The common Complains from our students / junior Textile Engineers (3 years of experience ) are as below:
1. Starting salary
2. Working hour - 8 hrs
3. Recognition from his/her friends
4. Relaxed job ( like govt job )
5. Nice office environment
Let's look at the real life scenario of successful personalities. For example, Elon Musk: We cannot think about his work loads. He works 14-16 hrs a day, in many many project, he is divorced, couldn’t keep his first wife for too much work load. He told, he could have collapsed physically.
İt is always fascinating to see award giving ceremony with nice smile in athletes in Olympic. No one knows how much hard work they did to go there. Let’s get back to reality.
Can you find me a factory owner who work less than you. Who are you ? They work 14 hrs a day. Bank loan, worker issue, buyer management, salary and so on. If those load given to you, you will collapse. Does he eat more than you, sleep more then you, or married to super model. He goes to office with a nice car but hardly enjoy it. Too much going on in his head. And most of them first generation started from street, they were poor.
Now come to our Senior industrialist or Textile Engineers, 90% of them had worse position than you, aren’t they married, where they got girl, many of them came to dhaka with 2 cloths without no money. Now created an empire, how !!! If they were dreaming like you then those factories were not built. They work 14 hrs, hardly has time for family.
Now come to teaching of our professors, in BUTEX they work as hard as factory employees , due to low salary they had to do three jobs. I saw it, managing students are not easy, too many class, and they do not Have good place to live ( see the govt quarter they have ) . Are you better than them. But we respect them. They had to sacrifice money, time, family for respect.
Now come to our seniors who are in good position, they work 12 hrs a day, started with low salary, went through hardship at the beginning, like a storm now they are settled. Just one stat, go to English medium school around you, check the students statistics, textile engineers children are lot, can 98% of Bangladeshi afford to send their kids to English medium, flat and car before 40 yrs old. Now also look at another stats, do you have any idea how many children. Of textile engineers are in abroad studying !!! It’s expensive.
Problem is you don’t want to see reality. You want everything quick and fast with ease. If it is your state now then how can you live a family life, I am worried, pleasing your partner is not easy, then relatives. You need to fulfil everyone’s expectations.
Now let’s come to Fancy job : Banks and MNCS. Starting salary is good but no significant increment later on. We will not have 1000 bank but we will have 10000 factory. Don’t get fooled by fancy suit in banks. If you make mistake in lending money you will be at fault. Not everyone go home before 7pm.
Finally let’s come to government job : How many jobs available ? How many are fighting for it. Do the math and see probability. You know better than me with GOVT. JOB almost impossible to live very good life unless you are posted in small town. Without being corrupt you can’t beat any engineer in long term. Don’t think life is easy there, political pressure is immense, difficult to be honest, it is not your choice.
Let’s see doctor, do you have any idea how hard it is to be a doctor, study time is longer than all of us. Before 40 yrs old no money, work like day labor. Private practice is until 11:00 PM. Hardly can have good time with family, then managing Patient, political pressure. They are the one who can’t enjoy life for being super busy, also be a good doctor you need to wait 15-20 yrs.
My point is you are thinking everyone is having a great life except you. It is not true, you never put yourself in their shoes.
Salary : is not important for me in first 3 years of job, important is right job, right boss, right sector where I can learn and sector will grow. If you are skilled, salary will find you. 80% of BUTEX student in Bangladesh with 10 years of job experience will beat best of 20% of other sector in terms of income. Name any sector you like.
Look at china , from where they got money ?? First RMG then electronics. We are walking in same direction. You need to give a time to grow yourself.
Please don’t compare the starting salary with other sector. Personally I think starting salary of a Textile Engineer shouldn’t be below 35 K in this current environment. However someone can’t be very sad all the time for starting salary. It is not always in your hand. For this lower salary joining I will blame our seniors. If a senior wants and have guts he can convince a owner to recruit textile engineer with higher salary. Many seniors are doing that but many failed to do that. I feel sorry for their incompetence. It takes some extra effort and presentation skill to do that. I did it successfully.
Let’s give few examples. My starting salary was 8500 taka in Beximco. Until 2006 my salary was 24k. Where as one of my friend draw 250 k in 2006. If I we’re complaining would it change my life? No. My salary and other benefit changed drastically when I proved myself with results. From 2008 my salary jumped. By 2016 I was one of the top earner in our industry. When I got married in 2004 me and my wife did job and hardly saved anything.
