ok yeah. Maybe it sounds lame, given that am the not so very philosophical types. but here goes.
Its been 5 years. Working for someone. Working for an organisation. I started working on April 1st, 2005 (ok yea, what an day to start a career?! go figure) and finally walked out on March 31st, 2010.
I worked in an industry that pays peanuts, promises a lot. You see, its not only the ads that promise a lot to the ever so smart consumer who most often doesn't give a shit about it, the best part is when we kick research to figure out what he thinks - while he is most probably thinking "why are u guys eating my brains out". The industry too promises a lot.
Promise. The industry thrives on that - some call this promise "getting orgasmic when you see your work on TV/ papers/mags". Its a place where everyone believes and are often made to believe they're creatively "gifted" and are so different in a world among the homogeneous morons in other industries - namely clients, bankers, IT, manufacturing and what not.. quite simple which they believe are in the same league as cleaning gutters, changing bulbs on street lamps, collecting garbage.
Some my best moments have been in conversations with people wanting to join the industry, or even in the industry - so why did you end up in advtg?? - you see am the creative type, am a very creative person. So then i ask "how are you creative?" - most often blank looks are thrown around like I asked something nasty about their parentage or asked them to derive e=mc2, or they say stuff like "i write poems" "i paint" and I go "wow".
And in this sense some of us believe we're gifts to humanity, jesus christ 2.0, kalki 20xx and buddha reincarnated.
We are used to believing that all other jobs are boring to death and we the creme of the creme, now it doesn't matter that you're annually paid 1/3rd of what an entry level exec takes home per month at the clients side.
this is the philosophy we operate:
1. We have glamour
2. We have fun @ work coz we don't work most often - the best part is when we choose to "think" for the creative idea.
3. We think every product sucks (especially our own clients, the competitors product is always better than our clients)
4. We are creative, we're cool, we love awards - which we give ourselves and then over which we fight crying foul
5. We like firang stuff, like to sell firang stuff, love firang awards & firang porn.
all right. my raves and ranting apart, I still dunno why I love it. Am the rambling on this stops here.
So yeah, where was I? five years to nirvana. so 5 years in a mayhem of an industry has taught me lots from where I started. One of the most important things I've learned is this. When I stepped into a job, I always thought and believed that I'll be "the ambitious" - work hard, move up the ladder fast.
Turns out, everyone else is the same. As naive as that sounds, it did really open my eyes.
In these 5 years of working in multiple organisations and handling many clients, I am yet to meet a person who isn't ambitious. Well it adds up like this, that we're a part of the same society, values, similar educational systems and heck yea everyone believes he/she can be CEO and wants to be one. And I realised I am in this rat race.
Somewhere while ambition grew, I also had dreams. In a career path most of us are ambitious, and I guess that's the way it is to be. We slog it out to beat the rest of us, which is what I was. In these five years I was quite simply chasing my ambition, like everyone else does. And then one fine day I decided to see what happens if I chase my dreams. I QUIT.
As difficult as ambitions may appear, chasing them with a plan and right spirit does get you somewhere up there, or atleast close to it. Chasing a dream is very different, I've started to already "feel" that. And in my case chasing many is stupid and probably weird, but heck yea, I can atleast say "I tried" the day I turn 50 something and retire with 4 dogs.
And yea, before I finish, just incase you also get inspired (heh he) a forewarning: Sometimes dreams aren't dreams, they just happen to be nightmares or turn into one. All da best!
cheers!
