Hayek Distinguished - BHPian



Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,136 Thanked: 5,339 Times

Life in your 40s A number of fantastic posts here - by Shankar, Samurai and DieselFan. As they have mentioned, our generation in someways was luckier than people in their twenties are - because we grew up with very, very little and limited expectations, and found ourselves benefiting enormously from reforms and attaining the kind of lifestyle we never imagined we would have.



I can still remember reading articles (at about 10) when Maruti first came to India - with journalists talking about how the 800 was so much nicer to drive than anything India had ever seen before but wondering whether the car would be suitable for an economy where people kept cars for 20-30 years (my dad had a 25+ year old Landmaster at that time). I was close to 15 by the time we got a color TV and our Maruti 800. The biennial visits of my American cousins were looked forward to - for the hand me down clothes, and the odd toy (Lesney model cars, a Remote Control car and best of all, a Nintendo hand held video game).



When I entered engineering college, it seemed a no brainier that I would look to go to the USA for an MS and settle down there. And then reforms happened. A cousin got a job at Arthur Andersen, and was earning a few lakhs a year (seemed incredible). And when I got into an IIM, I decided to gamble that reforms would open up opportunities for people like me, and gave up my US plans.



In the near term, it did not pay off. My first job paid me about Rs. 15000 take home, while we friends who joined Intel were making about USD 60000. My dreams were limited - a Maruti Zen, a house in the distant suburbs, and the hope of building a reasonable nest egg. Of course, these were far exceeded - largely as a result of hard work and being at the right place at the right time. The second hand Zen gave way to a Honda City, and then a Superb. All my other goals were met as well - and the big question that arises is what next.



So what advice would I give someone starting his or her career today? 1) Focus on building skills and relationships and not on the next raise. I have changed just one job in about 20 years of working life - and have done better than most of those who burnt bridges in search of the next raise. 2) Live well within your means. It's very easy to give in the temptation to spend all you earn. And if life is kind to you like it has been to me, savings in your 20s may not matter. But the next 20 years are unlikely to witness the kind of growth in incomes that the last 25 did. And even in a good economy, I can think of several points in my career where luck got me through challenges rather than just skill and effort. So saving at every stage of life is important - and the power of compounding means that saving a small amount early in life can matter a lot later. 3) Care for family and friends - it's easy to think of parents, friends and family as immortal in your teens or twenties. But by my early forties, I have lost my parents, aunts and uncles, a cousin and one of my engineering batch mates. It's very easy to get caught up in the rat race and not give time for those one cares for. But remember, time is the one thing one can't recreate. So do take time out for those you care about. 4) Compete, work hard, but don't measure yourself relative to others- no matter how well you do, there will be someone who does much, much better. As I said before, I have done much, much better than I ever imagined I would. But among my batch mates/ seniors / juniors, you have founders of prominent Unicorns, Global function heads of large MNCs, famous authors. Some of my IIM batch mates studied engineering with Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai. Rejoice in your friends success, as they do in yours. But don't measure your self worth by being "better off" than them.



What would I have done differently? Perhaps I would have looked to develop aspects of my personality other than just the work related ones. The big question that arises in your 40s is what do you do for the next 20+ years of your working life if you succeed in climbing the nearby totem pole. Having other interests helps - not just in keeping your mind active in more dimensions than one, but also in pursuing a second career should your chosen one get interrupted. I have seen dozens of highly competent folks lose their jobs in the 4 recessions we have seen in the last 20 years. And those who were flexible, and had multiple interests coped with that better than others.



Best of luck. Last edited by Hayek : 17th April 2016 at 21:47 .