Thinking beyond a ‘stable government job’

The other word for a government job is ‘security’ because of which many seek for it. Times are changing; the old pension scheme is gone and it is being said that firing from government job for non-performance may become more common in the future. Some people speculate that government jobs in the future won’t be ‘regular’ anymore and every job will be ‘contractual’. In extreme cases (although not rare in Nagaland), government job means that one can get pay without work. I had a neighbor who I always see throughout the year. After several years, I came to know that he is a colleague in the same department posted in his village. When you travel to the small towns in the sub divisions, you see government offices being locked for most part of the year.

Search for government job plays a huge role in our electoral politics. We vote for candidates so that they can give us government jobs. When elected, the assistants (chamchas) of the elected representatives hunt in the departments for every vacancy, and even where there is no vacancy, somehow the candidates get adjusted with the help of a note from the minister’s writing pad. When government jobs are advertised, before the interviews are conducted candidates are already chosen. Therefore, the best people don’t get selected in several cases. The State is run with many people who are neither suited nor trained for the job.

The craze for government jobs cannot be totally explained by the security and the less workload. It is also because there is less employment opportunity, be it in primary sector (e.g. agriculture), industrial sector or services sector. It is said that economies progress from primary to industrial to services sectors. Although the Indian economy is still largely agriculture based, we have been moving from primary sector to services sector almost bypassing the industrial sector phase. In Nagaland, people move from villages to towns in search of a better life. But there are not much industries, enterprises, or companies for employment besides the government sector. After leaving behind the paddy fields in the villages, people move to towns in search of government jobs. 

But once employed in the government sector, the inside story may not be as bright as it seems. Although there is room for innovations, the job profiles are usually more routine and less exciting. So, job satisfaction quotient may not score very high in the government sector. Due to procedures, file movement and works can be very slow. There is always that element of disappointment from disinterested and insincere colleagues or corrupt bosses which can be demoralizing and de-motivating. For the adventurous and the free-spirited person, the operational guidelines and monotonous daily routines can become quite boring. For people who are talented in something else but caught in the wrong job, the purpose and meaning of life comes into question. So, although government sector is a crucial force to run our economy, push our society forward, and offer livelihood to many families, there is much more to life and ways to put food on the table than getting a government job.

With the increased interconnectedness of our world, the gate to the job market and means of livelihood has been swung wide open. In primary sector, we can think of producing from the good land that our dear Lord has blessed us with. It can be agriculture like our forefathers but with all the help from our modern world. It can be setting up our own small industrial or business unit, a conglomeration, or collaboration with bigger ones. It can be in the service sector, tapping the local human resources, and thereby not only earning our living but offering a source of livelihood to someone. Broadening our minds to the possibilities beyond a ‘stable government job’ can free us to live out how we were truly meant to live and fulfill our life’s purpose.