[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by Prowler

Those thousands of farmers are committing suicide mostly because they have been following traditional farming in a marginal way. There are some cases where some enterprising farmers have astronomical incomes from rare herbs and plants. It is a different game altogether compared with the traditional farming.

Thank you. It beats me when people right here have severe tunnel vision syndrome when it comes to Farming or alternative work.

I wouldn't blame them - our educational systems and work environments are so mentally restrictive and culturally straight jacketed, that kids who think differently at school, and folks who do things differently at work are penalized rather than being commended and encouraged.

We can keep complaining about IT and big businesses - but the root issue lies elsewhere. Make sure right now that your kids don't go down your path!

[AltoLXI]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Thank you. It beats me when people right here have severe tunnel vision syndrome when it comes to Farming or alternative work.

I wouldn't blame them - our educational systems and work environments are so mentally restrictive and culturally straight jacketed, that kids who think differently at school, and folks who do things differently at work are penalized rather than being commended and encouraged.

We can keep complaining about IT and big businesses - but the root issue lies elsewhere. Make sure right now that your kids don't go down your path!

Disagree here.

In fact most of the farmers are illiterate or have very basic schooling in villages. I know a few "farmers" who are not following the traditional path of cultivation and they have degrees in Biotechnology / Agriculture graduates. You need to go to villages and talk to farmers, understand the way they live and you will realise that it is a different world altogether

[Ferruccio]

Originally Posted by Prowler

Ferruccio Sir - your posts are some of the few I lap up eagerly for the way you write and your perspective (laced with humor). I wish you write more.

Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. You are amongst quite a few people who've been telling me to write more. Last Sunday even my old school teacher for English told me that again. By the way, I left school in 1986.

Truth be told I am an auto company employee. So it is in bad sport to write about competitors. If I write good about my own company it sounds insincere and I certainly can't write bad about my own company. So I choose mostly to comment on neutral topics.

You can see some of my more lighthearted writing online at https://goo.gl/Cbk52Y

And yes, perhaps it needed an unknown stranger on the Net to tell me to start writing in earnest.

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by Ferruccio

And yes, perhaps it needed an unknown stranger on the Net to tell me to start writing in earnest.

Thanks for the link to your writings. A quick reading of a couple of pieces tells me that you have a flair for writing - by choosing the topics well and presenting them differently. Please pursue your passion.

Allow me to quote a sample:

But I wonder why people laugh at bald men? In fact, most of the brilliant people in the world are bald! This is because bald men quite naturally outshine others. Baldies are also successful because they are fast thinkers. Their heads are aerodynamically shaped for speed. A bald head is also ideal to dissipate the heat generated by deep & intense thought. Pundits and other learned men in 3 great ancient civilizations — India, China and Egypt voluntarily shaved off all their hair. These ancient wise men were surely on to something!

Most world leaders are bald. Perhaps that is why they are called ‘heads of state’ — most of their heads are visible! I came across a group photo of the heads of state of the erstwhile CIS countries. It didn’t surprise me that everyone in the picture was bald! This exalted position given to baldness is not limited to the Communist bloc.

Guess what is America’s national bird? The Bald Headed Eagle. How proudly it features on America’s national emblem. Could it be that the founding fathers of America saw baldness as a sign of wisdom? Or was it because George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin were all balding?

Balding they say is hereditary; it is your children who make you go bald! But there is another school of thought that says that it is your wife who makes you go bald. I am sure that there is some truth in both theories –one never comes across bald women & children!

Hair often vanishes when life is at its prime, which is why they say ‘Hair today, gone tomorrow’. Baldies take heart — Optimism means seeing a glass not as half-empty but as half-full. See yourself as gaining face; not losing hair!

Why be ashamed of balding? Balding is natural — Men essentially have three hairstyles: Parted, unparted & departed. Besides, women find bald men irresistible. You must have often seen pretty women in the company of bald men. But have you ever seen a smart, successful young man dating a bald woman?

