Classroom to Conference Room

Huh...Finally I am back to my blogspace.Its been a really really long time.Life's been pretty decent all along this time though.But there has been a big difference in the mentality definitely.

I am now a one year old in the professional arena. A place where smartness blended with the right mix of intelligence survives.I still remember the day I joined TCS.With lofty aspirations, I set sail to embark on this ship of professionalism.The desire to earn was momentous.ILP - the training program in TCS was an extension of the 8 semesters in engineering .But reality is where I am today.

Bangalore is the place where my Software career kicked off.Got into a decent project within one month of being an elite member of the famous "bench".I was shortlisted among the best 5 from an interview of about 30 candidates. Well, that was an achievement in itself.In the rat race of getting "billed "when majority of the chunk were getting layed off ,it was definitely a feat.We were in the midst of recession which had gripped the world economy badly.Post Lehman collapse, IT industry was in doldrums and to my luck, I was in BFSI sector.However, somehow I managed to have my own workspace - my first "cubicle".

The world all of a sudden seemed harsh.The transition seemed hard to fathom.The "first name" culture dint go down well with me.The letters of "production","development" ,"SIT","UAT" etc. seemed to dance.The culture over here was too disciplined or may be I was accustomed to a different ambience.Colleagues seemed to be aliens.No one was keen to help out the freshers.We didn't have any say in the account.We were not even considered an entity.For a person like me who held too much importance to her dignity, this was sheer insult to her education and her identity.And to my dismay, the 8 hours of attendance was extended to include one hour more.Work seemed me to be the refuge of people who didn't have better things to do in life.I felt I was in Shawshank.

But I knew I had to work someday - if not here, somewhere else might be.

Gradually I started learning to work and more importantly working smart.In the meanwhile, I befriended some awesome people.I started adopting the culture of taking breaks - those most awaited "coffee breaks".I started knowing the difference between theoretical concepts and practical implementations.Being in a Consultancy, I knew how to talk business and how to get business done.Work started getting better.Colleagues seemed approachable and friendly.5 days at work were no more a torture.I got moulded into their definition of a technical analyst or a developer or a software consultant but for me I started loving where I was and where I still am.

In this entire odyssey from classes to conference rooms, I have many souls to remember and express my gratitude as well. But the one person whom I revere and will always held responsible for my positive attitude towards work would be my Project Manager.He is simply an awesome guy.He definitely does not qualify for the plebeian definition of "manager". I admire him.Apart from him,my friends were definitely a reason for my 9 hours of dedicated attendance.I have had crushes over here (as always) despite being "committed".I had awesome trips.I had marvellous outings with my friends.I enjoyed being a part of all that I had been. I have definitely loved being in this account.

Work is not always that bad.It depends on us how we try to define it.In this one year of being a part of the daily hustle bustle in bus,access cards,security checks etc. I have learned that working smart is the only answer to this professional world.The professional attitude is going to take us to where we would always like to be.But definitely not always.You can always find some people out of the common crowd whom you can trust at the end of the day.

Working is awesome when you have the right reasons to do so and the right people to work with and I am happy to be where I work today.I dont know where I would be tomorrow but I definitely know what it means to be "employed".