Email me here  👉 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤@𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐧.𝐜𝐨𝐦
Join my free job search and career tips email list here 👉 𝗵𝘁𝘁𝗽𝘀://𝗴𝗼.𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗻.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Who is Anand Vaishampayan?

🔥 About me: IT Professional turned Career Coach and YouTuber. In Feb 2025 I quit my high paying corporate job of 20+ Years to follow my passion of teaching things which are NOT taught in any school, college or university.

🔥Corporate Experience: I worked for Zensar Technologies for over 20 years, most of my tenure with Zensar was for Cisco Account. I served in Pune as well as in San Jose, California and RTP, North Carolina.

🔥 Now after I quit from full time job, I help professionals GROW in their Career and help them earn BIGGER and BETTER salaries :)

🔥 I provided Career Coaching through One on One Consultation as well as Group Programs.

For details please refer the following links:

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘁 -> https://careertalk.mojo.page/one-on-one-career-consulting-with-anand

𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 -> https://careertalk.mojo.page/gold-courses-coaching-offer-one-year

Note: All views expressed are my own and are not associated with any Company or Organization 🙏

I interviewed a 45-year-old professional last year.

Brilliant experience. Strong communication. Clear thinking.

But the moment we started discussing role expectations, he paused and said something I did not expect:

“I just hope I’m not being compared to 25-year-olds. They learn faster than me now. I don’t know if I still belong here.”

For a second, I didn’t know what to say.

Because behind that one sentence was a decade of silent fear.

The fear that many mid-career professionals carry. 

The fear that experience is becoming irrelevant. 

The fear that younger, faster talent will replace them. 

The fear that their best years are behind them.

But here’s the truth most people forget:

A 25-year-old brings speed.
A 45-year-old brings wisdom.

A 25-year-old knows tools.
A 45-year-old knows outcomes.

A 25-year-old executes tasks.
A 45-year-old avoids million-dollar mistakes.

Skills can be learned at any age. Judgment cannot.

And companies don’t pay you for certificates. They pay you for reducing risk, increasing clarity, and delivering consistent results.

So if you’re 40-plus and worried about competing with younger talent, remember this:

You’re not competing on speed. You’re competing on depth.

You’re not competing on new tools. You’re competing on problem-solving.

You’re not competing for approval. You’re competing with your own potential.

Experience is not old. Experience is leverage.

And the market always values people who can bring clarity, calm, and direction.

Think about it tonight.

🔥🔥🔥

Anand Vaishampayan

My Honest Advice to Anyone Working in 40s...

→ Plan an exit before it’s forced. 
Don’t assume loyalty = security. 

→ Don’t get trapped by your title. A “Director” today can be unemployed tomorrow. Skills and adaptability outlive designations.

→ Keep proof of impact. Maintain a personal archive of wins, metrics, and stories. You’ll need them for interviews, consulting, or pitching yourself.

→ Outgrow your company before it outgrows you. Don’t wait until you’re irrelevant. Move when you’re still in demand, not when desperation hits.

→ Visibility > hard work. Past 40, silent contributors get forgotten. Speak, publish, network, make sure people know what you bring.

→ Invest in younger mentors. Reverse mentorship is real. A 28-year-old may teach you more about AI, digital, or the future of work than a peer can.

→ Negotiate lifestyle, not just salary. At this stage, flexibility, health insurance, and location freedom can matter more than a pay bump.

Last but NOT the least...

Accept you may have to reinvent. Entire industries can shrink in a decade. 

Be ready to start fresh, even if it bruises the ego.

These aren’t things you’ll find in a motivational book.

These are the real, sometimes uncomfortable truths of life after 40.

Read it again. Thank me later.

🙏🙏🙏

P.S: Follow me here for more 👉 Anand Vaishampayan

Muzammil S.

I am close to 50 now, how long am I supposed to take late night meetings? I am doing this for my entire life Anand but now I am tired. And customers in US expect us to be on camera, they don't give a shit that it is midnight here in India. They want you to turn your camera ON and behave as if it is noon 12 PM.