Bald men are brave. Show me one bald man who has ever had a hair-raising episode. You can also count on the baldy to keep a cool head at all times! Bald men are not chaps who argue . . . they simply do not believe in splitting hairs. And we bald men can certainly laugh at ourselves. Who says that we never let out hair down?

Source

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by Ferruccio

Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. You are amongst quite a few people who've been telling me to write more.
And yes, perhaps it needed an unknown stranger on the Net to tell me to start writing in earnest.

Now you have 3 internet strangers telling you to write more often on Team BHP. This forum will be richer for it. I am sending you link to my high school class which, you guessed it, had quite a few Bongs.

Suggestion for all those above 40 needing a lift (of spirits guys!) please read Ferriccio's link to his stories.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Ferruccio

Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. You are amongst quite a few people who've been telling me to write more. Last Sunday even my old school teacher for English told me that again. By the way, I left school in 1986.



You can see some of my more lighthearted writing online at https://goo.gl/Cbk52Y

And yes, perhaps it needed an unknown stranger on the Net to tell me to start writing in earnest.

I have saved in my notebook (Book of Quotes) what you wrote here a long time back on a topic : Life After 40:

... The stupidest thing to do with money is to spend money you don’t have to buy things that you don’t really want, to impress people who really don’t give a rat’s patootie. Debt is OK for buying stuff that generates wealth or sometimes for really big purchases like a house. For everything else, earn before you spend.

On Attitude
7. Always be the best read, best dressed, politest, most positive person you know. I was blessed with great role models to observe and emulate early in my career – JRD and RNT

....10. How to acquire great taste? Read, observe, copy and experiment until you distill taste that fits you like an old, well crafted, well cared for leather shoe.

11. Be likable. Smile and laugh a lot. Compliment people when you can. Bring candy. Listen genuinely, question sincerely. Make people feel like you are old friends in your company. Look people in the eye and tell them what needs to be told without bitterness when the occasion demands.

Top Class advice ! Thank you Roy Sir for sharing your pearls of wisdom

[Thilak29]

Some news here:

Intel is under investigation for age discrimination, IBM and Google are already fighting similar lawsuits.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by Thilak29

Some news here:

Intel is under investigation for age discrimination, IBM and Google are already fighting similar lawsuits.

Perhaps this will eventually lead to a 'quota' or a 'hiring target' to have a certain percentage of the workforce above 40.

Good news for the almost-40s like me!

But, jokes apart, am wondering how can something like this be proved as discrimination? It could be simple cost-cutting, it stands to reason that the older employees on average will be getting paid more than the younger ones.

[Thilak29]

Originally Posted by am1m

But, jokes apart, am wondering how can something like this be proved as discrimination?

Perhaps it's very similar to verifying marketing campaign effectiveness, if a campaign has impacted 'targeted' audience, campaign is considered effective. Similarly, if data points of let go individuals clearly point out age factor it is discrimination.

[rajwheelz]

Originally Posted by locusjag

I am a mid-30s Business Analyst by role, in a desi IT co, with just a new car EMI over my head. I am an expert in the North American Property & Casualty insurance domain.

with your skill sets, I would enroll my self for a data science course on coursera.org or udacity or any reputed university which offers this online.
And would add it up with another certification on Big Data and Hadoop.


Cost might be approx 50k for the whole repertoire and time might be 6 months+. I'd say that would give you a super edge and keep you safe for a long time.



Big data is is the next oil and anyone who has been an analyst is going the big data way.

[binand]

Originally Posted by am1m

But, jokes apart, am wondering how can something like this be proved as discrimination? It could be simple cost-cutting, it stands to reason that the older employees on average will be getting paid more than the younger ones.

The USA has two laws: Civil Rights Act and Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) to avoid the kind of scenario that you envisage.

The burden of proof that age is not a factor in deciding who to fire is on the employer. The employee just needs to show statistical correlation.

The "disparate impact" consideration prohibits the second aspect. If we assume there is strong positive correlation between age and salary, then if any employer fires people based on salary then it means that it disproportionately affects people who are older and hence is a violation.

