Job satisfaction

At the end of everyday spent it is very common for human mind to ask a question, "was my day worth" and whether he is satisfied with what he did today? Everyone tries to get satisfaction in some way or the other. Some people would want satisfaction in their job or business or any other work they do. The ones who look after the family, seek satisfaction by keeping their families happy. Some would achieve satisfaction through social service or through some religious activities.

I would like to share my views regarding a satisfying professional life. Making money and getting job satisfaction are two different aspects and may not be related with each other. Many a times I think what kind of job would be the most satisfying. The answer that comes to my mind are two, one is the profession of a doctor and second is the teaching profession.

I have high regards for the doctors who treat the patients and have given second lives to many. There can be no work which can be equated or even compared with the medical profession. For a dying patient a doctor is God. Once a doctor treats his patients and goes home, at the end of the day, he is satisfied. He has served humanity. He has not only given life to one person but to the entire family.

Similarly, the profession of teaching and educating others is a satisfying one. When the students achieve great miles in their lives, teachers feel proud and happy. At the end of the day, they have a feel good factor of having given knowledge to young minds, selflessly.

I have myself taught, just for one week, but in the four years of my career I haven't felt as satisfied as that week. From this experience, I learnt that teaching profession gives lot of satisfaction and confidence.

Only professions where you give something to others are more satisfying. Everyone cannot be a doctor or professor,but by having selfless attitude in any work one does, will give more satisfaction, and that is what matters at the end of the day.

Shopping - an experience

I love shopping and can spend hours to buy stuff I like and want, especially clothes and jewelry. But I am having a weird feeling nowadays, no it is not that my interest is lost or something, but it is with my experience shopping in malls.

Shopping malls have become the buzz word these days, and everyone including kids, yuppies and the elders, all want to buy from shopping malls. It is an experience in itself. You just need to go to one mall, and spare a day from your busy schedule. And be rest assured to find stuff you are looking for.
But somehow, I miss something in the malls. It has nothing to do with the cost, discounts and quality or guarantee on the products you buy.

I had gone shopping for clothes this weekend to one of the big malls in the city. There is ladies section with a variety of clothes to choose from like western, formals, casuals, traditional, woolen and more. You look for it and its there.

But the experience in shopping of where you are attended individually by a sales person who would ask you your preference, your budget and show you the best stuff does not exist in malls. You have to do your own selection. And that is something very boring. You got to select clothes by yourself and if it doesn't fit or suit you, then you need to look for more all by yourself.

It is quite exciting as you begin your day shopping, but you soon realize you are wasting too much time looking for stuff you want. And towards the end of the day you are not really satisfied as you could have bought more if someone would have suggested you clothes of your choice.

Things are changing and I guess change in attitude is the answer for this weird feeling. And things will change, this is just one of my experiences I have gone through many times, shopping at malls...

Business vs Technology

The end of 20th century has marked a beggining in the revolution in technology. Technology has been advancing at a fast pace today. So what is it that drives technology? Is it that technology drives business or business drives technology. It may be a difficult question to answer until and unless you have a correct perspective to understand the industry,market and the consumer needs.

From what I have understood, it is the business which drives technology. I will explain with an example. Online shopping is a business model where one wants to buy without actually visiting the shop. This can be possible by calling the shop and placing an order or it can be by placing the order on the internet and paying via credit card. So the technology can be anything and one technology can outdo the other in future. But the business - which is online shopping may not change. There can be multiple options to solve a business problem. The technology chosen depends on business strategy and long term sustainability in the market. Business ideas and models can invent and lead a path for new technology. And even in future the technology may change as it is changing at a fast pace today. But the business model will not change.

Now one might say that this wouldnt have been possible if internet and telephone was not there. But I would like to point out that even the invention of internet was an idea. An idea which must have been an outcome of business needs, brainstorming sessions and vision of certain people. Then how it was implemented and created is all technology.

Thinking only in terms of business would first want a person to be mentally detached from technology. Detaching oneself from technology would not make him constrained or restricted in thinking about new ideas. So if one thinks of technology along with business it would limit his vision and strategy. Once your mind is freed from the technical world, you can think better about new ideas. But ideas for whom. Well that could depend upon your strategy and vision.

Demand either exists or can be created. If you are trying to cater to some user problem say for exapmle by innovating a new product which would prevent credit card misuse and fraud, then you would end up attracting customers and they would come to you for buying your product. This is a "pull" strategy. Another case would be like ringtones, caller tunes which you would suggest to consumers. Since this kind of ideas do not solve any consumer needs, but is just a business model where you try to sell your product, it can be termed as "push" strategy.