Honestly if it was NOT about my kids education I would have given up long ago. Forget about 60 I think I just need to somehow drag myself for another 3 years and then I am done.

This is an honest submission by a seasoned IT professional on a Friday evening.

My only advice to those who still have AGE on their side.

Save every penny and dollar wisely.

Invest in the right instruments.

Remember ONE DAY you will get old and when you do you may NOT have the same energy and enthusiasm to work tirelessly for your employer. 

That is when your savings and investments come to your rescue.

They are your best friends.

🔥 🔥 🔥

P.S: If you relate to this, follow me here for more 👉 Anand Vaishampayan

Tomorrow marks one year since I finally admitted to myself that I wanted a different life and hit the resign button. 

And these are the 10 questions I answered between 2020 and 2024 before I quit my high-paying corporate job in Feb 2025.

(1) Is my current job a pain… or a gain?

(2) Have I truly milked the job: learned, earned, grown?

(3) How many real working years do I have ahead?

(4) How much money do I actually have?

(5) Is that money enough for the life I want?

(6) What future responsibilities are coming in the next 10 years?

(7) What kind of work will make me proud in the next decade?

(8) If I resign, what will I actually do with my days?

(9) If money is enough, how will I use my time meaningfully?

(10) If I don’t quit, is there a chance they may fire me anyway?

Here’s what these questions taught me:

Moral 1: Do the math for personal finance. Know your numbers.

Moral 2: Start exploring "what else can you do" before you're forced to.

Moral 3: It usually takes 2X or 3X more time and effort than you think.

Finally: There is no perfect moment to quit. 

But the more honest your answers, the better your decisions whether you stay, switch, redesign, or walk away.

🔥🔥🔥

Sudhakar Mokshagundam PMP®, (PMI-RMP)®

I was honestly average at programming.
I realised early that deep tech wasn’t my strength.
And the moment I accepted that, my career changed.

I quit the traditional tech path not because I was lazy…but because I knew I would perform poorly in a role that demanded something my brain wasn’t wired for.

And that single decision became the biggest turning point of my career.

Because here’s the truth no one talks about:

Not everyone can upskill to the latest and greatest tech.

Not because they don’t try…but because of something real: aptitude, learning style, and cognitive limits.

People learn differently.
People adapt differently.
People perform differently.

Some thrive in complexity.
Some shine in structured, predictable work.
Some are great with people, not code.
Some understand business logic better than algorithms.

And that’s okay.

The real career question is:

What kind of work do you naturally perform well at, even under pressure, without burning out?

Because the biggest mistake is forcing yourself into a path where: the learning curve feels unnatural, 

– the work drains your energy
– the skills don’t match your strengths
– and performance becomes inconsistent

This doesn’t mean you stop learning.

It means you learn in a direction that fits your wiring.

A practical way to approach it:

(1) Map your strengths
 
Are you analytical, people-oriented, process-driven, creative, systems-minded, or execution-focused?

(2) Choose a tech path that matches those strengths
 Every domain has multiple sub-tracks.
 You don’t need the hardest one, just the right one.

(3) Grow adjacent, not in extremes

Aim for adjacent growth, not a career personality transplant

(4) Master one skill deeply

Mastery creates confidence.
Confidence drives performance.
Performance drives salary.

(5) Build a career that suits your brain, not the noise around you
 
Sustainable success comes from alignment, not pressure.

Because career growth is not a race of IQ or trend-chasing.

It’s a game of self-awareness, alignment, and consistency.

Once you understand this, your next step becomes clearer and far more achievable.

🙏 🙏 🙏

Amazing experience speaking at the Toastmasters event last evening.

Nothing beats face-to-face conversations.

The energy, the questions, the curiosity, all of it hits differently in a live room.

A big thank you to Ashrafali Jahagirdar and the entire team Toastmasters Club of Pune South East for hosting me.

Toastmasters Club of Pune South East is 15 years strong...

-> 690 chapter meetings
-> One meeting, every single week

That consistency shows in the quality of conversations.

