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'Bought my sister a guitar with my first salary'
We invited readers to share how much their first salary was and how they burst it up. Here we feature some of the responses we received:
The first remuneration I got was a stipend of Rs 10,000 while I was doing summer training during my MBA in 2007. It was a really special feeling, because it was the first time that I was solely responsible for what I had received.
I bought a guitar worth Rs 3,000 for my kid sister, took my family out to dinner and partied with the rest with friends. It was a great feeling.
I am done with with my MBA now, have been working for the past 2 years and earning quite well. I still buy gifts for family but the joy that I get when my sis plays that guitar is really overwhelming.
-- Ajay ( 24)
With my first salary being credited to my account on July 31, 2008, I was ecstatic and over the moon. I got myself a Timex watch worth Rs 4,000 bucks. Got some gifts for my mom and dad and distributed sweets in my department.
A special day for me indeed.
-- Sunil Kumar Panda, senior engineer, Sesa Goa Limited, Bhubaneswar
My first salary was 1,500 euros back in June, 2002. I was thrilled and thought on that day that one day I may be able to support my father, who spent all his earnings on my education, my sister;s marriage and on my younger sister. A person doing private job, having no insurance and pension.
I thought I will be his pension. Today, I am his pension and I love it. When I was in India, I used to give him my salary cheque and he used to put it in our little mandir before depositing it in the bank.
I am lucky to get a chance to serve my parents.
-- Gagan Sharma
Share your story by mailing us at getahead@rediff.co.in with the subject line 'My first salary' and tell us what your first job was, how much you got paid and what you did with your first salary. And we'll publish the responses right here on rediff.com! Don't forget to include your name, age, city and current job/ profession/ designation.
'I bought something I always wanted -- a dictionary'
I am 44 years old and I joined The Hindu newspaper in the year 1988 at New Delhi as a fresh electronics and communication graduate and my first salary was around Rs 950 for the (half) month of September 1988. It was my
dream to buy a dictionary during my graduation days and I bought the '20th century' dictionary in one of the book shops at Connaught Place, New Delhi.
I still cherish the very moment when I owned the dictionary.
-- N Vasudevan, senior manager, The Hindu, Coimbatore
My first salary was Rs 2,400 and I was working as trainee engineer, back in 2004. I had given my first salary to my parents. Now I am working in an MNC, but whenever I think about that day I feel very happy.
-- Mukesh Narang (28), senior design engineer, Noida
My first salary was Rs 400 way back in 1988, when I was studying in class 12, while working with a CA. I accumulated my salary for about 2 years and then we bought a VCR of our own because that was a craze during that period.
-- Anil Sharma, Wockhardt, Mumbai
'Bought myself a pair of Adidas shoes'
My first salary was from a part-time teaching job in 2000 at Aptech, Delhi while I was doing my BTech. I earned Rs 5,000 plus Rs 1,000 as the owner told me that the students were very happy with me.
I gave the cheque to my father who had recently suffered heavy losses in the transportation business. My mother told me later how happy he was, declaring it to all our near and dear ones. Even though my father has passed away since, I still think of him and my mother every time I get paid.
-- Kunal Sareen, diagnostics engineer, Ford Motor Company Ltd, UK
I am from a small town called Warangal, and after my first year of MBA, I worked for an NGO in Delhi for my summer internship.
I had little exposure to the world outside and this was the first time I had a meeting with HR. I thought I would not have a chance as everyone was fluent in English, but she assigned me to a team that dealt in logistics.
At the end of 2.5 months I got a salary of Rs 11,500 (in 2001) with which I bought a pair of Adidas shoes costing Rs 1,600 and gave the remaining money to my parents after going home.
I have learnt so many things in those 2 months which were more than a MBA for me ...
-- Jayakrishna, SAP BASIS Consultant
My first salary was Rs 3,000 in 1997 in an IT company in Chennai. I kept my salary money in front of god and spent the first portion of the money by doing some poojas. The rest I gave to my dad and mom and I took Rs 500 for pocket money.
For the past 6-7 years, I have travelled to many different countries but still the emotions of getting my first salary always remain in my heart.
-- Gururajan BR (35), software test manager, Chennai