[Relax&Cruise]

The similar plight of non IT personnel

42 and counting, standing at the edge of a lay-off.
The powers that be are closing down my segment and I will be among the last of the people to be sent off. Being last has nothing to do with my affable personality or above average intelligence. LOL

Most of the times I feel I was at the right place at the right time, infact I have myself wondered how I managed to survive for so long, since the culling started.

You can call it a culling, our company trimmed down more than 11000 jobs. Our segment got shut down, one location at a time, all my colleagues and me were like baby seals caught in the frenzy of a testosterone driven clubbing. We could not determine a criteria or pattern. Appraisals, grade, redundancy, CTC, nothing mattered; anyone could get whacked for no rhyme or reason.

If you haven’t seen the Canadian coming of age then it can also be visualized like that scene from Matrix where the disillusioned friend turned traitor starts unplugging the poor slobs that had entered the Matrix leading to their premature demise, some even before they could complete a parting sentence.

The common theme being that there was no logic in the order of getting chosen, it was sudden painful and everyone was helpless.



My colleagues are from the world over and they ask me what my plan B is, my quick response is Uber driver. Fact is I just cannot bring myself to think of continuing what I do elsewhere. I am sure that I will be able to adapt to a different work culture but I just don’t want to. It’s not just me all my colleagues are of the same opinion that they will not be able to do the same job in any other company. I have heard plans from trucking in Poland to teaching in Sweden, from opening a bar in India to a gentlemans club in U.K.

Why do I have no drive? Because I have no financial constraints. No car loan, no home loan, two kids whom I figure I can put through college with what I have, an imagination that can’t vision the future and a mobile phone that takes up all my time thanks to the countless whatsapp / telegram messages that pop up every waking second. Thank God I’m less active on facebook compared to previously but then tBhp has taken the seat that facebook had vacated.

Sometimes I feel a financial burden will be utmost effective in giving life some purpose, while at other times I thank god I’m burden free.

The main reason for my calm outlook is a dependable wife with a dependable job. A job with a salary that I have teased multiple times called paltry and compared its figure with a size zero figure. A job that I’m now thankful for. A job that I think can push the cart along, stop it from tumbling, repair the occasional puncture and provide medical insurance while I wait for life’s inevitable end.

How the smug shall eat the humble pie!

Any young members reading this, the take away from my post is, invest in your spouse’s career, motivate them, and please do not let the education your spouse worked hard to get, go to waste, see that they are gainfully employed, unless they do not want to.

In a few hours we are supposed to have a webcast from the VP, while everyone is downbeat I’m upbeat about the skype meeting as I know that the management isn’t dumb enough to call a meeting and say “Dear team nothing has changed we are still planning to flush you down the toilet”.



My only fear in the very very far back of my mind is the company saying “Thank you for your time here and your loyalty, we regretfully inform you that your settlement package is now a little lighter, goodbye”

Unless my fear comes true it's early retirement which I'm very much looking forward to.

[SmartCat]

Tech Mahindra’s retirement age lowered to 55
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/a...w/66036267.cms

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by smartcat

[b]Tech Mahindra’s retirement age lowered to 55

While this may have been published in the newspapers today this policy has been in practice for the last 1.5-2 years. Insider updates.

Someone I know personally who worked at the company for >25 years was edged out. Several of his peers have been shown the door using ingenious & subtle methods. Yeah, it all boils down to this..if you're in the IT field and 40 yo and over you better watch your back. Start working on a plan B ASAP.

PS - Retirement age at Tech Mahindra was 60 earlier

PPS - Some more insider information. Other large Indian IT companies are seriously considering following suit. One of them (no names at this time) was a trailblazer insofar as this policy is concerned. They had implemented it earlier than Tech Mahindra.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Someone I know personally who worked at the company for >25 years was edged out. Several of his peers have been shown the door using ingenious & subtle methods.

This explains something to me. I was interfacing with a senior manager (about my age) in TechM since a few years. Last year he told me he is switching jobs. Then I find him working at a college. I was quite surprised why he did that. Now I see what it could have been. He was one of the few decent, no-BS corporate managers I knew. May be that is why he got axed using the age rule.