The theme for the session was:
Career Planning in the Age of AI

We spoke about: 

-> How career rules change after a certain stage

-> Why AI is not just a tool shift, but a thinking shift

-> How professionals can stay relevant without chasing every trend

If you missed the session, the link with details is in the comments.

If you attended, I’d love to hear from you: What is ONE insight that stayed with you?

🔥🔥🔥

P.S. Planning a YouTube + LinkedIn community meetup soon. More details coming.

Some of the kindest people I’ve worked with in my career weren’t naturally soft or overly sweet or the “people-pleaser” type. In fact, many of them were the quiet ones, the patient ones, the ones who took a second before reacting, the ones who never made a big deal out of their authority even though they had every right to.

And over time, I realized something:

They are that way not because everything in their career has been smooth but because it hasn’t.

They’ve known what it feels like to be spoken to in a way that stings long after the meeting ends.

They’ve been judged more than they’ve been guided.

They’ve been corrected publicly for mistakes that could have been addressed privately.

They’ve worked under managers who confused fear with respect.

They’ve sat through conversations where someone took credit for work they spent nights finishing.

They’ve gone home questioning their worth because someone else decided their tone, pace, or personality wasn’t “leadership material.”

And when you go through experiences like that where you feel small, overlooked, or constantly under scrutiny, you don’t forget it. 

It stays somewhere inside you. Not in a dramatic way, just quietly. Like a reminder.

And somewhere along the way, without announcing it or making it a big philosophy, a decision forms:

“If I ever get a chance to lead, I won’t be like that.”

So now, when someone new joins, they show patience.

When someone makes a mistake, they explain instead of blame.

When someone struggles, they don’t see weakness, they see themselves from a few years ago.

And when someone feels nervous to speak, they make space instead of filling the silence.

Their kindness isn’t perfection.

It’s experience shaped into empathy.

And honestly, those are the people who quietly change workplaces. Not by force. Not by authority.

But simply by treating others in the way they once wished someone had treated them.

So if you ever meet someone like that, someone who leads calmly, listens fully, and treats people with dignity no matter the situation, remember: they didn’t become kind because life made it easy.

They became kind because they know exactly how painful the opposite feels.

And they chose differently.

🙏 🙏 🙏

Not every exhausted employee is lazy.

Some are carrying things you can’t see, and honestly, most workplaces don’t even try to look.

Over the years, I’ve worked with people who seemed distracted, slow to respond, or not as energetic as everyone else in the room. 

And the easy assumption, the one that slips into conversations quietly, is that they lack drive, or discipline, or “hunger.” 

But the longer I spent in the real world of work, the more I realized how incomplete that assumption is.

Some of these people were waking up at 4 AM because they had a long commute and young kids at home.

Some were caring for elderly parents and doing hospital runs no one knew about.

Some were dealing with marriage issues or financial stress or personal battles that don’t fit neatly into corporate vocabulary.

Some had barely slept because they were up all night with a sick child.

Some were struggling with health issues they didn’t want to talk about because they were worried it would affect how they were seen.

And some were simply tired, not because of work, but because life was throwing more at them than they had the space to handle.

But here’s the thing:

People don’t always ask for help.

Most of the time, they’re actually trying harder than you think, just not in a way that’s loud or visible.

I’ve seen employees show up to calls with a calm voice while their life was falling apart off-camera.

I’ve seen people work through heartbreak, illness, financial pressure, bereavement, and mental exhaustion, all while hitting deadlines and pretending everything is fine.

I’ve seen people labelled “underperformers” not because they lacked capability, but because they were carrying something heavy that others couldn’t see or didn’t bother to understand.

And slowly I learned that exhaustion doesn’t always come from laziness.

Sometimes it comes from responsibility.
Sometimes it comes from fear.
Sometimes it comes from survival.

Not everyone who looks slow is unmotivated.
Not everyone who is quiet is disengaged.
Not everyone who misses a beat is careless.

Some people are doing their best in circumstances you wouldn’t last a week in.

And if you’re a manager, or a colleague, or even someone working alongside others, it helps to remember that you’re not always seeing the full story. 

You’re seeing the version of them that made it to work that day.

