Time to leave all modesty aside... by most definitions of the phrase 'high achiever', I have been one all my life. Always close to top of my class in academics, I have prizes in essay-writing, speeches, and sports as well. I graduated overall second in my high-school class, and graduated from a four-year university in two-and-a-half years with High Honours. At the end of my first year of college in the US, I had a job offer with a top financial consulting firm, which I ended up taking at the end of my two-and-a-half years. I thrived in that environment. I loved my job and it loved me back! (Did you doubt me about leaving modesty aside?)

 

Then, a calculated risk combined with a twist of fate landed me back in Pakistan... at a government job. I am not aware of private job market here, but the public sector, to say the least, is uninspiring! The HR department must've been very happy when they gave me a two-year contract by virtue of which my pay stays fixed for that period. Just knowing that they cannot fire me before two years and that my pay cannot rise during that time, cuts my productivity in half, if not lesser than that.

 

The reason I am writing this now is because I was discussing this topic with a couple of friends just a couple of days ago. They have both been even 'higher achievers' than myself and are both in the aremed forces now. Their problem is the same: "We can do our jobs, and do it well too... but most others can do the job as well if they wanted to".

 

Again, I am not aware of what the private sector has to offer, but the public sector fails to recognize potential. Two people, if by chance have reached the same rank, will have similar responsibilities. If one is better at their job than the other, there is no extra challenge or extra incentive for them. The work stays the same, and eventually gets mundane to the extent that the brain refuses to do it any more! Additionally, there's hardly any way to rise through the ranks quickly. If you are supposed to spend 8 years at a particular rank, then 8 years it is...

 

Consequently, at an organization like mine, where they try to hire people with professinal qualifications, there is an extremely high turnover ratio. Most people with specialized education tend to leave within a year or two. Accountants, lawyers, acutaries... nobody sticks around. There is no incentive.

 

I don't how long I can bear this. Lately, I have been itching to leave. My friends in the armed forces are only sticking there because of the fringe benefits that they get (of course, everyone else at their rank gets the same). But even they will probably leave if a lucrative and challenging enough opportunity presents itself.

 

Unless the government can improve the working conditions for 'high achievers', I am afraid nothing will improve at a good-enough pace...  neither any of the departments, nor the country.