Rahul Ram is a person I would love to have a drink with. As I go through his career record a very familiar dilemma comes to the forefront. What are we better off doing? Should we rather follow our personal calling and run the risk of finding ourselves in the midst of ambiguity or should we allow our careers to be determined by predictable norms.
Personally I have always advocated following one's own passions. The fact is, if you are not happy doing what you do, the chances are you are not going to be good at it. However, as a professional it is often difficult to put this philosophy into practice. It all looks good when the individual comes out on top. On most occasions the pragmatism of planning and charting out a structured career path has distinct advantages.
For one, it safeguards us from the element of chance. Let us face it. Ram’s phoenix-like rise from the strug -gles of earning a livelihood as an activist of Narmada Bachao Andolan to his iconic status are at best rare. For the rest of us the advantages of planning one’s careers, evaluating what suits one best and attempting to align personal capabilities with prospective career goals would yield dividends. Of course, there too we must recognise the power of being passionate about what we do and endeavour to succeed with what we have.
For those of us who wish to go with the bohemian lifestyle, a piece of advice: it is not for the faint hearted. Christopher Columbus decided to sail away instead of hugging the shores, unlike others, and ended up discovering the Americas.
By N S Rajan, Partner, Human Capital, E&Y