Once you know what idea you want to realize and define its strategy, you will think about how to make it happen. At this point you will think about technology. What is better in terms of cost advantage, long term sustainability and market analysis. It may happen that the technology may not suit your idea. In that case one more ideation phase will occur where the business requirement would be to invent a technology that would support your business idea.

So here I would like to emphasise that business can be thought by eliminating technology. But just having technology with no business perspective is futile effort.So business ideas and innovation will make use of technology. But technology in itself will not lead to business or innovation!

Dynamics in IT industry - "Web 2.0"

Recently I was asked to present on any dynamics in IT industry for one of my subjects in MBA course. I was quite confused in selecting a topic as I did not want to choose a monotonous topic which would digress the attention of my audience. A little research on the net helped me in choosing the topic - "Web 2.0". Until then I did not know what the buzz word Web 2.0 meant. It is not that I did not use it, or was aloof from the technology, but surely I did not know that this is "Web 2.0".

When there was a dotcom boom, many websites registered on the internet and made profits at an unimaginable scale. But the boom busted and most of the companies found it difficult to sustain. And the ones who survived were because of only one factor - "Innovation". Web 2.0 is a clear demarcation in the web industry which has proved that only the innovators will sustain in this dynamic industry.

Web 2.0 is about content syndication, sharing, networking and yes bringing the world closer. As compared to Web 1.0, where the content on a website was purely in form of static html pages, Web 2.0 has dynamic content. The content can be edited in relation by any user including you and me. Wikipedia is a classic example of this. The content on a website is no longer proprietary, but users contribute to it day in and out. This was not thought of earlier.

Well another example of Web 2.0 is the RSS. I used to keep looking at the orange colored "RSS" icons on most of the websites wondering what it was meant for. I never gave it a thought or even tried to explore it, until this presentation. So I read about it, and I felt amazed at the idea. Such a simple but innovative thing. I read online news daily, and I always wished if I could get a gist of all news I want in a single click. I was ignorant that it was possible through RSS.

I clicked on the RSS link provided on one of the news site and it took me to a page which had few XML links. I did not have to search for any RSS reader, as Google is one stop search for everything you want. I logged in to the google reader and added the XML links into the subscriptions. And wow, I had all the news in front of me.

The biggest advantage of RSS is once you get the subscription link, you can add all your favorite subscriptions to the reader, and then you can read all that you want. It felt to me as if I have my own personalized website where I can read only the content that I wish to read.

One more thing I must point out here is that we blog so frequently, unaware that blogging is also a part of the Web 2.0 family. I am sure most of us did not know about it.

The innovations of Web 2.0 do not end here. I must admit I have just given a brief introduction about it. There is more to it including "Folksonomy", where a group or community of users bookmark their topics of interest. Similarly Flickr is a social network for sharing photos.

The point that I am trying to focus is that, we are into the technology, maybe using it everyday. But we do not know that it is a great dynamic in the IT industry. There is so much that the Web 2.0 offers today and we cant imagine what it will be in coming years.

But all in all it was a very interesting topic for me to learn and moreover to share my experience with others. And I conclude that Innovation will no longer remain proprietary but will be an outcome of collaboration, networking and sharing!!

My experience in London

London air smelled different to me. I was sniffing the fragrance in the air, though my colleagues said they did not smell anything. Maybe they were used to it, since they were staying there since long. But somehow after couple of days I also got used to it.

The next day I set off to work. The chilly weather, the empty roads, bare trees, all this was a first time experience for me. My travel in the bus and the tube trains was a good experience. Although it was chilly outside, the buses and trains had heaters to make you feel comfortable. I found Central London in hustle bustle during peak hours, but the outskirts were very calm. You don't see many people walking, and that gave me a feeling of insecurity. But within few days I accepted the reality.

The first day I had not taken lunch to office, and thought I would have it in canteen. But it wasn't a wise decision. Somehow with the advise of my manager, I took baked potatoes and beans, the most viable veg option. Oh gosh!! I had never eaten such food in my life. I did not like it at all. The food tasted bland, and it reminded me of home. I managed on that day somehow and I made it a point to get lunch from B&B. I really appreciate the efforts aunty took to make me feel at home.

As I had thought initially that work would be hectic, it was normal and I never found myself overloaded. Well, I wont discuss much about work, that's a normal routine of everyone. I want to elaborate more on what things I liked in London and about London.

