Working smart instead of working hard
Rajkumari Sharma Tankha
Have you ever thought why so many IT engineers face an early burnout? Why so many turn to alternative professions, most often creative ones like writing and photography after a few years of landing into a high-paying, coveted job for which they had literally burnt the midnight oil?
In my circle of friends too there are, at least, three young men who moved out of their jobs in companies like Adobe and HCL despite being high achievers during their school and college days and working hard in their respective offices — one of them has turned musician, another singer and the third one trying to set up a small business. What is it that made them take this step of moving out from secured jobs to uncertain creative fields?
Well, the answers to these and many such questions can be found in Sanjay Manaktala’s My Beta Does Computer Thing, Harper Collins 182 pages Rs 350. An IT executive-turned-standup comedian, Manaktala saw the goings on in the industry for quite some time before he called it quits and shifted to comedy and film-making. But he spent enough time in the IT sector to be able to guide the newcomers to ‘working smart’ instead of ‘working hard’ which he says is the reason behind early burnout. Through books he gives tips and advice on how to excel in office atmosphere, climb up the professional ladder and also derive job satisfaction.
The books also contains enough content on how to get promoted easier, how to get jobs overseas, make friends with the opposite sex and generally enjoy the office atmosphere. There is no need to get overly serious about office which, he says, is the root cause of techies burning out fast. Manaktala has narrated quite a few personal anecdotes as well ‘IT’ jokes to make the book interesting.
As he says in the intro … lack simple communication skills and make various personal mistakes… Some turn to alcohol, others to adultery… I myself was one at some point.
Understand what you are getting into… You want to make money and travel the world. You want to date and enjoy your twenties and thirties. Your work does not need your youth as a sacrificial offering, the book cover cautions.
The book is divided into 12 short chapters, each containing cartoon strips and funny jokes to make the reading easy and swift.
I would highly recommend it to not only working professionals but also all those who are studying to be IT engineers.
