Experiential Learning: PSU or Private Corporate Job ?

I have worked in private as well as government organisation (PSU to be precise) so I think I am eligible to answer this question.

There is a famous saying that “Grass is always greener on the other side” and it holds very true when it comes to dilemmas like this.

I worked as a Graduate Engineer Trainee in Hero Motocorp Ltd, the worlds largest 2 wheeler manufacturer by volume and a major MNC in India. I was placed through campus and my CTC was 6.5 lpa.

Let me tell you the story of private job first.

These people are professionals in the true meaning of the term. They know the details, their job. We were a bunch of novice who had just graduated and knew nothing about this corporate world. They treat you like kings during the GET period. They try by every means to retain you and make an asset to the organisation. Believe me, 4 star and 5 star hotels were a common thing for us. During training period we used to stay in the priciest of the hotels for weeks long. The company will not let you down even for one second. As I told you, they are professionals, they wanted to win over us. It was a brilliantly organised training programme where we learnt a lot and made wonderful memories. The module was a beautiful amalgamation of technical as well as behavioural aspects.

Here are some photos of our training period:

Here we stayed for 3 months in Gurgaon

The next one is during our training in Kolkata. It is a 5 star hotel with the best facilities and amazing food. I used to fill my plate like crazy😂

We stayed there for 11 days and my laundry bill alone was near about 5k!!!! which ofcourse company paid.

I have bunch of photos but I wouldn't bother you with those. It is just meant to give you a feel of what it was like. Company took us to Corbett National park for behavioural training, various plant visits, always provided good modes of transportation. So it was definitely a honeymoon period.

Ok so GET period is fun. Made amazing friends who are still in touch. But all good things come to an end. After this training we were allocated different departments and I was posted as a Territory Service Manager in Assam Northeast region.

Now the actual game begins.

It was no easy job. We had to travel a lot. I used to travel from Kolkata to Guwahati back and forth every week. From Guwahati to other northeastern states back and forth. I used company provided flights so much that I had become a platinum customer in Jet airways. This gave me a lot of privileges like free tickets, business class upgrades, free airport lounge and what not. Again, notice that company is not shy about spending in you. They never asked us to travel by train. They saved those valuable hours which we would have otherwise wasted in travelling by train. I thoroughly enjoyed this life and thought wow!

Me and mom in business class

Accommodation was first class. I used to stay in a 4 star hotel in Guwahati for weeks.

This WOW thing didn't last long.

Having said that, they provide you with all sorts of pleasures but it does come with a price. We used to have targets. It was a stressful job. Visiting dealerships and talking with experienced businessmen was no child's play. They are always one step ahead of you. Each day used to be a minimum of 10 hours with all the hectic travelling from one place to another. Health does take a toll because your lunch timings get altered and you are eating out everyday. Home cooked food is special, no 5 star restaurant can give you that. You become bored of these eventually. I still remember that after a few months I asked the waiter of a 5 star restaurant to provide me with khichdi (you ought to have seen the look on his face as it was not in the menu). That explains a lot I guess.

There is fierce competition among the colleagues. You grow a lot, learn new things very fast. It is extremely professional.

In short, if you want a taste of actual corporate life, this is the place. Growth is exponential and knows no bounds. You'll always get increment percentage in double figures.

After 10 months of job, I quit. It was a tough decision and there were a lot of factors for that decision, family being one as my work involved too much travelling.

Then I started preparing for Engineering Services and luckily cracked in the first attempt. Meanwhile as I await joining, I am working in Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd., a Maharatna PSU with a package of 12 lpa during the training period and 17 lpa after a year.

Salary is really good and they provide the best medical facilities.

But it all ends there.

I saw a major shift in everything. The training period was not as good as my earlier organisation. Some PSUs like IOCL provide good accommodations in the beginning, but not all!

The professionalism was missing to some extent. People are too good! There is no rat race amongst us. The hierarchy was flat. Be happy and enjoy life is the motto of BHEL and it cannot be truer!

Don't expect the PSU to spend tons of money on your training like private entities. No more flights! Only 2AC trains.😂

Accommodation is average as we are allotted hostels in the first year. The township is beautiful with a lot of greenery and good sports facilities which you will never find in a Private company. Posting can become a pain in the arse as sometimes you will be thrown in some remote location like in my case. I belong to Assam and I have been posted in a small town in Tamil Nadu.

PSUs are going through difficult times so yearly bonus has become a thing of the past. Many facilities which were provided earlier have been discontinued. PSUs served the nation since independence, build the state of the art infrastructure for the country but the present government feels that their task is over and needs to be dumped.

The growth will be substantially less here. Someone working in private sector will catch you up in 5–7 years if he works diligently. You will seldom work in metro cities so you have to be prepared to sacrifice a lot.

In contrast to that, you will get time to pursue your hobbies in PSUs. You will remain physically fit as there are lot of parks and sport facilities here unlike cities, where we are crammed in a small apartment for our whole lives.

But inspite of all these, being a part of nation building does give a sense of pride and joy, as if our lives have some purpose. And nothing can match this profound feeling of satisfaction.

Few photos of BHEL township: