Information Technology has brought about a revolution in the country and has restructured the society to a certain extent.
For a decade or so, two things that have consistently attracted public interest are cricket and IT, always in that order. While the former owes its popularity in the country to the media which has presented mediocre performances as great feats, the latter used high salaries and on-site assignments as a means to attract attention, and as a proposition to the job seekers. It is not that IT companies have not used the media effectively, or that it is an industry that produces quality output, or that IT CEOs are self-effacing. (There are many magazines that owe their existence and survival to the PR campaigns of IT companies.) The origin and growth of the IT industry, and its social impact may be viewed from a different perspective, as there are certain aspects which have not received the attention they deserve.
Even though the IT industry in India had its origin in the late 1960s, it was greatly overshadowed by other sectors like Civil Services and Defense, which had national importance attached to them for a long period of time, and which attracted the best and the most efficient talent. In the private sector, more enterprising ones sought careers as advertising and marketing professionals. This would lead one to think that IT, in those days, was a destination for those who did not wish to pursue a career in any of the above mentioned sectors. |
