CEO speaks: Early bird catches the worm
The traditional view of career success has always been closely associated with an individual’s age. It is generally expected that a successful individual has achieved professional success through long years of hard work and is at the pinnacle of his/her career only in the later years of their professional life. And this hypothesis does hold true for many of us.
However, if we look around, there are several exceptions. From politics to tech companies — relatively “young” leaders are making their mark everywhere. At 34, Sanna Marin, the Prime Minister of Finland, is the youngest state leader ever. Parag Agarwal became the CEO of Twitter when he was 37. Sundar Pichai was 42 when he was named the CEO of Google.
Closer home, Sagar Dayani & Binod Homagai, the founders of Wow!Momo, started their entrepreneurial journey at 21 in Kolkata. In 2021, their company was valued at Rs 1,225 crore! Praful Billore at 25 became famous, and wealthy as the MBA Chaiwallah! Byju Raveendran started his journey with Byju’s Classes when he was only 27!
What is it that sets such young achievers apart? Can all of their successes be attributed to chance or fate — being at the right place at the right time — alone? Perhaps not.
The secrets of early success in professional lives may have a lot to do with how and when students decide to pursue their professional passions in right earnest. Choosing a career path at an early age can have numerous benefits when it comes to focus and preparation — especially for the more conventional financially rewarding careers. Focusing on a career that is financially rewarding, stable and offers excellent earning potential such as medicine, law, engineering, and finance, early in life also ensures financial independence and stability at a relatively younger age. Almost all elite institutes that train for these careers have incredibly difficult entrance examinations — be it NEET, JEE, CLAT/AILET, CA etc. By making an early choice, students can plan their studies and extra-curricular activities around the dedicated and prolonged preparation times that are required to succeed in these tests.
However, all individuals are not destined for more conventional career choices. While that would have been a severe disadvantage in the past, the digital revolution that we are living in has upended such notions. Individuals can now pursue their passions — be it travelling, gardening, cooking, fashion and numerous others — and become Youtube and Instagram stars with millions of followers! In almost all cases, these individuals have ensured their complete financial independence at a very young age by earning millions every month! Ajey Nagar of Carryminati, Ajju Bhai of Total Gaming, Sandeep Maheshwari, Gaurav Taneja, Saurav Joshi…the list seems endless!
Hence, an early career choice is not just about picking any career path at a young age; it is also about making an informed decision that takes into account the interests and aptitude of the individual. It is crucial to choose a career that aligns with one’s natural talents and interests to ensure a fulfilling and successful career and a happier life overall!
Millennials are changing the way we think about work and life as a whole. Obtaining financial independence early in life is crucial because it provides individuals with the freedom to pursue their passions and live life on their own terms. They can choose to spend their time doing what fulfils them the most — they can travel and explore the world without worrying about money, or buy land and start organic farming! Or choose to do anything else that they believe brings happiness and fulfilment to them.
For many of us in the older generations — when we are finally financially independent towards the end of our professional lives — we discover that we are past our prime and haven’t been able to do much of what we wanted to. We are, simply, out of time. We realise, often too late, that the price that was paid for not having a head up early in life was often too much in terms of happiness and fulfilment.
It is this hindsight that makes me a strong believer in an early start! As we have seen from the examples of young leaders in various fields, age should not be a limiting factor when it comes to achieving success. By making an informed choice based on their interests and aptitudes, students can set themselves up for a rewarding and fulfilling career. So don’t wait, start exploring your options today and pave the way for a brighter future — in every way imaginable!
Dr Sanku Bose, Group CEO
(Techno India Group)
