SUMMER PLACEMENTS - PART ( I )

It was a normal office morning in the month of April and I had just been comfortable in my chair. I started browsing a small bunch of papers before me and a scent of a hot cappuccino entered the cabin and filled my nerves with a deep energizing flavour. While I was enjoying every sip of the morning coffee served by the canteen boy, the intercom buzzed and I was told by the receiptionist that a couple of visitors are there to see me. I asked her to send them in and wondered as to who would wish to meet me at this time and what would be the purpose.

“Good Morning Sir!”, a smart voice turned my face towards the door. I saw two young men in their early twenties, dressed in casuals, standing there. I reciprocated the greetings, gestured them to come in and be comfortable on the other side of the table. They introduced theselves as Rahul and Sanket, students of MBA Part I of a Management Institution in the city. They were having Marketing as their major and were selected to have a summer placement in the organization for which I was working as a Sales Manager. I always had this liking for sharing my knowledge and experience with management students or the junior executives in the company and I never let go any opportunity to do so. I asked Rahul and Sanket to make a brief synopsis of activities they have planned to do in their summer placement.

When I saw the first line of the plan presented by the duo, I was surprised to note that the guys who wished to make a career in sales, planned their summer activity for Market Research. When I went into details, I realized all they had planned was to make a questionnaire, get those forms filled by consumers as well as traders, mark the responses on a scale of four and make a summary. To make it look more colourful and presentable, they were to use some graphics and pictures. To add pages, they were to write the company’s history in detail. Some theories from the text books were to be copied and presented as the objectives. And finally, they were to report findings and recommend strategies. I asked both of them what they are going to achieve or learn from this activity, and their blank faces reflected the question mark in their mind.

It was obvious that the duo didn’t know what they are doing and why. They didn’t have any purpose or objective in mind. They were not aware of the learning opportunity they had in hand. They were just wandering aimlessly only with a hope of getting a good job once they complete the MBA degree. How futile! Thousands of students graduate as MBAs and hop out of mediocre institutions every year with high hopes of getting that dream job. After a few attempts here and there, the dream comes crashing down. They face the hard reality of life and begin to understand the meaning of competency, skill, talent and knowledge. And repent for the lost opportunities they had in hand for developing the skillset and gaining practical knowledge.

This kinda thinking awakes the Teacher in me. Summer Placements of the MBA students serve as a perfect stage for me to direct the show. I get a small opportunity to guide and interact with the potential heroes of the corporate world. And since this is my first blog, I would not let it be empty of some advises which my natural care for them provokes me to wish them to follow at this stage of their education.