Career

It's Easy: Do More GET More

Shabab Ahmed Choudhury

From the moment of starting studies in university, anyone minutely senior enough to be classified as socially permissible advisor told me that the real world is out there and its not pretty. It is survival of the fittest in the jungle out there and sometimes even the fittest don't make it properly. My needs were simple -- doing what I am good at, doing it my way and most importantly getting recognised for it.

The first step towards 'the real world' was participating in the Battle of Minds. This eventually landed me a with a job offer as Management Trainee (MT) in BAT Bangladesh. The MT programme had promised a lot, one of the best in my basket, which is why I took the leap and accepted the offer.

One of the best features of the MT programme is that I get to work in short stints in every sub function of finance for two years. The words used above do not do justice to the immense personal satisfaction this brings. The perks did not end there. All the hard work going in gets evaluated semi-annually. On the basis of this evaluation the compensation and benefits are adjusted beyond expectation. No recognition of constant hard work and development could be better then this. For a fresh graduate, there is an automatic thrive to learn and deliver. Getting acknowledged is just an icing on the cake. Add to this the added benefits based on yearly company performance and you end up feeling really good about constantly bringing in your best game.

Since I had joined I have been assigned a mentor and I get to go to him regularly when I feel I am stuck. I also have a coach who keeps track of my attachments and skill developments and plans the next move accordingly. All in all, they ensure you are on track and then you get highly rewarded for being on track.

The last 3-6 months of the MT programme is an international attachment, anywhere in the world, working in an ongoing project not just induction or training. This further tests your adaptability skills putting you absolutely out of your comfort zone. Once again, the personal development curve steeps higher and higher.

I do realise why the 'hard world out there' is such a common phrase. But sitting now at the end of two years of my MT programme waiting for my upcoming international attachment, I am happy I took the offer BAT Bangladesh provided. It is simple -- you do more, you get more!