More than meets the eye

Women techies bust some popular perceptions about Technopark and IT

March 05, 2015 06:52 pm | Updated 09:30 pm IST - Thiruvananthapuram

Rashmi Nair

Rashmi Nair

For many, Technopark – and by extension techies and the IT industry, itself – is a symbol of change, the place where the future is being made, right there at our doorstep. Unfortunately, there are still quite a few people who do not see it as such, believing the campus to be a cradle of excess, where young people flaunt high salaries and live fast lifestyles.

“Nothing could be further from the truth,” says Eustine Thomas, who works in human resources. “We are a bunch of youngsters, mostly in our 20s and 30s, holding white collar jobs. We are no different from other upwardly mobile youngsters of our generation, and are equally, if not more, hardworking. What differentiates us is that once we are part of the campus, to the world outside our individuality almost ceases to exist. For better or for worse, we are each labelled ‘Technopark’, which people automatically take to mean that we are all posh, we all have tons of money… all misconceptions,” she explains.

Senior software engineer Rashmi Nair chips in. “I think the misconception prevails because here it’s an almost college-like atmosphere thanks to the relative youth of the employees, with few of the restrictions and pockets full of cash. There are opportunities to celebrate, but the truth is we really don’t get the time. Just because it’s fairly easy to climb up the corporate ladder and earn decent salaries it doesn’t mean that we are not serious about life and have no values. I’ve been here for over three and a half years and I’m yet to meet a truly frivolous techie.”

Bindu Meher, a HR executive who has been working in Technopark for 10 years now, believes that the popular perceptions remain as such because society is still struggling to come to terms with the ‘big leap.’

All about attitude “It’s but natural that in a city and a society where most of the older generation had government jobs and where simplicity is the way of life, we in Technopark come across as an anomaly. Here we have people as young as 21 earning a steady income whereas their parents would have had to put in decades of work to earn the same amount. IT has brought about such a huge change in society, such a big leap that people’s attitudes have still not caught up with it,” says Bindu.

While welcoming others, especially women into their fold, saying that “IT is the best of jobs”, all the women say that the first impression they want to correct is that about supposedly huge salaries. “Would anyone believe me if I tell them that my cousins who are college lecturers earn more than I do?” Jyothy Menon, a project lead with an MNC on campus asks with a laugh. “It’s true. I was recruited straight out of college and have been here for some eight years now. Agreed the remuneration here is good - much more than you would find outside these walls. However, it’s not the salary that attracts me per se, it’s the flexibility of working hours and how much I like what I do. We have the freedom to come and go as we please, the only caveat being we have to get our work done within the deadline,” she adds. Anjitha Mohan, a software programmer, explains some of the practicalities of living with the misconception.

“The worst thing is that people just assume that we have loads of disposable income. Going a short distance in an auto from Technopark, for example, is costlier than it is elsewhere for the same distance in the city. If we argue, the auto drivers retort by saying things like ‘what is Rs. 20 more to you?’ Frankly, it’s demeaning. Also, prices of fresh produce and commodities are much higher in the vicinity of Kazhakoottam. Even getting a salwar tailored in shops in Kazhakoottam costs around Rs. 400, when it is often less than Rs. 250 inside the city,” she says.

“If only people realise that we are just ordinary folk going about our ordinary lives,” adds Eustine.

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