2016 is going to be special. I am completing a decade in IT industry. Real IT as a software test engineer(I was an IT recruiter for a firm for sometime before joining technical department).When I look back on what I really wanted to be is a school teacher/lecturer and a simple wife to a man. Seriously!Yes,I used to dream my life in very small city that would have job from 9 to 5pm and evenings will spend my time with family(my husband and children). This was a thought i used to get may be because many girls were trained at home for this kind of life unlike my family where we were supposed to just focus on career.
I came back from dreamland when my dad got me my CET results and colleges list on which college I would be sent for Engineering. Little did I know that I would end up in IT industry once I am out of my college. I started getting interest in being a HR professional. Wanted to do MBA in HR. I did become a HR professional just to realize that it wasn't the life I was looking for. I quit in 3months.
Soon I started my career as a Test Engineer in a startup, thankfully it gave me good exposure on technology and IT in general. I started dreaming of working for NOKIA. I set my own target that I will end up in Nokia. But it was hard, my domain(storage), my experience was different. I didnt have a choice and my financial needs made me jump to next firm, which couldnt survive. This was the firm I took by rejecting Robert bosch offer. For a moment I felt I made wrong decision by choosing a startup over CMM level 5 firm.I understood what company shutdown means. I started feeling the job insecurity in IT industry. All I had was my passion and energy. Moreover I needed money. I got into Aditi Technologies while I was still in startup and was serving Notice period, a awesome firm to work with. Working for Microsoft, this firm gave me taste of professionalism. Confidence that I can do anything. It was time when i was enjoying my work, i got into Nokia. My dream job which i wasnt happy when I got it. But family wasnt happy with me working for Aditi. Nokia had a wonderful work culture, I knew it as my cousin was working for Nokia. Here I go, I lived my dream.
Nokia gave me good exposure. Working with great people, great leaders, good managers,lousy managers and great colleagues and friends. nothing stopped me from being happy in Nokia. I met people I traveled outside of India which I never dreamt of. Life was awesome till Nokia hit the bottom line. I knew this was coming as Nokia was already shaken before i joined. People warned me about the situation, but I wanted to live my dream. So did I. No regrets. I realized why I went to startup and not to bosch. Probably after joining Bosch, I wouldn't have thought of leaving that firm at all and my Nokia dream would have been only a dream.Nokia gave me memories and few friends for ever.The team was like a family.
Nokia's shutdown was a disaster. It was never like a firm it was dream for many Nokians. I was one among them who never thought of leaving the firm anytime in my life. Unfortunately its IT, lets be realistic about it. I joined a startup. I was depressed, I made up my mind that I will focus on my personal life and stop worrying too much on professional end. But destiny had something else for me. I was working for this startup, call it a bad time, it was a devil in disguise for me. For first time, i felt I was special. Not because I was too good at work, but because people started feeling jealous that I live luxury life. I was a celebrity as i drove to office. Crap! Wondered what it was, here I got the list why that few people in that startup felt I had luxurious life. My dressing, my watches, me driving in car to work, living in my own house, myself being single . People felt I was happy as I earned and I was single with no responsibilities. Call them ignorant or morons, they never understood what I was and what I felt . I hardly expressed my situations to people because there is no market for feelings. I had previlege of working with senior psychopaths who cannot take woman's voice. But WHO CARES:) its my life to keep or kick them out of my life.It was afterall just a JOB. Some people said I was materialistic, but I wasnt. The actual world was. This firm gave me an experience that no other company gave me. I had never taken 5days continuous leaves from beginning of my career 2006 till 2014 feb. 1March,2015 I was jobless. Whatever situations were, they were just because of peoples ego and jealousy and ofcourse my star positions. Meanwhile I had opportunity to move to London. I still donot get why I didnt take up that opportunity in London which I got through a friend.
I got into a firm in Bangalore within a month but I stayed at home for month before joining my new firm. So it was 2months in actual I stayed at home trying to focus on my life. Toughest time as all dreams were shattered by this time. I lost my confidence, I stopped living. I started feeling lonely, insecured. I had to just bury them as if nothing happened just to keep my career going.
My present company gave me a chance to prove myself. Initial time in my present firm was tough, but it didn't last long. Thanks to Akamai Technologies, for its great culture. I have a job and team which is worth working with. Its getting my confidence back. I am happy that I am spending my time in a good firm. Now I am Akamaized:-)
Overall if you look at it, IT gave me success, recognition, money, exposure to the real world, good people, bad people, gender differentiation, humiliation and what not. It also gave strength to live life independently. Thanks to IT and my Dad, for his decisions, I am really having a wonderful time in IT.