I recruited Mr. ABC with 18000 salary, my intention was to 20k. But I had a fight with management. As he was thin and dark color management thought he will not be good performer. I told him, you need to prove that you are good then I will pay you back your lost income and more. He was motivated and he was one of the best performer in our team. He changed him with dressing, the way talk to customer. Now Ask Mr. ABC how much he is getting. I kept my word. I don’t think any of his batch mate will ever catch him with job income. His passion and anger to prove himself took him to another level.
Mr. XYZ from 37th batch. Joined with 20k. Initially he was struggling with performance. Management wanted to cut him. I had a fight, told him to prove himself, he copied me, recoded my speech to the customer. Took note. Tried hard. He was a shadow of me. Now he is one of the best performer in Asutex. I have doubt that anyone from 37th batch will come close to him ever. He proved himself with results, he had passion, love for job and eager to learn. He did it.
Mr. AAA is from Ahsanullah university. Management was doubtful too. Now he is a gem of a salesman. He joined with 15k and later proved himself. He is one of the best performer in washing industry. Guess what I don’t think anyone from his batch from Ahsanullah will match with him with job income.
I know many stories of lower salary became later extremely good salary. Engineer shared many stories of their life with me, issue is I can’t tell all stories without their permission.
When you know for sure that your salary will be higher over time then why create so much anxiety on yourself. Are you trying to show others that your salary is good. Ask anyone from other sector about salary ? They will add all benefit with salary and will tell you to impress you.
If you want to increase your salary then have good relationship with your boss. Learn from him. And ask all senior brother why they joined with low salary !!
Those who joined with low salary our time either didn’t want to wait for better job, peer pressure and other factor. So my advise, negotiate with salary. Learn the skill but don’t cry for it. I am telling you it will come. If you want to blame anyone then blame your seniors. They are at fault for your salary.
Working hours : 8 hr work life doesn’t exist in Bangladesh. In theory it exists, the more senior you are more time you have to give, those fix’s time job are not well paid. You lose time In traffic jam, why don’t stay close to your work and save time.
If someone loves your money or position then he / she doesn’t love u 😬. Truth. After 10!years of marriage if u can’t give ur children good school, or can’t afford a car, your beautiful wife who loves your money will go to the person who has money. how many people can afford to eat in a good restaurant in Bangladesh or go to vacation like your senior brothers abroad or Bangladesh. Do the math. When you will have position girls will come to you. Be patient. Most of the relationship you are in are temporary, good relationship build on test. Let your girl or boy friend to pass some test, otherwise how you live with her Rest of the life. I have gone though what you are going through. All seniors. Our time was more difficult. Nice office environment : I can bet, most of the beautiful office buildings in Bangladesh ARE NOW FROM RMG industry, go to any medium to big factory and see their head office and factory office. Again, if you work in fancy office then initial life is good but later growth is less in majority case. You can’t have everything. But you can have good environment if you can mage your boss. You need to learn that. I worked in marketing, we had nice office busy most of our life we spent inside a car. Fact . Traffic jam. Hardly we enjoyed our actual office as we had to Vai sit customer. But from Facebook photo it appeared we were always in party mode !!!!
In a nutshell, learn to say alhamdulillah, 90% of people are living in Bangladesh are below your standards, imagine if you were born in a poor family, it was not in your control, you didn’t decided. Allah did, for a reason. Try to find that reason.
Happiness is not outside, it is inside of you, how you see your life, knowing yourself, your limitation.
You can fulfill human need but not greed. You will never be happy if you compare your life from someone from Facebook. So stop watching other peoples life and focus on your life.
Am I asking money for you?? Why I am writing, cause I saw the potentiality and still see the potentiality. Focus on your goal. If you studied engineering then try to make the most of your skill. You will shine here. For govt job push for BCS cadre in textile. Where you can contribute in policy making.
I love being a textile engineer and always will be. I used to do complain like you at start of my career but after marriage I have been changed. Try to find a partner who fears Allah, then he/she will guide you. Without a good partner nothing will matter in your life, children of job or money.
One day I will not be here but my stays will be. Time will tell who is right or wrong.
Writing courtesy:
Engr. Mr. Monowar Hossain Polash
Ex-Country Manager, ASUTex
This post first appeared on Texpedia: A Reliable Source Of Learning Textiles, please read the originial post: here
