Return to India in 2010

My R2I date is fast approaching, and everybody around me is asking what I will be doing upon my return to India. Most automatically assume that I"ll take a job in IT. Well I am not sure I want to. One of my earlier posts mentioned how bored I've gotten with a 9-5 routine. That feeling is getting stronger by the day. Though everybody around me is advising to take a job at least for the first couple of years so the transition is less painful.

Let me explain my take on it. Its not like I am completely against working in India. If push comes to shove, I may have to do that. But at this point, that is looking very unlikely. I am 35 now, and I realize that every passing year in my life is going to reduce my risk appetite further. So if I waste two more years working in India just to ensure a less painful transition it will mean that I am wasting two more years of my life. If I get into the job world in India, it comes with certain baggage and obligations which will make getting out of it difficult. Trying to do something while working is next to impossible. Spending half your time in traffic and the rest in office, all you have is weekends to do something when everybody is relaxing. So you have to quit the workforce to really do something on your own.

While I have some very specific plans as to what I want to do, I think it"ll be premature to speak about them at this point. I set the wheel in motion recently and it will take several months before they take a shape and I can be certain about those plans. But regardless of what I do, it has to make a profit of at least one rupee over what I would otherwise be making if I had a job. And I set that figure at 18 lakhs. Current market conditions not withstanding, I think its a reasonable salary to expect with my experience. So I'll be very happy with anything that makes more than 18 lakhs per year. I fully understand that I may not make any money in the first year or two, but what I am talking about is average amount per year.

Most people are going to call me stupid for leaving the workforce. But I know that if things don't work out I can always find a job even at 40 (though with a little bit of difficulty), but if I wait until 40 and then try to do something on my own, the "fire in the belly" would have considerably gone down by then. So its all about whether I want to take the risk now or later, and I am leaning towards taking it now.