I came back from dreamland when my dad got me my CET results and colleges list on which college I would be sent for Engineering. Little did I know that I would end up in IT industry once I am out of my college. I started getting interest in being a HR professional. Wanted to do MBA in HR. I did become a HR professional just to realize that it wasn't the life I was looking for. I quit in 3months.
Soon I started my career as a Test Engineer in a startup, thankfully it gave me good exposure on technology and IT in general. I started dreaming of working for NOKIA. I set my own target that I will end up in Nokia. But it was hard, my domain(storage), my experience was different. I didnt have a choice and my financial needs made me jump to next firm, which couldnt survive. This was the firm I took by rejecting Robert bosch offer. For a moment I felt I made wrong decision by choosing a startup over CMM level 5 firm.I understood what company shutdown means. I started feeling the job insecurity in IT industry. All I had was my passion and energy. Moreover I needed money. I got into Aditi Technologies while I was still in startup and was serving Notice period, a awesome firm to work with. Working for Microsoft, this firm gave me taste of professionalism. Confidence that I can do anything. It was time when i was enjoying my work, i got into Nokia. My dream job which i wasnt happy when I got it. But family wasnt happy with me working for Aditi. Nokia had a wonderful work culture, I knew it as my cousin was working for Nokia. Here I go, I lived my dream.
Nokia gave me good exposure. Working with great people, great leaders, good managers,lousy managers and great colleagues and friends. nothing stopped me from being happy in Nokia. I met people I traveled outside of India which I never dreamt of. Life was awesome till Nokia hit the bottom line. I knew this was coming as Nokia was already shaken before i joined. People warned me about the situation, but I wanted to live my dream. So did I. No regrets. I realized why I went to startup and not to bosch. Probably after joining Bosch, I wouldn't have thought of leaving that firm at all and my Nokia dream would have been only a dream.Nokia gave me memories and few friends for ever.The team was like a family.
Nokia's shutdown was a disaster. It was never like a firm it was dream for many Nokians. I was one among them who never thought of leaving the firm anytime in my life. Unfortunately its IT, lets be realistic about it. I joined a startup. I was depressed, I made up my mind that I will focus on my personal life and stop worrying too much on professional end. But destiny had something else for me. I was working for this startup, call it a bad time, it was a devil in disguise for me. For first time, i felt I was special. Not because I was too good at work, but because people started feeling jealous that I live luxury life. I was a celebrity as i drove to office. Crap! Wondered what it was, here I got the list why that few people in that startup felt I had luxurious life. My dressing, my watches, me driving in car to work, living in my own house, myself being single . People felt I was happy as I earned and I was single with no responsibilities. Call them ignorant or morons, they never understood what I was and what I felt . I hardly expressed my situations to people because there is no market for feelings. I had previlege of working with senior psychopaths who cannot take woman's voice. But WHO CARES:) its my life to keep or kick them out of my life.It was afterall just a JOB. Some people said I was materialistic, but I wasnt. The actual world was. This firm gave me an experience that no other company gave me. I had never taken 5days continuous leaves from beginning of my career 2006 till 2014 feb. 1March,2015 I was jobless. Whatever situations were, they were just because of peoples ego and jealousy and ofcourse my star positions. Meanwhile I had opportunity to move to London. I still donot get why I didnt take up that opportunity in London which I got through a friend.
I got into a firm in Bangalore within a month but I stayed at home for month before joining my new firm. So it was 2months in actual I stayed at home trying to focus on my life. Toughest time as all dreams were shattered by this time. I lost my confidence, I stopped living. I started feeling lonely, insecured. I had to just bury them as if nothing happened just to keep my career going.
My present company gave me a chance to prove myself. Initial time in my present firm was tough, but it didn't last long. Thanks to Akamai Technologies, for its great culture. I have a job and team which is worth working with. Its getting my confidence back. I am happy that I am spending my time in a good firm. Now I am Akamaized:-)
Overall if you look at it, IT gave me success, recognition, money, exposure to the real world, good people, bad people, gender differentiation, humiliation and what not. It also gave strength to live life independently. Thanks to IT and my Dad, for his decisions, I am really having a wonderful time in IT.
