Hottest Job at IIM Kozhikode

 Placement is the hot topic this season at the IIM Kozhikode campus. Everyone has their own preference regarding sector, job-role and pay-package. This gives me an opportunity to talk about one job that has fascinated me since the past couple of years- the vending machine operator at tea-coffee counters spread across the campus. With lucrative CTC (Cups of Tea & Coffee) and scope of quick career progression (bigger counters sell cold-coffee and noodles as well), this could be one job-role that I would like to be offered. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that these counters are life-lines of the campus.

The operator is the most sought after person, especially during breaks between lectures. Wouldn’t it give you a celebrity like feeling when hundreds surround you and call out your name to seek attention? Imagine the feeling of serving coffee to future CEOs and head honchos. This is a critical job-role that secures a student’s future by ensuring he/she doesn’t doze off during lectures, is able to endure hours of information overload and regain his/her sanity after daylong academic endeavours. They also serve refreshments to professors who get exhausted after hours of teaching a bunch of sleepy-headed students who give blank stares throughout the lecture, making the professor even more clueless whether he is making any sense out of his teachings or not! They seriously need tea & cookies before preparing themselves to undergo the ordeal again for next couple of hours.

These counters are hot-spots wherein you get to hear all the gossips and grapevines. Link-ups, break-ups and latest news from around the campus. How tough was the exam, how much home-work is given, when is the next presentation, who is the coolest gal & the hottest hunk, who has crush on whom, which professor is the best, plans for festivities & functions, who is going to propose whom? So on and so forth… Additionally, I can also give services of helping students with their home-work, answering their queries, giving them critical tips before exam, explaining best practices for presentation, advices on academics, career planning & relationship management. Beverage server-cum-Academic coach-cum-Career counsellor-cum-Love guru… Multiple roles, one person, one counter. Ah, this could really be a dream-job and ‘campus placement’ in true sense!