I live in my hometown, and I work remotely. I’m paid well by my Hong Kong-based company, and I live a comfortable life.

Most professional graduates in Kerala work at low-paying jobs because they have no other option. Is it because the state does not have enough well-paying jobs? Or is it just the supply meeting the demands?

I shared my two cents on this topic on Reddit.

After five years in the industry, the only way I found a high-paying job and stayed in Kerala was to work remotely.

I like staying in Kerala, like a lot of people. But the lack of opportunities in Kerala for high-paying jobs prevents people from living here.

Are remote jobs a solution? Maybe, for people working in IT or for other remote-friendly jobs. But a majority of jobs are not like this.

Kerala does promote startups through programs like KSUM and StartUp Village, but the socio-political environment in Kerala is not business-friendly. Do you want your company to be canceled by a bunch of flag-bearing commies? Welcome to Kerala!

But economics will always balance supply and demand. There are a lot of professionals in Kerala who would work for ~10k per month. Do you want more salary? Too bad! People are willing to work for less.

A minimum wage seems like a solution, but can it be implemented for such a large population? Can companies pay these wages if the minimum wage is implemented?

Finally, there is a lot of demand for top-notch skilled professionals. I have seen people graduating from government colleges in Kerala securing top jobs because of their skills. There are a lot of people who cannot do a job they are supposed to be trained to do. Many engineering graduates just have a degree to their name and no skills. Skilled people stand out from the rest of the pack and get these outlier high-paying jobs.

So, to solve this issue, first, we have to improve our youth’s skills. Train them in skills that are in demand in the industry. If you have more skilled people, more percentage of them would be able to create/secure high-paying jobs. This will create a circle and would provide the next generation with better opportunities.

Sorry for the long and unfiltered rambling.

Having a personal brand has helped me a lot in my career. I had some intention before starting to work on my brand. But, throughout the last two years, my goals and brand have changed immensely. And in the previous month, I have been more serious than ever about building my brand.

I receive job offers because of my personal brand. In fact, I got my current job when one of my current teammates found me online and reached out to me. All my work was public, so it was easy for him to see I was a good fit.

I don’t have to worry about finding a job if I somehow lose the one I have now.

Also, I have gained a lot of skills from working on building my brand. These skills help me in work and life.

Working in open source is an added benefit to it. Everything I do at work is public and part of my brand. Having that alignment between my work and personal goals is really helpful in building your brand.

Of course, you don’t need to work in open source to achieve this. Any job which aligns with your personal goals work will work as well.

Kent C. Dodds shares some ideas on building a personal brand on his article Intentional Career Building.

Today I published my biweekly newsletter! I’m really excited about what this will turn out to be.

Working on my newsletter is also helping me keep my ideas organized. Instead of reading and forgetting, I write my thoughts and opinions to share it in my newsletter.

My code blocks can have a title now.

This is my even cooler code