Are you one of those who believe that only the engineers make good money and have secure careers? Are you caught up with the glamour of the IT boom and feel that you will be able to be on the fast track and get a fancy salary only if you are a software engineer? Here are some harsh facts:
More than 50% of the owners and CEOs’ of IT companies do not have qualifications in IT engineering. Over 30% of the top employees of the IT giants (like Infosys, Wipro, etc), who draw more than Rs 2 lakh per month salary, are not even engineers. Also, for every one direct employee of an IT firm, there are two more who benefit by being suppliers, service providers, sub-contractors, etc. The vast majority of these are people from their respective professions – starting from cab drivers who are today earning 400% of what they did five years ago, to builders who are constructing gigantic office buildings and selling them at five times the prices they would have got ten years back.
The IT boom is here to stay, at least for the time being. And every young (or even young at heart) person can ride on the bandwagon. Not by aping others and moving into software, but by becoming more proficient in the vocation of their choice, in which they are good and have the aptitude. The Indian economy is booming as never before. But those who are doing the best are the wise ones who are checking out what they are good at, and sticking to it, gaining a reputation and moving higher and higher.
Dr A K