We are a nation that is obsessed with absolute numbers. Our policy and decision making is based on these statistical gimmicks. The human or the emotional angle is almost never counted for. The nation is being driven by GDP numbers and the corporate world by CTC numbers. Just like GDP is the most flawed way of assessing any development or growth of a nation, CTC is the most flawed way of evaluating your career and its growth.
GDP is only a measure of the total worth of a nation and CTC is only what a company is willing to spend on you. Both these numbers are too centered on money as the cornerstone of decision making. While money is important, it isn't the only factor on which decisions should be based. This is precisely why we need something like HDI, Human Development Index, which takes into account Life Expectancy and Education along with Income into consideration. For a nation it's more important for the people to feel the growth than just seeing it in the newspapers as numbers. Similarly an individual needs to feel growth in his roles, responsibilities not just read it in his offer letters, and most importantly enjoy his work.
An HDI like index for the corporate world would also help individual re-evaluate their goals. It's very important that people realise what exactly they want from their lives. The goal of six or seven figures pay check can never be a goal. CTC is just a number and obviously your goals can't be just numbers (or are they!!). For every other goal of your life you have many ways of achieving it and this is what the approach should be - goal based. We take four years of our lives to finally realise what we actually want. If this decision was taken taken years back we would have been much closer to our goals.
Today, decision making is difficult because all that you have in reports is average, mean, highest and lowest packages. The first question you would be asked in your reunion would be your package. So this is all you work for. There is a reason why the world's second largest economy is at 101th position in HDI terms. The decision of being a Norway or China lies in our hands but there is no statistics to help you in that respect.
We have started respecting petty numbers more than our own selves. It's the numbers that matter more today than your life. Money is important and money you'll earn but what you do to earn that money is solely your choice. This is a mad race which no one is going to win those who quit and get a life for themselves will be the winners.
"Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants."
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