So before you judge, pause.

People carry far more than they show.

And sometimes the kindest thing you can offer at work is simply giving someone a bit more space, a bit more time, a bit more understanding.

🙏 🙏 🙏

Announcing my next Keynote session. Live in Pune.

Hosted by the Toastmasters Club of Pune South East. 

Save the date: Dec 13th 2025 at 3 PM IST.

Venue: IBS Pune (Amanora)

Book your FREE guest slot here: https://lnkd.in/dUnewdAk

For details, please connect with Ashrafali Jahagirdar

See you there 🔥 🔥🔥

Remember: AI replaces humans who don’t strengthen the skills that make humans irreplaceable.

Your career goals in your 40s look nothing like the goals you had in your 20s.

In your 20s, everything feels like a race, a race to get promoted, a race to prove yourself, a race to catch up with people who seem to be moving faster than you, a race to fill your resume with things that sound impressive even if half of it drains you. 

You want recognition, speed, visibility, and that feeling that you’re “getting somewhere,” even if you’re not exactly sure where that somewhere is.

And honestly, that phase has its place. It builds muscle. It builds resilience. It builds confidence.

But something changes when you enter your late 30s and 40s.

Not all at once, slowly, almost silently.

You stop being obsessed with titles.

You stop needing constant validation.

You stop wanting to be in every meeting or every project.

You stop chasing things just because everyone else is chasing them.

You start paying attention to things you didn’t value earlier, like how your body feels after a long week, how your mind reacts to stress, how quickly your time disappears, how little space you have for yourself or the people you love.

You begin to choose roles not just based on “growth opportunities” but based on the quality of life that comes with them.

You start valuing time with family.

You start craving work that doesn’t drain you.

You start seeking environments where you feel respected, not just utilised.

And somewhere in between all of this, your goals quietly shift.

In your 20s, the question was:
“How far can I go?”

In your 40s, the question becomes:
“What is worth going far for?”

Because you now understand that every promotion has a cost.

Every opportunity takes something.

Every career jump requires energy you no longer waste casually.

Your priorities don’t shrink.

They mature.

You still want to grow, just not at the cost of your health, your peace, your family, or yourself.

And that doesn’t mean ambition dies.

It just becomes wiser, calmer, more intentional.

Career goals don’t disappear in your 40s.

They simply change shape, and start aligning with the person you’ve become, not the person you were trying to prove something to.

Think about it.

🙏 🙏🙏

Every role has a season. Every company environment has a limit to what it can give you. Staying beyond that doesn’t make you loyal or patient, it just makes you smaller over time.

And here’s the part that matters most:

Realizing you stayed too long doesn’t mean you failed.

It means you’re finally paying attention.

That awareness is not the end of your story.

It’s usually the beginning of the next one.

And sometimes, the hardest apology at work isn’t to a manager or a company.

It’s the quiet one you make to yourself
and then decide to do something different.

Do you agree?

🙏 🙏🙏

Someone once said: You spend the first 10 years building your career… and the next 10 years trying to protect your health and time from it.

When I heard it, I laughed.

Then I realized it wasn’t a joke.

In our 20s, we chase momentum.

Late nights feel normal.

Weekend work feels like dedication.

Travel feels exciting.

Stress feels temporary.

We think energy is unlimited and careers need constant acceleration.

But somewhere in our 30s and 40s, the conversation changes.

Sleep starts to matter.

Silence becomes valuable.

Time feels expensive.

Health becomes non-negotiable.

You stop being impressed by job titles and start valuing peace.

You stop caring about being the busiest person in the room and start caring about being present with the people who matter.

You realize growth isn’t always about climbing higher.

Sometimes growth is learning how to say:

“No.”
“Not now.”
“That can wait.”
“That’s not worth my energy anymore.”

Ambition doesn’t die.

It matures.

It shifts from proving yourself to choosing yourself.

And somewhere in that transition, work stops being your identity and becomes just one part of a full life.

Today sit with this thought for a moment.

