The convo is over and so is the time since I met some wonderful people at NITIE. The seniors were the ones who supported us in our quests for (individual) glories. I can't but help feel sad for myself that this college life is gonna end for me too in a couple of weeks from now.
But wait ! Isn't corporate life supposed to be the melting pot of all learning, exposure and the hustle-bustle of Business ? Isn't it supposed to be a phase of life in which a person makes a new route for himself and charts his own territory ? Isn't THAT his causal factor of MOTIVATION ?
Well.....there can be both a Yes and a No to that question... as far as I have heard / seen / felt from seniors, the Maslow's theory of Motivation for a B Schooler works quite interestingly. Though there are parallels to the original concept which was propounded decades ago, still there are interesting quirks. So here goes, the modified, Moghe's theory of B-Schooler's Motivation :
So here is a drill down of all that motivates a typical B School grad:
Stage 1 : Enter the Dragon : You clear the hurdles, get that permission from Mom and Dad to delay things just a bit, and decide to enter a B School. Actually, u r dancing from the core of ur heart coz u wont have to see your boss (a.k.a. Devil, Hari Sadu, Nemesis, Hitler) again. Also, you have seen that gorgeous babe during the interview, and after doing a bit of Googling, got to understand that she also will be joining with you, along with at least 300 odd males also - you dont mind that.. of course.. u r the ALPHA MALE !
Motivation factor : Happiness of leaving ur past behind.
Stage 2 : THIS IS LIFE ! Bunking classes, going to movies, getting cozy with chicks in parties, free booze...... in short - Heaven ! This is the time when you are motivated by the sheer power of testosterone (pardon me if I am being a bit of sexist.. but after all, its MY blog... not yours :-)
Motivation: That damsel who sits in the front chair in the class.The one with big, pretty eyes!
Stage 3 : Wait a minute .. did u say the 'S' word ? Yup guys.. Summers is the great leveller of all entities ever made... It levels all egos, prides and prejudices of even the bravest lot. Here, warriors bleed in the battlegrounds of Group Discussions, and the handful few who make it to the Interviews, die a spectacular death at the hands of experienced gladiators with funny designations such as VPs, Directors and HRs. This is the time when that young lad of 23 who doesn't know how to fasten his shoelaces snatches a 2 month internship job from the hands of a a well-experienced, matured and 'realistic' person, who prided himself to have worked in the biggest IT company of India for half a decade ! Come to think of it... it is sheer topsy turvy affair.
The motivation factor here : Self EGO !
Stage 4 : The Grinders v/s The Nonchalants : Post Summers (traumatic for a big chunk of janta), some brave warriors take up the mantle to sharpen their tools and add more arrows in their arsenal. Herein starts the arduous toil for exams like CFA, APICS etc etc. Some start to burn their midninght oil preparing PPTs and reports for Case studies and B Plans. Some even start jugaad for getting Weekend projects from their sources in organizations.
Still there is a big chunk of the population which goes all Raam bharose and thinks that the Placement Office is one such place where simply wishing for a plum job at the end of the course is the only effort required to be done on their part. Tough task.. indeed :p
What motivates the Grinder folks at this time : Fear of the Past (read 'Summers experience') and Fear of the Future (recession news, shrinking economy, job cuts)
Stage 5 : Ye kya hua ! Reality dawns on the majnoos and ranjhas ....There's already guy in her life.. Settled way back in US. When she went to home during last vacation, she got engaged.
Shit happens.
Only motivation to keep urself alive : Signature Premium. Vodka. Chicken Tikka. Sometimes paani poori near the bus bus stop.
Stage 6 : Finals : Leaving all the crap behind, one starts on a voyage of getting a naukri. Repeat telecast of Stage 3 happens. And finally you get placed in a corporation. Nothing much to say here.
Motivation : This time I'll show that 23 year old punk how to get a job !
Stage 7 : Back to Square One - The long office hours are back. So is the boss, albeit with a new face and with renewed energy to extract every ounce of productivity from you. You long for those classes which you anyways bunked. You pine for those exams which you anyways flunked.
And you like that pretty young thing who sits in the department downstairs, who sometimes gives you a smile during lunch ;-)
Motivation : Paapi pet ka sawaal hai saahab .... majdoori to karni hi padegi !
"If Only......." : This is what you think some day while sitting at ur seat.. engrossed in tons of Excel files, and dealing with an ocean of Purchase Orders and Rows and Columns of numbers. The phone besides you keeps ringing and crying like a small baby who has just wet his diapers. The emails pile upon in ur inbox like the tweets on Osama Bin Laden's death. Your password for gmail still has initials of ur beloved, but u never have the courage to talk to her again. And then u glance at your watch, which shows an awkwardly hour of 8:45 PM, with you still being in the office, brooding over the question....
"If Only ......"
Disclaimer : All broodings in this article are fictitious and any resemblance to any B Schooler (or a Boss) are imaginary and purely co incidental. Of course, that pretty girl with beautiful eyes still remains very much alive. But what the heck ! Its life, after all !
