The End of The MT

Last month my Management Training Program finished and with it ended the creature called MT (Management Trainee). “Creature? What do I mean by that?” There are two reasons for me using that word. One I didn’t find any other expression for the same. Second I don’t know the word for a human being in a transient state. Yes! I got it! Transient is the word. It sounds so right for what I feel about the MT.

Transient! I think I should devote some lines here to justify my usage of this word. MT Program was that part of my life in which I was supposedly getting transformed from being a carefree college guy to a civilized corporate executive. And this was the only transition in my life for which somebody else fixed both the time frame and the procedure. Therein is the flawed assumption, that all the MTs would be completely transformed in those nine months. More importantly it ignored the fact that some of us didn’t want this cruel transition to happen, as not everyone is unhappy with his or her bohemian existence. And few of us didn’t need that contrived transition because those few had already achieved there black belts in diplomacy and so called sophisticated corporate skills before coming here. So I think I rightly referred to MTs as creatures (Read Guinea Pigs) and not human beings.

Anyways let us come back to the focal point of discussion here. That is the significance of the end of this creature. The significance lies in the fact that this end marks the point of No Return for most of us. (Of course there might be a brave soul among us who would study again in a much better institution and may go through a reverse transition, but I believe that just would be a farce, because the end objective in that case would again be very similar to that of the so called objective of the MT program. That is to equip you with even better tools to face the world, the corporate world and not really to go back to the lazy afternoons & late night outs) No return, because we will be sucked into an incessant whirlpool of worldly responsibilities and duties. Now we don’t have second chances in life. Mistakes won’t be easily forgiven. Yes, there would be a lot of opportunities. But until and unless we do something drastic, the path of life has been set by the choices we have made so far. But redemption would be always round the corner. We would be presented by so many diversions on this path which might lead to exciting things. We have to be alert enough to identify them and bold enough to choose them. What if someone among us achieve Corporate Nirvana? No I am not referring to some position or vulgar sums of money. That can be achieved on the path which is already been set for us at the end of our MT program. Corporate Nirvana simply means sense of immense satisfaction and pleasure on accomplishing something which I just can dream of right now.

I may have sounded too cynical as usual, but there were definitely few things in this MT program which I would rather miss badly. I would miss reading all those books which I should have read during my MBA and even before that. Yes folks! MT Program gave me enough time not only to read up books on everything under sun, it gave me sufficient time to do self introspection. It was the time when I met some people who would be well known faces in years to come. This was the time when the company gave me an apartment to live in, which I couldn’t have, afforded otherwise. I also got an opportunity to meet few industry scions through this program whom I may not meet soon again. I also became more self aware of my habits, strengths and weaknesses and all that ‘Global Gyan’ which comes with it. And I feel that is true for all my fellow Ex MTs.

So on second thoughts this transition was not that bad actually. It let me live few more months in my normal lethargic state. It allowed me to bring my college to the company I work for. It presented me the grim corporate world gradually and more colorfully. It was the small step I needed to take to understand the Corporate Nirvana. So when it has ended it deserves a proper burial and the epitaph on its headstone should convey all the feelings I described in this post. It simply reads – “The End of The MT”