Of Corporate Ladders and Iced Tea

All of us want to end up successful. It’s one of the most basic human wants. 

At some point in our scholastic journey we realize that the end result of ‘education’ is to land ourselves a job. And almost immediately there is this big pedestal on which we place the workplace where we want to work.

Where exactly is it that we want to go? Well, quite recently I have been accepted into the mechanical engineering faculty. And though I am pretty sure that I have no idea what I want to do after graduation, I already have this picture of a big swanky top floor office at Boeing or BMW or NASA or well… M.E. Heaven!!

It’s funny though, I have never worked anywhere so far and yet, here I am with all this mental imagery of office life. The perfect office; must be quite a sight, after all every person wants to end up there.

Every programmer wants to get into Google; every businessman wants to dominate Wall Street and to each his own. The top is always the most desired position, but the journey to the top is always discounted. ‘Climbing the rungs of the corporate ladder’, as it is often called, can be a long and arduous journey.

Some look at it like travelling through a long dark tunnel, constantly waiting for the light at the other end. But what most don’t realize is that the destination may not be the same as what they had imagined during their journey. The long wait makes people build up surreal pictures of the top and when the reality seeps in, it leaves people sour.

“The richest man on earth is not one who has the most. It’s the one who needs the least.”

I think that quote would be the most apt for my argument. After all, it’s the journey that is more important than the destination. The journey to the perfect job has more to offer than the perfect job itself.

Therefore, I have to conclude with the fact that the perfect job is like a Long Island Ice Tea. It tastes nothing like alcohol, but contains enough spirits to get you inebriated before you know it. It makes sure you have a good time even though you may not know where you are going!

So I end my first article, optimistic and zestful...after all the glass of Long Island Iced Tea is always half full!!
-AB