Most of us on Grapevine, working in corporate sector might make decent chunk of money if we keep grinding for a decade or two but very few of us would have the social capital (or as they say “networking” in our corporate jargon). Increasingly realising that the society respects the business owners or govt officers more than any senior leader in an IT firm. There is no social recognition for corporate folks. It might not be relevant for young folks as they still have some residual social recognition of the family for now, but what would happen after a decade or two. Most of the corporate “friends” are no longer in touch except for very rare ones. How does one build a social circle after 10-20 yrs in corporate? Would like to hear from folks above 40 yrs if they’ve had similar thoughts and how are they managing? Also, What are some ways one can start building social circle overtime while doing a corporate job?
PS: I am referring social capital as having a certain level of stature in society alongwith deep connections with some people living around you who can help you in need or can expect something from you. This is different from LinkedIn networking where primary expectation is referrals.
My father is an officer in a PSU. Not sure what "respect" you are talking about because from what I've seen, PSU workers have a social capital only in their colony/settlement. Apart from that it doesn't really matter for outsiders.
Business owners are respected only if he/she is really really successful. Otherwise how often we see someone respecting a normal shop owner??
To build your own social capital, participate in tech talks/workshops. Spend time mentoring folks. Participate in society functions/apartments as others have mentioned.
My close relative works for a similar reputed central govt org, think it of as a stature of isro but not isro. The social capital they have is “all of them got dengue from office”😂 They worked from office throughout the covid period because govt babus can’t wfh though they operate on gmail 😂
It might be limited to the colony but would stay with him post retirement. Try asking this with somebody in IT for 20 years who has probably switched 3 companies. Participating in all these workshops is part of corporate networking. How many deep connections one would make by participating in these events? Society functions are too open-ended for most of the people until they permanently reside there.
Very true. I'm 35. Have been losing friends consistently & also with each career move & city move. People in the office are nice on face because of my level now & not because they want to connect. And with time going to family, loneliness has started setting in. P. S. I was very social 10 years back.
I am afraid now, will be moving to benglore soon. All of my college friends already have their circles, and I have lost touch with them in last 2 years. Have to build new circle there... 🥲
This. This is what I was thinking. Creating new social circles takes time. Most of it needs years. There is lack of longevity in IT jobs which makes it hard to nourish a closer circle. My reference to Govt Jobs and Business is because of the longer tenure they have compared to IT folks which gives compounding benefits in building social wealth.
Great discussion. Nobody realises the importance of this until stuff hits the fan.
Why do you need social “recognition”? Dont answer - its rhetorical. That said, I agree on social capital, we do need social life in general - be it personal or professional!
I’m 40 and in my experience the sense of “community” has moved away from neighbors, small town gatherings, festivals. For me its whatsapp and handful of close friends. There are office colleagues and casual friends but not really social capital. If you are in a regular job - comfort zone can be a factor killing social capital till you wake up one day.
Total resonate with what you are saying. Here are some things that have worked for me
2, I started playing cricket. Made like a dozen new friends (at the age of 39). Sports is a big melting pot.
I made it a habit to call friends who used to be close but havent been in touch. They loved it too!
I attend AI events since I’m into it. Meet like minded people.
Dont let inertia settle in!
My dad still is connected with his class of 1998 folks some guys are at really good positions form collector to govt bank zone head, their help do come in handy when stuff gets abysmal or some "jack" is required, otherwise there's no practical usage of social capital that I've observed him leveraging,
Unless one has narcissistic traits, one doesn't likely need to be known/looked up by society, avg guys prefer private life.
in an increasingly opaque world the chances of face to face relations are reducing let alone amassing social capital. if your idea of social capital is like today if a traffic police let goes a govt servant freely of petty fine, because "respect", in world with 100% surveillance the power any individual has will be reduced.
C'mon dude, the desire to be 'famous' is an inherent high T masculine trait that has driven most of the greats. Men want to excel because it helps them gain recognition, leave a legacy behind and amass resources. It might not be the only driving force, but it is quite a prominent one.
And I am not sure if all of these greats will score high in the narcissism index.
What is the social life for people who have spent >10 years away from their hometowns working in the corporate in metro cities? Do you have a social circle at your work city? How did you meet new people over your work life?
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