kaif was offered that amount for dancing for 15 minutes at a new- year bash. She refused.  I have reasons to believe I am smarter than her (and hence won’t refuse such a deal if offered to me) and I must have worked harder in general.  Still, life-is-unfair isn’t such a bad thing. If it were fair, how would people have reconciled themselves to the inevitable fact that some of their friends and colleagues were achieving more than them. In an unfair world, you can always blame (justifiably so, quite often) it on luck and stupid judging criterions.

2.       Some people will never get over the fear of dogs.  A friend told me about a newly married man jumping the walls of his in-laws house to pay a surprise visit to his wife. He was torn apart to death by their faithful dog.  A house near to my place has a “Beware of dogs” sign on the gate with a picture of a wolf on it. Inside the gate, one can see two tiny pugs playing. They are kind of cute; someone might break in just to steal those two.

3.       When two or more people start discussing about their cameras and lenses, politely excuse yourself out of the room. Even my dear brother has been bitten by the photography bug. But I am sure he will come around one day; he is of the same blood.

4.       In these times, more than ever, not-reading is not an option. Reading is the easiest way to become interesting and perceptive. It shows when you interact. The person across the table has a smartphone and you are competing with it. Unless you have ample cleavage, you will need ready anecdotes and well-structured information to hold the attention; else the smartphone, armed with its trivia and videos, will beat you more often than not. If not for engaging others, do it for yourself, do it for ‘taste’.

5.       Start preparing for the long haul. Despite the pollution and other hazards of modern life, there is a high probability of you living much longer than your parents. Medical breakthroughs won’t let you die easily. Most of the Indians didn’t have a mobile ten years ago and look at us now. I am extremely curious to see how 2100 will be.  With advanced medical research for longevity, it’s quite possible that today’s ten year old kid will cross the 150 age mark. All the more reason for you to read and be able to enjoy your own company. Also, keep your body fit enough to benefit from the new procedures when they come. The stakes have never been higher.

Enough preaching for now.