One good thing was the wide footpaths to walk, yes I really appreciate that. Especially because when I compare it with the almost non existent footpaths in Mumbai, I realize its value and the comfort it gives. Secondly, the transport is good. Not much crowd (well I am comparing to Mumbai). Also buses and trains are very punctual and on time. I found people to be more courteous and well mannered when doing their jobs. But the bad part was that all stores shut at 5.30 pm :(

As my trip was of exactly 4 weeks, I wanted to make the best of it. I wanted to visit the best of places. I saw the Buckingham Palace but I missed the "Change of Guards" ceremony. My visit to Madam Tussauds is a memorable experience and I would recommend anyone who travels to London should go there. Although I had to stand in queue for 90 minutes for buying a ticket, I must admit it was worth the wait. The famous attraction, London Eye, which gives you a view of entire London was a nice experience. Its a giant wheel with around 28 cabins. Each cabin can accommodate around 15 people. It takes one complete round in 45 minutes. I was very scared initially of heights, but one of my good friends helped me overcome that fear. Thanks to him! But I did not appreciate the London Eye as much as I had heard, maybe because I had seen a major part of London by that time.
There are many museums in London, and it takes one whole day to see just one. I did get an opportunity to go to British museum and Science museum. The mummies was the attraction at British museum in Euston.

The weather in London is unpredictable. It rains anytime during the day, and it can be dark and gloomy or bright and sunny. So you will be lucky to have a bright and sunny weekend to roam around.

As days passed by, I started feeling monotonous. And the feeling of returning back to my home had sunk into me. Well it wasn't a long trip, so the end was near. I was back to Mumbai on 15th April and was glad to see everyone :). However exciting was the feeling of being in London, I still believe I can never get a feeling of belongingness to an alien nation.

My First trip to London!

In the IT industry it is a mark of achievement and success if you go to a foreign country for work. And the sooner you go the better. You are looked upon. But if you haven't made a trip in couple of years of joining the industry you bring suspicious eyes and people wonder whether you are really capable and doing well. This is the significance of going "abroad". Having completed more than 2.5 years in the industry I felt the same. I felt the need to go "on site" just to prove that I belong to the IT industry. But prove to whom? Well this incudes quite a number of people who infuence you including your family, relatives (who keep comparing you with others and if you don't have these attributes you are not in their good books), peers, friends, your bosses and ex bosses and even your to be future bosses. So you see how much important it is to go abroad. Well and if you are single and are looking around, it adds to your "biodata". And if you are not single your bf/gf would not like it if you don't have the tags. So this is all ga ga over going to a foreign nation.

As I have always believed, everyone gets opportunities in life, some get it early, some late and some on the right time. For me I was not getting hyper of going onsite but wanted to go once for an experience. And so it happened one day. I was told that I have to fly to UK within few days for a period of one month. I was happy, but not over excited as I knew it is was a challenging task for me. So I started with all my arrangements not knowing whom to approach for what, but then your friends and well wishers are always there to help you when you need them. Finding an accommodation in an alien nation was a challenge. I am finicky about food and wanted a pure veg accommodation. Somehow one of my colleague found a pure vegetarian B&B for me. I was certainly relieved once it was finalized.

I was told, it is very cold in London. And for a person like me who would shiver in the Air conditioned environment I had to prepare myself mentally as well with lots of woollen clothes. I went shopping and bought whatever was required as per information given to me by experienced people. I was all set to go to London via the Air India flight on 15th March. It was midnight when I reached the airport along with my dad. He was feeling very proud that I was going abroad, since I was the first one in the family to have gone to a foreign country. After all the formalities were done at the airport including check-in, immigration and personal security, I went to the waiting area. I sat for sometime and then I was asked to board the plane. I was very nervous and was crying as I was all alone. But somehow I gathered courage and wiped off my tears and went ahead and boarded the plane. After sometime the plane took off and I was just praying to God for safety. After sometime I started feeling relaxed. And felt more relaxed when we stopped over at Delhi airport. And after that when the plane took off I was feeling normal except for sometimes when the plane would tremble due to turbulent weather. I know this was quite stupid of me, but first experience of such a long flight is an absolutely different feeling.

Finally after 10.30 hours I landed at London Heathrow. I was told it was very cold there, so I wrapped myself with all the woollen I had, but only after going out I realized it was too much hyped. Just one jacket or sweater would have served the purpose that time. I was getting done with all my formalities, and the last one- Customs - was the place where I was asked to open my bags. The lady at the counter asked me whether I carried any edible items or milk products. And all my sweets were taken away :( .

Finally I came out and waited for my colleague to pick me up. Although the wait was long, when I finally met him I felt at home. He took me to the B&B. While on my way to the B&B, I was getting a different fragrance in the air. Maybe because it was very fresh and not polluted. I kept wondering whether air smelled different or was it something else. Soon I reached the B&B. The aunty there was very nice and I did not feel I was away from home. That day I rested and was preparing for next day to go for work.