"What happens to Corporate Employees After 45? | Indian IT jobs after 45"
By Varsha Kadyan (The Corporate Diaries)
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THE CORE ARGUMENT:
The "work till 60, retire happily" plan is a myth for Indian IT workers. It's fundamentally flawed because it was borrowed from the previous generation where jobs were guaranteed for life. That no longer applies.
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KEY STORY:
The speaker was in a meeting with management discussing appraisals. The CFO casually said about a senior employee (8-9 years at the company): "His salary has reached what we'd pay someone locally in North America. It doesn't justify keeping him."
Nobody on the call pushed back except the speaker. The CFO's response: "That's for HR to solve. The numbers don't justify."
This moment revealed the brutal truth about how companies view Indian employees.
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WHY THE PLAN IS BROKEN:
1. You were hired for being cheap, not exceptional. The whole reason Indian IT workers get work from global companies is because they're cheaper than local hires. That's the deal.
2. Every raise closes the gap. As your salary grows, the cost difference between you and a local hire shrinks. The moment that gap closes, you become replaceable — no matter how talented you are.
3. Your value has an expiry date. Companies never announce it, but the day your salary matches a local hire's salary, you're done.
4. Previous generation had guaranteed jobs. Our parents' jobs were secure until退休. Today, companies actively look for cheaper alternatives.
5. By 60, we'll still have debts. Unlike our parents who were debt-free by retirement, we'll have home loans, kids' education loans, etc.
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WHERE DID ALL THE 50 YEAR OLDS GO?
• Forced early retirement (not voluntary)
• Consulting roles (project-based, uncertain income)
• Small businesses nobody believes in (no other option)
• Moved to hometowns to slow down
They didn't thrive — they disappeared.
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WHAT SHE DID:
• Stopped fighting the system (negotiating hikes, competing for promotions)
• Accepted the ceiling is structural, not personal
• Started slowly exploring options outside corporate
• Didn't quit immediately — explored gradually
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HER ADVICE:
• Don't quit your job immediately
• Start exploring alternatives NOW
• Build something on the side
• Answer: "What will you do when the gap closes for you?"
• The day your salary matches a local hire's, your company will let you go
• Plan for your 40s, 50s, 60s — don't just copy your parents' plan
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BOTTOM LINE: If you're an Indian IT employee earning well, you're on borrowed time. The system is designed so that once you become expensive, you're replaced. Plan accordingly.