🙏 🙏 🙏

P.S: Save and repost if you feel it is worthy ↗️

Announcing the 18th Batch of LinkedIn Growth Training Program. This is our last batch of 2025. By the end of the program...

(1) You will have a super optimized LinkedIn profile
(2) You will have clear idea of your goal and audience
(3) You will learn exactly how to grow your network
(4) You will know how to write and what to write (& why)
(5) You will learn how to hunt a job on LinkedIn

Plus you will be added to our Private LinkedIn community for 1 Year. Here you get access to our private WhatsApp group and get invited to our monthly Zoom meetings for 1 full year.

If you are sitting on the fence wondering whether you should join or not, fill the form in the comments and within 48 hours you will get a call from us.

🔥 🔥🔥

P.S: This program is NOT free, link in comments for details.

Very happy to share a success story today.
This is feedback from someone I have never spoken to.
Someone I don’t know personally.
Someone who is not part of any paid program.

He is simply a subscriber to my free email list on Career Growth & Job Search.

And here’s what he achieved:

✔ Built a daily learning habit for 10–12 months
✔ Stayed consistent despite a busy job
✔ And last month… cracked a 50 LPA offer at an investment bank

All on his own effort.

All through free resources.

These are the moments we work for.

This is why I create content every single day.

This is why I show up.

Absolutely delighted.

Truly humbled.

And deeply grateful for the trust.

🙏 🙏 🙏

I am speaking at a Live Event today organized by the Toastmasters Club of Pune South East.

If you are around, I would love to meet you.

Venue is ICFAI Business School (IBS) - Pune (Amanora)

For logistics, please register here: https://lnkd.in/drasUUaQ

If already registered then no need to register again.

See you there.

🔥 🔥🔥

My LinkedIn Strategy for 2026.

In 2026, I want to show up with more clarity, consistency, and authenticity.

No shortcuts, no AI-generated stuff.

Here’s the plan:

1) 4 posts every week (minimum)

→ 200+ posts in 2026
→ 20–40M impressions across the year.

2) 1 long-form article every 15 days

→ 24 articles
→ Deep relationship-building + high-intent audience.

3) Comment on 5 new posts daily

→ ~1,800 comments a year
→ Visibility to 5–10 lakh new profiles.

4) Share 1 real story per week

→ Stories drive 2–3x engagement & 5x saves.

5) Build a library of 200+ insights/frameworks

→ Evergreen content that compounds over time.

6) Stop using AI-generated pictures

→ Strengthen brand identity & trust.

7) Maintain my own visual style

→ 8–10 branded visuals per month
→ Higher recall + stronger positioning.

8) Reply to 95% comments on my posts

→ Boosts reach by 20–30% because conversations win.

9) Create a monthly content calendar

→ Eliminates inconsistency.

10) Do a quarterly analytics review

→ Double down on what works.

11) Share 10–12 high-resonance posts each month

→ Emotional + actionable content → 3–6x reach.

12) Build 4 flagship content series (one each quarter)

→ Establish authority in careers, AI, and job search.

13) Ask my audience 2 questions/month

→ Drives 50–100 comments each time
→ Real insights, real pain points.

14) Share 1 data-backed post every week

→ Data posts get 3–5x shares.

15) Collaborate with 15–20 creators during the year

→ Opens new audiences & networks.

16) Align LinkedIn content with YouTube + Newsletter

→ Cross-platform leverage → stronger funnel.

17) Grow LinkedIn by 50k+ followers organically

→ Through value, not virality.

18) Add 10k+ newsletter subscribers in 2026

→ Through consistent, high-value insights.

19) Build 4 major free resources (one per quarter)

→ 40k+ leads combined.

20) Document 1 lesson per day from calls, coaching, conversations

→ 365 insights → endless content → unmatched depth.

2026 for me is not about being everywhere.

It’s about showing up with intent, staying consistent, and creating work that actually helps people grow.

If you read this far: thank you.

Let’s make 2026 our most meaningful year on LinkedIn.

🔥 🔥🔥

P.S: From the 20 points share above, which 1 do you want to replicate for yourself?

taplio

Anand Vaishampayan's Linkedin Analytics