Burj Khalifa - do we need it?

The world's tallest building, 7 star hotel, world in the sea, palm hotel, etcetera. Do we really need these infrastructure projects in Dubai? In fact does Dubai need it?

There was this spectacular ceremony for the opening of a 900 meter tall building (I call it a purposeless monument) and the opening ceremony was attended by special guests from the Western world & royals of middle east Asia but don't they understand that other than them, no one else can afford to live in that building.

Checkout the opening ceremony video done on money borrowed from cousins.

Dubai is all desert & some oil. I really don't understand why do they keep building these 7 star hotels, huge malls, huge buildings & ice skating arenas in the desert? These things attract only the rich, but the middle class junta want jobs & decent food.

Dubai today is based on the perception that "what could ever go wrong here?" but my question to the royals of Dubai is "What are the assumptions or perceptions under which Dubai might or might not fall down?" No I don't want Dubai to fall, but "do the rulers of Dubai know if their planning about the future of Dubai is correct or wrong?".

It is a city giving employment to many Indians & Pakistanis who send a lot of money back home. If Dubai falls their dreams fall and may be in some cases even families back home might have to take severe actions.

Another issue I want to bring forward is that the Sheikhs & rulers of Dubai need to see that for the survival of Dubai they need more capital everyday & they need source of constant revenue generation. But where will they get the money from? No one is buying any property in Dubai. Dubai doesn't have any oil. There are no new investors (except cousins Abu Dhabi). And on top of all there is no real asset being created which will help in the growth of the nation. In simple words a long term vision is missing for a stable economic survival of a nation.

What about setting up industry there? Why haven't the royals of UAE thought about that? It's totally their view & idea what they want Dubai to become "a tourist destination", "a hotel", "a financial capital of middle east Asia" or "a developed and stable economy". Israel sends fruits and vegetables to Europe and is in the same climate as UAE, can't the government of UAE develop its agriculture industry like that? Can't they develop some date fruit farms for some other industry other than tourism & construction?

It is time that they start thinking differently before they world start taking them differently....

How to stay motivated while job hunting

Many people have said “If you are unemployed then getting a job is a job in itself”, so very true. In 2005 – 2006 (ah those were the times!), for an IT professional shifting from one job to another was very easy and opportunities were standing at your door step (if you were good enough!). But today being just good doesn’t help getting a new job.

Keep looking for the right job

People need to understand that getting the job which you love and have passion for is very important, so do not get tired of searching for it. If you were a programmer or Business Analyst in the Healthcare sector then getting a job in Healthcare would be much easier than getting a job in the Travel & Tourism industry. But currently there are far less new projects being started by companies and it means that if you are an IT worker & out of job, then getting a new job is difficult.

Please don’t apply to a job because it is advertised, you saw it in your inbox. Ask yourself, “If by chance I do get an interview call, how will I answer the questions from a sector in which I have zero experience?” If you have the answer for that, go ahead and apply, otherwise it is probably best to move on and keep looking.

Keep working on your skills

Don’t just Google & apply for jobs, use this precious time as an opportunity to sharpen your skills or work on those skills which you were planning to learn when you were employed. IT skills can be given a boost by doing a certification course or a project management course or even a soft skills course like time management or public speaking. Or even something completely different like wind surfing or learning the guitar! If you are in the finance sector look at the FSA website everyday & try to find out, “What would I, as a Business Analyst in a financial institution, do with this new FSA Consulting Paper?”. Finance consultants can also use this time to learn statistical tools like MATLAB or SAS. Once you are in a job you would have to do the work your boss asks you to do and then work pressure never allows you to enhance your skills. And never forget that the ultimate goal is to get the right job, which you can make a career out of.

Quickly make yourself busy after you hear a bad news

With so many people being unemployed, the competition for the same job has gone up & the employer has a choice of choosing from a much larger pool of candidates. Attending a 3rd or 4th round of interview is becoming common now. Also, there are more rejections for a single post. So after hearing application rejection news you can:

1. go to YouTube and see a kid laughing or a kid’s funny dance
2. watch the news
3. watch Slumdog Millionaire or Shawshank Redemption (or similar uplifting movie)
4. watch the football match

The idea is to divert your mind from the bad news & just move ahead. Ask yourself “Do I have any choice other than looking ahead?”

Make personal contacts

Recruitment consultants always try to place those candidates whom they find would get placed pretty quickly. After all everyone’s got a mortgage to pay!

You can look at those companies whom you think might require your expertise, contact the HR directly and pitch yourself; maybe they might like your ideas and skill strengths. Ask your club mates if they know someone who can help you find a job. Meet new people and discuss your CV with them, you never know someone might say “Hey you know what I have a friend who owns/works in XYZ company, would you be interested to meet him?” There is no harm in telling someone “I am not employed and I need your help”. Most people understand the current economic climate & are ready to help.

The most important thing is that you must have faith in yourself. If you were good enough earlier, it means you are good enough now; it’s just the time that is bad. Maybe 6 months after getting a job you would laugh at those unemployed days and say “Blimey! I caught up on a lot of movies; as many as I have seen in all my life!”