Where You Start Does Not Matter

In 1995, during my final year B.Tech placement season, everybody was obsessed with salaries — companies like Cadence, offering Rs 10,000 per month or a bit more, were rockstars, while anyone offering even Rs 1,000 less became an ‘undesirable.’

Yet, looking back, those initial salaries seem so irrelevant!

First of all, even for saving money, the first few years make little impact. If you grow fast, in 10 years, your monthly savings will exceed your 1st year’s savings.

More importantly, once on the job, you suddenly realize that how you are treated matters much more than money. Are people respectful and treat you as an equal? Do they listen even when you dissent? Is the job meaningful and are you learning new things?

If you aren’t respected or the job isn’t meaningful, you can be paid a crore a day and still hate every day. Don’t take my word for it — talk to people who have been through it.

As a youngster, quality of work and leadership experience are what truly matter, whether you want to one day become a CEO or get an Ivy League MBA.

In the language of calculus, dx/dt is more important than x. In plain English, consistent growth matters way more than where you start your journey.

– Rajan

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