“Jobs or lack of them” is a huge topic for discussion in Goa, and maybe therein lies the problem, we typically are NATO on this subject, ie No Action Talk Only.
The oft repeated claim that there are no jobs in Goa is something that I would like to dispel. That the only jobs available for Goan youth is in UK with a Portuguese passport is also something I would like to debunk. There are jobs available and there are jobs that one can create. How and what is the attitude one requires is what we need to focus on.
Look around you, at the beach in the market, in companies, everyday people from the rest of India are making their way to Goa, and finding the streets paved with gold. Daily a new shop opens, daily a new restaurant comes onto the scene and daily we find new job seekers being added to the list of those who have jobs. Have you seen people from other parts of India who have come to Goa looking for jobs crying that there are no jobs. The only people who cannot seem to get jobs are goans, the only people who are complaining are goan job seekers and their families.
As an employer for the last 25 years, the change is visible, we used to have no difficulty filling up posts earlier and now we struggle to find locals. The same is the case with industry colleagues. The main grouse of the employers is the fact that the job is not important, ability or experience is not important, how much salary will the job pay is the most important question that the employer has to answer.
Why and how did this change happen? Sometime in the early 2000’s call centres became a rage. The primary requisite for a call centre employee was a good command over the English language and goans were pretty good at that. The salaries that call centres offered was much higher than what other trades gave for freshers. So much so there was a rush for call centre jobs. Everyone was working at a call centre, there was a huge rush, qualified Doctors and engineers found themselves taking up these jobs. Apart from the salary, the designation given too were very fancy.
Parents and faculty had no clue what was happening. The general idea that a fat salary and a better sounding designation meant a great job and all was well. However, in reality these were mostly dead end jobs, two or three years down the line, the employee was old and had was not experienced.
A receptionist dealt with phone calls, handled walk in customers, did travel arrangements for the boss, typed some letters etc, after two years the employee would be more confident, able to handle different situations and people, that is experience. In a call centre job, the name given was an alias, the job dealt with issues of customers based in a third country, the continuous night shift had their own medical issues. Two years down the line they had just grown older. Can you see the difference? But the damage was done. Now the expectation for starting salary escalated, traditional manufacturing and hotels could not keep pace, the gap had to be filled and outsiders happily filled the void.
The other major phenomenon was cruise liners, again there was a rush for these jobs at sea. The initial years were reportedly hard, but once you got to the deck side and earned tips, life became rosy. The path was generally get a job in a hotel so as to get relevant experience. Then they would go aboard, hotels too got wise as they were being used as stepping stones.
There are jobs available in Goa and there are opportunities to do business as well. The point is where does one start. Let me take an example of potential employees applying to get into “HR” positions. When asked why this particular field was chosen to make an entry into the working world, 99% do not have a clue, they just feel it is a cool job to do. 99% have done no research on this job profile and know nothing of what skill sets the job profile require. So really they do not know if they are a fit for the job on hand, but they apply anyway and basically have a target salary in mind. There is nothing wrong in have an expectation but can you deliver from your side to meet that salary expectation? Our education system surely does not make you capable of “plug and play”, you need “On Job Training”.
For engineers, most of whom have really only passed their exams and recall none of the basics associated with the subject. It is actually really disheartening. The engineers want to be doing work in quality department. If asked why they choose this particular job at the start of their career, they have no clue. It appears to be less stressful maybe. Another factor is the graduation is in say electronics and the jobs available in mechanical. This should not be an issue. The graduation was done in a subject that was presented because of grades. In life, if the objective is to become a CEO or owner of a business. One does not become CEO Electronic, but CEO looks at production marketing, HR etc. At the top, everyone is multitasking, why restrict your choices at the bottom?
The attitude at the start of the career is something I would believe needs a relook. Some students are very sure what they want to do and how they are going to achieve their chosen path, however in my experience this type of student is a minority. Most do not know what jobs are available and what job they would like to do. In addition our education system is very bookish with absolutely no exposure to the real world till after graduation. A few sandwich courses insist on intern-ship of 4 to 6 weeks.
My advice to those seeking their first job is very simple. Present yourself to the Company as a resource available to do whatever the Company deems fit to allocate. Accept the salary offered and start the job. Make sure you attend work everyday in time, this discipline is important. While doing the jobs allotted make sure you understand what you are doing, if there are related skills you need to master work on them. For eg: you are following up outstanding payments, you will learn how to handle spreadsheets, practice remembering the names of the people and businesses you deal with, improve your telephone etiquette, do not wait for the Company or boss to teach you, use google and Utube to teach yourself. Accept outdoor jobs wholeheartedly, they teach you more.
Once you are working, observe what are the jobs available and see if you prefer any job to what you are currently doing. In your spare time or after work, ask your colleague to teach you the job, offer to help them finish some pending work. This way you will get to learn and also find out if it is really something you would like t o do. Pick jobs which have potential to make a career in.
If you are good at your job, you will get noticed and salary will follow. Patience is the key. There is no point jumping jobs for a few rupees more every six months. At some point it will catch up with you and anyway you will not be adding any worthwhile experience if you shift every now and again. If internal vacancies come up, do not hesitate to apply. Once you have the experience, you will be able to ask for more money if you also demonstrate that you can deliver. High fliers are usually rewarded with better perks and emoluments so as to retain them.
Today the opportunities for doing business has increased manifold. Funding and support is also more easy to access than before. If you have worked a few years, the experience becomes an asset when you jump into the waters of entrepreneurship. You have experience, contacts and above all confidence. However do not expect it to be a smooth highway. It is not and never will be, there are up and downs like everything else in life but overcoming these challenges is what makes entrepreneurship interesting. We cannot wait for government to make a business for us, we have to find out what is lacking in society and design a product or service to meet that need, and build a profitable business around that product or service.
The last advice I would give is join a social group, Jaycees,YFC, Rotractors, here one is exposed to organising, meeting different people, leadership roles and travel. These aspects make these social groups ideal training grounds for youth.
To summarise, there are jobs in the market, they may not be in the field we have studied but that should not be an issue. The idea should be to grab the job that comes your way and work your way up quickly as possible. Do not chase money, do a good job and money will follow you. When you are working ensure that you are disciplined, be on time and regular. Upgrade your skills, learn new techniques. The easiest way is to help colleagues, you make new friends as well as learn.
When asked to write this editorial, I was wondering how I could avoid the trap of crying wolf, what was it I could say that can give youngsters direction. What is it that can motivate youngsters in today’s world of “instant gratification”. I do hope I have given you some food for thought and wish each and every one of you wisdom in handling the start of your careers so that you are successful. Its your carer you take charge of it and make it happen.
Deu Borem Koru
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