NET-WORKING

It is never too late to make a fresh start. That’s what Ashish Mitra, a 50-year-old banker; believed. More than half-way through his career in the banking sector; he chose to do a short computer course and then gave up his job to set up a computer training centre. He is now busy making software programmes and training children in computers.
Osama Manzar was all enthusiasm when he chose a career in journalism. Working for a computer magazine after some years of freelancing, made him realise that his potential lay elsewhere. So he quit his job and joined with like-minded friends to launch a website designing company. Today, Manzar is not only managing his own business but also playing consultant to private companies.
 Bahuguna was a fighter the air force, till a head injury made him quit the force to seek a career elsewhere. He groped around for a while before finding his forte in the world of computers. He has just launched two major websites on photography and traveling within India.
These men are not alone. There are many more enterprising professionals like them for whom computers, and more specifically the Internet, has unfolded new career opportunities. The strides made in the field of Information Technology (IT) have begun to attract a lot of people to this field, some of whom began life in other careers. And these people are all set to become the early riders of the information revolution that is all set to re-define the of information and communication technology in the new millennium.
These cyber-pioneers have often given up secure jobs to branch off on their own in the uncharted waters of the Web. Their computers have given them access to almost the entire world. And they have made a place in this world by either setting up software companies, computer training centres or by designing and creating websites.
And though they may not be raking in crores — not yet, at least — what is important to them is the thrill they derive from being the masters of their own destinies.
Take Mitra, for instance, who halls from a family of bankers. Trained as a chartered accountant, Mitra established himself as a banker. “I was always interested in technology but settled for a career in finance because my father had wanted it that way. Although I quite liked my banking job, something within me was not quite satisfied.” While working in his last job, Mitra did a short course in computers and that is when he first saw an opportunity to do what he had always wanted to do.
Subsequently, Mitra launched his own company, ‘Net 2000’, which creates software programmer for imparting computer training to children of all ages. “This job gives me immense pleasure as I feel that I am helping children equip themselves for the new millennium.” Mitra also writes books on computers for children.
Any regrets? “None whatsoever! I get a tremendous job satisfaction and financially, too, it’s been quite rewarding. Of course, like any other business, you don’t get a fixed income at the end of the month, but I do love the challenge and the sense of adventure that the job brings with it,” says Mitra.
Bishwadeep Chakravorty was formerly assistant manager, marketing and sales, Indian Express Online Media Ltd. He was involved with selling advertising space for the electronic media. While on his job, Chakravorty found that there was a lot of jargon used in the world of IT which he wanted to explore. Realising the vast potential of the Internet market, he enrolled for a basic course in IT, the Web Master conducted by the World Wide Web institute.
Chakravorty is now the chief accounts manager, e-business, with Web Development Company. The company deals with providing services in e-commerce, Intranet and the Internet. Though the IT industry is very rewarding, he feels that at the same time, “it is a veritable rat race out there. In my earlier job, the atmosphere was far more relaxed and laidback. But here, you have to be on your toes constantly while you must also keep abreast of the changes in the world of technology. But ultimately, what’s work without a little bit of risk-taking and hard work?”
Biju Paulose has come a long way from having worked as a sub-editor with Business Standard to becoming product manager with Caltiger, a startup Internet service provider. “It was while page-making that I tried to understand the finer nuances of software,” he says.
The change came with Techna, a firm which offered him a job dealing mostly with creating websites for customers within an existing infrastructure. But his true challenge in the form of his current job with Caltiger. “While in. my earlier job I had the infrastructure, here we have to create the infra structure — therein lies the difference. There is a lot of hype associated with this line about the pay-packet, but it is actually the technical professionals who earn a lot. The bonus, however, is the sense of adventure, fun and novelty that comes with the job,” Paulose says.
For Venkatesh Hariharan, a commerce graduate from Mumbai, it was all of these and more. He had been looking for career options in the field of sales and marketing. Venkatesh even worked as a salesman with the city’s Ask Me’ service before getting a job as a technical writer with a software firm in 1992. The job gave Hariharan his first exposure to a computer. “As a gadget, it fascinated me immensely and the fascination turned into a desire to delve deeper into its relevance, specially after the Internet arrived on the scene,” he recalls.
After a short stint with Express Computers, the Indian Express group’s computer magazine, he decided to take up research on the effect of the Information Technology on developing countries. He did some freelancing alongside to sustain himself. During his research he met Professor K. Kenistor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who recommended him for a year’s Knight Science Fellowship to MIT.
Soon after, Venkatesh was offered a job to teach at the Indian Institute of Information Technology at Bangalore.. He says, “I had never imagined that one day I would be teaching at such a prestigious institute and find a vocation that has so much of relevance to our times.”
But Venkatesh is not doing just that. He is also working on computer projects to make high-tech enterprises more computer savvy. Looking back, he says, “Had it not been for the Internet and the personal computer, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to study at MIT.”
