Date:17/03/2007 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/03/17/stories/2007031702641100.htm

Back `Never stop learning to be successful'

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`Always ask, listen and learn. One has to be proactive when it comes to learning things.'

DIRECT SPEECH: Mr Vaidya V. Nathan, Assistant Vice-President, Cognizant Technology Solutions, addressing a BL Club meeting at Sree Sastha Institute of Engineering and Technology. Sitting are (from left): Dr A.A. Natarajan, Principal; Mr S.S. Kalyanaraman, HR Manager; Sofgen India; Mr J. Karthikeyan, Vice-Chairman, Sree Sastha Institute; Mr A.M.K. Jumbulinga Mudaliar, Chairman; and Mr R. Vaithiyanathan, V-P (Operations & HR), Allsec Technologies.

Chennai March 16 `One should never stop learning' was clearly the point made by the speakers at the interactive session on career guidance under the Business Line club lecture series organised by Sree Sastha Institute of Engineering and Technology.

Learn almost from everything possible to be a successful professional. Learning is all what it takes a student to be a professional, said Mr Vaidya V. Nathan, Assistant Vice-President, Cognizant Academy, Cognizant Technology Services.

A student will be taught what to do and how to do it. Whereas, once he becomes a professional he may be told what to do, but only he has to decide on the means to achieve it. "This is exactly where your learning will come in handy," Mr Nathan added.

Mr S.S. Kalyanaraman, HR Manager, Sofgen India, in his address said, "Always ask, listen and learn." One has to be proactive when it comes to learning things, he said.

"Right knowledge, right skill set and the right attitude, and good habits will get you where you want to," said Mr R. Vaithiyanathan, Vice-President (Operations & HR), Allsec Technologies Ltd. He said the opinion that BPO jobs are not secure is only a myth. Actually, they are. Jobs are outsourced to India because of cheap labour and ability to speak English, he said.

Mr B. Sathyaseelan, Vice-President of HR, Royal Sundaram Life Insurance, said, one has to have a balanced state of mind. "Be a whole person. A whole person is the one who has his IQ, physical quotient and spiritual quotient balanced," he emphasised.

Others present on the occasion were Mr A.M.K. Jambulinga Mudaliar, Group Chairman, Sree Sastha Institute of Engineering & Technology; Mr J. Karthikeyan, Vice-Chairman & CEO; Mr G. Gopinarayanan, Secretary; Dr A.A. Natarajan, Principal; Dr E.V.M. Sargunar, Dean (Academic); and Mr V. Rangarajan, Training & Placement Officer.