This New Year, Listen to Your Heart

If you’ve been doing something for years, you eventually become very good at it. You become known for it. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒔.

Because while you continue to grow: take courses, earn more degrees, reskill, upskill, learn entirely new domains: at the workplace, you’re often still seen doing 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈.

You could be an accountant who understands strategy.

A finance professional pursuing marketing.

Someone with years of experience and a fresh, trending perspective.

However, within the organisation, the label persists.

Organisations still tend to view people in fixed boxes based on what they 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆, rather than what they 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆.

Experience, ironically, becomes a box instead of a bridge.

In India, we often discuss the demographic dividend, emphasizing the need for opportunities among young professionals.

Yet a large number of experienced professionals in their 30s, 40s, 50s are often under-utilised, not under-qualified.

Over 53% of graduates and 36% of postgraduates are underemployed in jobs below their qualifications.

Only about 4.7% of the workforce has formal skill training, contributing to an underutilised labour force.

Even after retirement, many senior citizens still want to contribute meaningfully.

They have decades of institutional memory, decision-making wisdom, and problem-solving skills.

However, the system mostly asks them to step aside instead of taking a different approach.

When organisations don’t tap into the full potential of experience, they lose twice: once by not leveraging what people already know; and again by ignoring what they are still capable of becoming.

Yes, experience 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 be your biggest asset.

But when it becomes the only lens through which you’re seen, it quietly turns into a limitation.

According to LinkedIn’s 2025 Work Change Report, by 2030 as much as 70% of the skills used in most jobs will change, reshaping how organisations view talent, roles and experience in the future.

This means that experience shouldn’t be a label that limits you, it should be a foundation for ongoing evolution: the kind that helps you grow horizontally as well as vertically in your career.

If 2025 offered us a Big Idea for 2026, it is that the future of work won’t be defined by what you’ve always done, but by what you can keep becoming.

Growth sometimes simply means being allowed to evolve within one.

Talent doesn’t expire. It just gets quieter when it’s not heard.

PS: This New Year, listen to your heart.

India’s Talent Quandary: The Work-Weary Exodus

“Whoa! You are quitting without another job in hand?”

🙄 “Here, people expect me not to have a personal life. At home, I am expected not to have a professional life when I am with them.”
🙄 “I am being blamed for what others don’t do. It’s frustrating to shoulder the burden of collective responsibility.”
🙄 “I am feeling saturated without appreciation. It’s demotivating when efforts aren’t acknowledged.”

I gathered these insights from professionals across diverse fields, spanning both my professional network and personal circles.

It’s not overthinking or poor life management. It reflects a seismic shift in aspirations among young Indians. Health, quality of life, and a balanced workspace have taken precedence.

This mirrors India’s recent slip in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2023 by INSEAD. India slid from 101st to 103rd among 134 nations, showcasing a struggle to effectively nurture top-tier human capital.

Beyond mere statistics, this decline signifies a profound crisis. The chasm between societal expectations and individual well-being, coupled with a lack of acknowledgment, is prompting talented individuals to seek alternatives away from conventional workplaces.

The younger generation prioritizes a fulfilling life, work-life balance, and a supportive environment. India’s decline echoes this global sentiment, challenging the traditional work paradigm.

It’s not just about attracting talent; it’s about crafting an ecosystem that fosters growth, acknowledges contributions, and respects individual aspirations. The prevailing work culture must evolve to embrace diversity, prioritize well-being, and honor employees’ holistic needs.

India requires recalibration.

✔ Revisiting workplace norms,
✔ Addressing gender biases,
✔ Promoting work-life balance, and,
✔ Valuing well-being within professional domains.

Understanding that talent retention transcends mere job satisfaction is paramount, thus creating an environment where individuals feel valued, empowered, and motivated.

This isn’t just India’s narrative. Developing nations like Indonesia, Mexico, and Brazil have showcased impressive strides, emphasizing holistic growth and employee well-being. For instance, Indonesia climbed from 62nd to 56th, Mexico from 54th to 47th, and Brazil from 56th to 47th, marking significant progress in nurturing talent.

It’s India’s moment to redefine its trajectory. By nurturing a culture that cherishes talent, celebrates individuality, and prioritizes well-being, India can regain its competitive edge.

A future of appreciating everyone equally, where talent thrives, fuels innovation, and drives sustainable growth, is within reach – all it takes is a recalibrated approach that values the essence of its human capital.

The Placement

Placement season brings back many memories for me.

While I was in the final year of my graduation, I had two options – either continue with the integrated master’s course or take the bachelor’s degree and join the company I was placed in. Elders advised that I continue with my post-graduation, for if I start working, I won’t be able to study with full concentration afterward. I was hesitant as most of my classmates had decided to move out and start their professional journey.

The road we don’t know where.

Nonetheless, I continued with my post-graduation. However, I also started working at a national radio channel as a freelance producer. I used to get Rs. 700 per documentary that was broadcast in the district. By the time I entered my fifth year, I had already started working with a national daily as a copy editor. I got Rs. 4500, in cash, as my salary. And before I graduated, I already had a PPO from another national newspaper as an Editorial Trainee. My annual package was Rs. 1.8 Lakh.

By this time, the classmates who had already joined companies two years ago were no longer a trainee, had settled in their jobs, or had switched to new jobs and were earning way more.

This time, I took the job and moved to another city. I used to get Rs. 12,500/- in hand. The CTC illusion enlightened me. My rent was Rs. 2,500, and I paid Rs. 1,500 to the tiffin center, for I had irregular working hours. However, within six months of joining the company, I enrolled in a Ph.D. in management; so that the learning doesn’t stop.

I worked for almost three years, completed my Ph.D., and started a new job. Again, while working, I continued upgrading my skills in content writing, social media management, SEO, digital marketing, media relations, event management, branding, personal branding, content marketing, translations, editing, video production, etc. through various workshops, conferences, certificate and diploma courses.

Even today, my package is lower than that of my classmates. However, apart from my full-time job, I now help people from different backgrounds and industries, including my friends and relatives, in branding, social media marketing, content editing, creative writing, PR, and media relations. I mentor women from rural India to build their brands over digital platforms, which brings me contentment.

I didn’t have a formal convocation, even though I was a top-ranker throughout my five years, nor did I have an excellent salary, ever.

But, over time, I have built strong friendships – with a few, of course, but the best ones; a robust professional network – including my former employees as well; and learned – professionally, academically, and personally. That’s where I am ‘placed’ today in my journey.

No matter where you are placed, what designation you have, or how much you earn, never stop learning. Never underestimate the power of friendships. Grow your network. Upgrade your skills. And keep moving ahead. You never know where the new road will take you!