For Nitya Jacob, however, it was necessity that led him to the world of computers. He had worked for organizations such as The Pioneer and TVI (Television International) of the Business India group. While scouting around for a job, Nitya met a graphic designer who was discovering the world of website designing. Nitya joined him and they toyed around with the personal computer to download sites, information and then design some sites themselves. “Initially it was just a shot in the dark for me. But soon, my fascination with this user-friendly medium grew and I decided to start something on my own with my own computer,” he says.
From that day on, Nitya stopped looking for a job and instead put in long hours in front of the computer, learning the nitty-gritty of website designing. He launched his own outfit called ‘Write shop’ and went looking for clients. And they came. From Siemens to ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Commission) to Studds (helmets) and smaller enterprises such as Keramos Tiles and Shrishti (an NGO).
“I had never imagined that fiddling with my computer would open up such avenues for me. I had got into the business of web designing at a time when there were hardly any courses in this field. Today there are hundreds and some can even be accessed on the Net,” says Jacob.
Thanks to his proficiency the medium, Nitya is also the regional coordinator for one World’, an on-line site being run by the British Council Division. The site trains NGOs in the use of the Internet as a tool of information.
Having been a journalist himself, Nitya feels that it is more satisfying for a media person to communicate through the Net. “In a newspaper or a magazine you have to write, send your piece to the editor and only then does it reach the readers but here there is no filter between you and your audience,” He points out. There’s another advantage - that of not having a boss “because here, you are your own boss”
Computers were not a very new medium for Manu Bahuguna. A former pilot with the Indian Air Force, he was used to handling digital technology that is an intrinsic part of navigational systems. He discovered its power much later. Manu had to leave the air force after he suffered a head injury while playing polo. He did short stints at jobs that included working with a publishing firm till finally ventured into the world of computers. Overcome by the power and the freedom it gave a creative mind, Manu floated a company called ‘Easel Interactive’, which is all about designing websites.
Bahuguna feels that computers and the Internet have made it possible for people with means to harbour big dreams. “For someone who had wanted to launch a travel magazine, would have involved a lot money and an organizational set up. But thanks to computers and the Internet, all that is possible now with one-fourth the expenses,” he says.
He has recently launched two sites, photoindia.com and travelindia.com, both of which have many firsts to their credit. The former, for instance, is a site that provides various photo solutions. These include providing pictures and transparencies on India for multiple use through the Internet to agencies through out the world. The travel site, which also has an on-line magazine, is a one-stop solution for meeting the requirements of the demanding and discerning traveller, both international and domestic.
For Osama Manzar, it was the world of the Internet and computers that helped him realise his dream of being his own boss. Manzar had started his career as a freelance journalist for news papers such as The Pioneer and The Hindustan Times. Looking for a full time job, he joined a computer magazine called Computer World. For Manzar who barely knew the meaning of hardware and software, the coming of the Internet made him pick up information quickly and become assistant editor with the magazine.
Wanting to do more and not content with confining himself to a job, he decided to venture out on his own. Manzar was lucky and got a break as the HT Interactive Media Incharge. He not only built the daily’s Internet department but also helped launch its website: digitalht.com. The experience enthused him to get into the business of Internet. So he got together with a group of friends to launch a company called 4Cplus.com an Internet company that designs and creates web- sites.
“There were so many things I had wanted to do but could not, at least as an employee. But thanks to the Internet, which has a very low entry barrier, I feel part of the current digital revolution that has swept across the world,” says Manzar.
Besides, heading the company, Manzar is also consulting editor to The Netacross INET Report, a monthly for CEOs. He also edits Internet Economy of India, an e-mail weekly newsletter about the media coverage of the Internet, and is contributing writer to a host of publications related to information technology.
For Deepak Agarwal, life was a dream. Working with the Bank of America as a software engineer, a good salary package and job satisfaction gave him much of what he wanted from life. But soon a sense of stagnation set in.
So he quit his job and set up a one-man office in his living room to launch a website on Indian business. Today, he employs a staff of 75 people on his Intermesh Systems. Through its website, IndiaMart.com, Intermesh has become the first company in India to provide directory services for exporters and importers on the Internet and forwards business queries free of cost. On the click of a button, the site unfolds a vast poor of information on business, trade, export, industry, news, travel, tourism, hotels, health and transport.
Deepak feels that he may have been among the first to gauge and cash in on the information revolution that the Internet has ushered in. But he feels that computers are bound to become a ubiquitous part of our lives. “They are not just the box that you see. Almost 50 per cent of all industrial applications of our lives in the next millennium are going to be computer-based. So there is no escaping it. And those who see the opportunity and work on it, may be among the first gainers,” he adds.
Going by these success stories, it may not be an overstatement to say that the Internet could well provide some of the best career opportunities in the years to come. So, don’t be frightened off by the Internet, get into it!