This post is formally an entry for the InsideIIM B-school Debate
Institute: IIM Bangalore
Teammate: Nabeel Mohammed Salim
Team name:
The Chillaxs
Link to article being refuted:
http://insideiim.com/from-a-some-one-to-a-no-oneat-imt-ghaziabad/
When opportunities knock at your door, would you stand there saying I want no more?
When people around you are ready to stand by, will you wave to them saying good bye?
When you have the stage or a platform, will you just shy away saying you don’t want to perform?
Even before a child turns three he is put into a play school so that he learns group dynamics and how to behave before he enters the actual world. Parents want their children to be pre-prepared and rightly so. Before attempting the CAT exams don’t most of us look into obtaining a work experience? Well apart from the fact that it strongly adds onto your resume, is it truly just a job or the experience that matters? The multiple competitions you took part in at school, college or otherwise, didn’t they play a major role in molding you into what you are today.
Attention seeking syndrome or not, No Body likes being a “nobody”. One way or the other people like to make their presence feel. How do you think performance reviews are done at workplaces? Does it only depend on “performance” on the work front, or factors like team dynamics? Is a promotion in office solely dependent upon your managers decision or the impact you have created on the floor, more importantly have the decision makers made a note of you in their little pocket books?
Some don’t like to be in the lime light true that but when a senior recognises you by name or your secret crush randomly waves at you someday because they recognise you from yesterday’s party, does bring a smile on your face. Well, if the same happens in a way that gives you positive popularity for the right reasons in the right direction who knows you might end up being a celebrity tomorrow. Ever wondered why you are closer to your classmates than to the rest of the batch? Attaching importance to communities and clubs, utilising appropriate chances to make a mark there within and correspondingly getting noticed is a sure sign of growth. This is the organised way of making yourself known amongst a small community for the work you do and then the news spreads like wild fire (especially in B Schools, Gossip sells like hot cakes!!). All of this can be very helpful you see (<insert devil laugh>, placements and stuff, networking etc.) Join the dots guys, you are definitely smart enough.
So here it goes, B school style of writing (and thinking) in points. Advantages of “not” being a member of NCC (No Club Committee):
- The best ice breaker- You are a little toddler (fresher), new to the B school world. Your seniors try hard to get you to open up, get you to interact, formally and informally, but really can you come out of your shell until and unless you really have a reason to? Such forums are the quickest method by which “ice breaking” officially happens, because you involve doing something meaningful and in most cases something you signed up for.
- If you are talking about the late night meetings and effort that goes in, to conduct and host events, being a part of clubs, well, I personally haven’t read about anyone making it big by sleeping all night and free riding. I say, give it a second thought.
- She gets the better stuff, he gets to meet more people than me, what the hell he is getting to perform and not me.
Daal mein kuch kaala hai, something is fishy? < insert thinking smiley> Heard these kind of dialogues? Folks, those of you who aren’t joining clubs such reasons, wake up sweethearts! Club politics happen, but it’s just a taste of the real corporate world. The arena outside isn’t much of a joy ride either. “Politics har system mein koot koot ke bhara hua hai”- top to down, at every level, there is no getting away. Sooner you learn the better.
- You get to meet alumni (read big shots) who were a part of the same clubs who are in hot shot positions today and would connect with you better because you get to have formal (informal) interactions with them. Now you are giving it a serious thought (<Joey style, How you doing look>), aren’t you?
- You get to interact with current seniors and it gives a better forum for interaction and exchange of thoughts, ideas and reality of how a B-school functions( Professors, acads, interviews etc).Yeah there are many other ways of finding out, but lazy that we are, the easier way out is always the better one, right?
- Sometimes, your interviews just revolve around the activities in the clubs that you are a part of. Easier to prepare that way, correct? Remember the question, what is it that interests you most? What have you done in order to pursue the same? Whatever, Clubs can be your first step in that line of thought (Bazinga!).
- Also, it does depend on the type of club you are in. Being a part of the alumni committee, media cell or placement committee gives you a lot of exposure to people at influential positions, thereby a lot of new forums to learn and interact (you get to meet the hot shots sooner and more often).
- Besides, everyone is good at something. Be it PSP, Art, Music, Drama, Media, Writing, Debate. If you can’t put in an effort to popularise, perform and be apart of the domain you love the most, then what is passion all about?(Dude really, you love to sing, yeah right, prove it!).
- Isn’t is very frequently said that we must all have hobbies? Have you ever wondered why? Apart from personal benefits, it is a medium to get people with the same tastes to a common forum where they can discuss to propagate their interest and take it forward.
- Organising competitions and events again widens your zone of exposure to people, time, managing tasks, managing your team, handling seniors/juniors, handling people who don’t turn up when scheduled(there by contingency management) etc. The fact that at a B-school one learns more outside class room than within primarily comes about via these learning platforms. Adding on a few more skills and jargons: Soft skills, personality development, email handling, poster creation, crowd management, organising capital and handling sponsorship deals, the list goes on.
- Most entrepreneurial ventures are generated at places where folks of similar calibre and interests gather. Really you think ideas come out of nowhere? Children in kindergarten also question the Newton and the apple story now. Ideas and creativity in most cases are a result of passionate discussions and interactions among likeminded clique.
- And finally, it does give you an awesome extra resume point.
I believe clubs are the bigger picture, you really don’t need to tag it. It all boils down to people who are so crazy about their passion that they are willing to spend time and effort to indulge in the same in addition to the many additional perks. Gone are the days when inefficiency, the inability to perform or the disinterest to do so can be blamed on not having the right resources to project them. Now is the right time people, get out of your comfort zones and get going. Go do what interests you most, join that club, or create one if it does not exist. Life is too short to be complaining later. Make your life at B-school more memorable and useful, because you don’t want a shadow to fall back on, you want an identity of your own.