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| A series of career changes | | | Vijay Garg
We all know that career has not only been a means of earning, it is also the mirror of social status. Being a doctor and an engineer in one day was not just about choosing a profession, it was also about gaining social status. Just like being the founder of a tech startup these days, or in management at a big tech company. Current social status careers have new doctor, engineer and creative career status symbols associated with the tech world such as data scientists, AI experts. Being a great content creator in social media is also status. But the most popular careers come from sports, like cricket and badminton. But when it comes to the solid world of technology, green energy and healthcare sectors are areas where building a career is status symbol.
ICS, the glory of IAS
But all of these careers today weren’t in the employment landscape until a decade ago, and even if they were, they didn’t have special status. Different careers have been social status symbols in India over the decades since independence. If being a government official from the 1950s to 1960s, especially ICS and IAS after independence was great not only in terms of career but also respect in society.
Doctor and Professor’s reputation
Then in the 1960s, the professions that we could count as the highest in society became doctors and professors. Science, health and education were greatly emphasized in the Nehru era as well as these professions gained a lot of respect. In the seventies, it became much more important to have engineers and professionals in PSU. In fact, the 1970s were a time of heavy industry and public sector. During this period, Bhel, Cell and ONGC public enterprises emerged as four moon-laying enterprises in the country. Being an engineer in these institutions was a social pride, and that was the time when leaving IIT was like being a hero.
Bank manager and railway officer
In the 1980s, being an officer in banks and financial institutions became important. In fact, in the 1980s everyone was taking out loans from banks to fund their business or boost their fortunes. These days, the country has started to build houses on a large scale and also a series of home loans. which made the role of banks important in society. Prior to 1980, the relationship with banks was hardly 20-25 per cent of Indians, after which 40-50 per cent started joining the bank in some form. Obviously, being a bank officer became important during this period. The demand of the bank manager was greatly increased during that period. Besides, it was great to be a manager in LICs, a senior officer in railways and an engineer in the telecom sector.
bright career of IT and MBA
Then came the 1990s, when IT and MBA emerged as the most important social status-making careers. IT revolution in India for the first time since liberalization, finding jobs at companies like Infosys, TCS and Wipro became more important than IAS or IPS. Going from IIM to MBA and MNC became a status symbol. NRI has also become a part of the highest reputation in society, especially in America. Corporate management and global careers become the biggest social status symbol among urban, middle class
Start-ups, AI from the creative industry
But the world of startups and creative industries came to light in the 2000s. which led to start-up founders like Flipkart, Paytm, Ola being known and discussed by everyone in society. Digital media, filmmaking and the fashion industry also became a symbol of status. In addition to corporate lawyers, the profession of Chartered Accountant also became an important social status. While AI, robotics and data science took the place of technology and social impact in the 2020s, social media influencers and content creators also began to take notice. In the meantime, Green Energy and Climate Entrepreneurs’ reputation grew. In addition to cricket, successful players were considered important careers during this period.
Vijay Garg Retired Principal Educational columnist Eminent Educationist street kour Chand MHR Malout Punjab |
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