Article -Prachi Desai - On Starting Young

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Jared Kushner, the 25-year-old son of a New Jersey developer, created near history when he bought The New York Observer, paying nearly $10 million for a majority stake in the weekly newspaper. This is yet another example of how life no longer begins at 40. to make a mark in life, you have to be way ahead in your career and investments at a much younger age. The new-age motto is to achieve a major chunk of success by the time you are 30 and then sit back to reap the benefits.

Closer home too, we have super successful men and women who believe that an early start is a mandatory pre-requisite to success. Be it business, acting or just about any dream, achievers are those who set out early. Take Prachi Desai, the 17-year-old television actress who is making waves with her role as Bani in the popular series Kasamh Se. This teenager believes that a head start was necessary if she had to make it big.

"After the role landed in my lap, there was no question of sitting back and lazing around. At 17, I am playing a married woman, which clearly shows that a person who waits to hit her 20s to start acting might end up playing the role of a middle-aged woman or something. The age-limit for everything has come down drastically. Youngsters can no longer wait till their late 20s to start a career because they will only wake up to realise that life is over by the time you are 30."

Blame it on the pace at which the world moves or the zeal of Gen Next, the fact remains that one can no longer afford to be trapped in the comfort zone of the traditional 'school-college-job' track. The minute you get a chance, you grab it or you lose it. Says Deepika Padukone, who is touted as the latest sensation in the modelling industry, "When I got offers for modelling I was still studying. My father was very particular that I complete my education, so I was modelling part time. I always knew I wanted to be a professional model and was working towards it. When I got a big break, I looked no further. Especially in a profession like mine, age and time matter a lot. Not making the right choices at the right time can leave you stranded."

Some wait to jump at the first big break and then work hard to make it big while others slowly but surely work towards a dream they cherish. A case in point would be Smiti Ruia of the Ruia family who owns the Essar Group. This young lady knew that youth is not to be wasted. "especially if you know what you want to do, why dilly-dally for years" was her motto. It's this clarity in aim that has earned Smiti the credit of bringing Time Out magazine, an international publication started in UK 36 years ago, to India when she was all of 22.

She had her own share of doubts, but starting off early gave her enough time to test the waters and finally take a call on what she wanted to do. Says Smiti, "I worked at an investment banking firm, a dotcom, the shipping industry, the telecom industry and interned for a magazine before I realised I wanted to get into the publishing industry." Luckily for Smiti, each job taught her something new and all the experience she gained helped her establish Time Out successfully.

"My first job as an investment banker is where I learnt the basic ropes of life. From getting my first pay check to handling the immense work pressure, every experience was wonderful. I learnt the nuances of international business and market dealings when I worked abroad." And starting off while you are just 20 or even younger, gives you enough time and space to job hop, contemplate and finally decide.