Exam time :-( !!

My exams are about to start, and I am feeling... IRRITATED :-( !! I am just tired of giving exams now, I mean, learning is an interesting concept, but formal education is GROSS!! There should not be so much theory, at least at the masters level!! Even now, we are supposed to read innumerable pages of useless stuff that we know for sure are meaningless.
Does it really matter if today's Journalism students don't know about the technical aspects of the working of yesteryear's' gadgets that became obsolete a century ago?
Do we really need to know by heart the names of the Chief Ministers & Governors of not just the Indian states, but also those of our neighbouring countries?
Is it necessary to read about not just Karl Marx, but also about the life history of his illegitimate son? Or should we today even be bothered about whether or not he had an illegitimate son, when what really matters is studying Marxism?
And the Internet adds to the torture- In case you don't know about the name of the mother of the twentieth child of an African president, you can easily check out from the net !
People, including my own lecturers & classmates would talk a lot about the moral and ethical issues in Journalism, but would they themselves ever steer clear of lobbying? There is just no connection between what people preach & what they actually do !!

Everything feels so meaningless!! As a child, I dreamt of becoming an 'Editor' one day, never knew the path would be so tough :-( !!

Success- What is your definition?

Today, two former students of my department who had passed out in 2007 came to conduct a guest lecture as is the tradition in our dept. One was working with a large advertising agency while the other was with a News channel. Both were earning good money- A sign of success in this materialistic world.
But they said something that brought the dreamy eyes, enthusiastic students face to face with reality.
"You are living, We are not", said the one working in the advertising agency.
"Dreams die the moment you leave the campus" agreed the other one.
The students were shocked for a moment. These men had reputed names for employers, owned fancy mobiles and had lots of money- what else would anyone really want?
I admit, I too was taken aback by their brutal honesty. It was not what the guest lecturers normally told us. But I could understand those poor souls, I could identify with them. Having completed my MBA degree and having had a taste of the "real world" before joining this Journalism course, I knew what they were talking about- the loss of their very being in pursuit of so-called success.
For as long as we are students, we have a very idealistic view about life. We believe (at least those like me do) that the road to success is through hard work, sincerity, honesty & integrity. This would be true only in a perfectly ideal society, which unfortunately, the real world is not. The corporate world is a cruel place- You need to lose your character if you want to make it big in a short time. Individuality,freedom of thoughts, morals and ethics don't matter here. What matters is your willingness to compromise- The more your willingness, the greater will be your chances to "succeed".
But one needs to keep in mind that one may get money, materials, fame & power in return for his soul, but someone who sells his soul can never be at peace. A man whose conscience is not clear can never connect with his soul- and he can never find true happiness, which is not materialistic, but spiritual in nature. The real world would test your character and tempt you with its vices but ultimately a human being has got to choose for himself the path which would ultimately lead him to his fate.

Placement time

Just today a friend of mine, a final year B.Tech student, told me that she has got placed in one of India's top companies. She was one of the lucky ones to have got the job offer in the first company that came for placements this year. The news that the world economy is on its road to recovery from the global recession has been making rounds in India from the past few months. Last year it was fashionable for the unemployed youth to say that they could not get jobs because of, well, you know, the recession. No doubt, it served as a well accepted excuse, but it definitely caused a lot of mental tension to the students of professional courses. This year, the placement scenario is looking much brighter. Happy times are here for the students ( or so, they think!!). Poor things, they don't really know what is in store for them!! The very thought of passing out of college and entering the corporate world is pretty much exciting, and the concept of earning big money, even more. It would take some time for the young souls to realize that just getting placed with a big company does not ensure a successful professional life. Ya, I know. Been there. These youngsters too will realize. Little do they know that they are about to learn some of life's biggest lessons in the coming few months...

So, Why did you choose this field ?

A few days ago, I met a guy pursuing MBA from the same Uni I had got mine from. There was something about him that told me that he was not happy with his choice of field. On being asked, he told me that he was basically from a science stream, but had opted for an MBA because his field, Bio Technology, did not have much scope in India. He was finding MBA very boring and meaningless. "I have completed one semester here, but have learnt nothing. This just does not suit me!" he lamented. "Why did you not try for MSc Bio Tech?" I enquired. It turned out that he had appeared for the entrance test for both the courses - MSc and MBA( because of parental pressure). And since he could not clear the MSc test, he joined MBA (Which he cleared "inspite of not wanting to", as he put it). His parents were happy, though. He explained to me that since his father was a businessman, his family was glad that he had been selected for this course.
This, definitely was not the first time I heard someone state parental pressure as the reason behind choosing their professional field. Countless students are pressurized by their parents-either through subtle long term brainwashing, or downright aggressive blackmailing- to choose a field of their choice. Many a times people have told me that they absolutely hated their job. A girl I know, who is unhappy with her teaching job, said that she never wanted to go for B.Ed, but went for it anyway because this was what her parents wanted her to do. A former classmate of mine admitted that her father wanted her to do MBA just because many of her cousins had done so.
And me ?? The only reason I joined MBA, was because I loved the University campus :-) !! Half way through the course, I realized that I just was not meant for the corporate world and decided to change my field. Life granted me another chance, and with GOD's grace I am back to the university for my second master's degree...

A spiritual link

"The University" was what it was called. At that time, many years ago, I did not even know the meaning of this word. All I knew was that it was the most beautiful place I had ever seen in the 11 years of my life. Rows and rows of huge flowering trees would line the broad pathway leading from the main gate to a huge building which was the library. The air, heavy with the fragrance of Golden Shower blossoms would almost intoxicate me. A calm would descend upon me the moment I entered the campus. The place was so peaceful, so serene. Mother would often tell me that if I studied well, then I could get admission here. Too young to actually think about the future, I would simply nod. I used to cycle to my school through the campus even though it meant cycling an extra kilometer. Years later, destiny led me to this very place I had so admired as a child. During my final year in school, a teacher told me about an integrated 5 year MBA program offered by the university. At 18, I was not really sure of what profession I wanted to be in, but I was sure of one thing- I had to get into this university. I applied, gave the entrance test and waited for the results. My test had not gone very well, yet I was hoping that I would make it. I did ( Thanks to GOD) !! And thus started the most beautiful period of my life, beginning from the day I first set foot into my classroom, and continuing till now :-) !!