Completed FOUR YEARS of my WORK EXPERIENCE...

1782nd BLOG POST -->>

I complete my 4 years of work experience today. I still remember the day when I went for the interview, gave 3 interview rounds in series, got a call after 2 days about my selection getting little bucks more than what I expected as a Fresher and the 1^st day when I got ready to go to office. How different it was waking up that day, getting ready for something I didn’t know how it would be, catching the train for a new location and then finally going and sitting in an environment where I knew everyone else knew each other and I was the only one who would be needing to settle himself between these people and prove his worth.

I had read so much about organizational politics that I was too scared to even think if I should approach someone myself or wait for them to talk to me and only answer in monosyllables to make them believe I am an innocent person who is here to do whatever is told to him. How weird my first day, first week and first month was! Everyone would laugh together, lunch together, gossip together whereas I used to talk with 2 more freshers who had joined with me (as they were also needing someone to talk to eliminate their awkwardness) and discuss about the new projects we were being introduced after every 3 days because the company was training us in all of its products.

After I got little comfortable with my team I started speaking myself, laughing openly on jokes and also cracking few of them myself. When I saw that my team has finally accepted me and are enjoying my presence in their circle did I start taking initiatives and speaking my mind what I believe is right or wrong. The one thing I learnt was that opportunity doesn’t come to you until you make an aura around yourself of grabbing whatever shall be thrown at you. Hence, I started becoming a person who was saying YES to almost anything that was given to him. This made me analyse if I am actually interested for the position I had joined with or I need to shift in a different profile altogether. And this question has been such a wonderful self-introspection and self-realization that in my last 4 years, I have gone through being a Quality Assurance- Trainee to a Quality Assurance Engineer to a Sr. Quality Assurance Engineer to a Jr. Business Analyst to being a BA and finally being Sr. Business Analyst. What a professional life it has been up till now!

I had shared it in the similar post last year and I am telling you even this time that I am with the same organization I had joined in 4 years back as a Fresher. Many people question and laugh on me for being with my 1^st employer itself and not even trying to switch. Well, I don’t know if I am right or wrong in my approach but I believe one should never forget the days when we used to get up every morning, update our profile on job-related websites to ensure our profile is on the TOP when respective HRs would be on their desk to shortlist candidate for giving a call for the interview. We shouldn’t forget the days when we Google search the IT companies in our area, go to each company’s website, search for their email ID and then send resume/CV to make sure we get a call back. We are so desperate and helpless that we are ready to join any organization. We even stop thinking of getting into a big organization but pray and plead every day to at least get a call.

But then what happens when you finally get selected by a company? We start believing that it is because of our potential and if we should even join the organization or not. See, I am not against searching for opportunities but there should be an emotional part which should respect the person/institution which trusted in you when you came with no experience with just mugged up and false assuring words in interview. It’s time for you to give back to the company along with the process of learning. It has been four years to me and I am still learning in this organization. Rather than purposely searching for reasons to leave and switch, one should concentrate more upon developing oneself until there is scope of learning and your financial needs are being taken care of. This shall only happen when you shall be open with your thoughts with the people to whom you matter and the people who matter to you.

Since my starting days, even when I was a Fresher, I always spoke my mind to my seniors, Director or MD because I wanted to continue for as long as possible. Rather than bitching I cared about how to extend my association with the company by mutually agreeing on things which can strengthen this relationship. There has been ups and downs but finally both of us are satisfied with each other. My organization ensures I am always given new things to try and learn and on the other side, I am looking out for opportunities to explore and execute. This has helped organization in streamlining few of its activities whereas I am getting the confidence of bringing values on the table for the team I am working with.

It has been a beautiful experience of working and earning money being a typical IT professional till now. I wish I shall work with the same passion of learning, creating, delivering and improving each day for rest of my life until my body is capable of working and organizations are willing to hire and pay me. Haha! As I said, it is always a mutual relationship because you don’t sign a bonded-labour agreement on the first day but a series of clause which is ensuring that the relationship is Win-Win for both of us- Employer and Employee. I wish to change many more profiles (Not the organizations- I wish I work in less than 10 organizations in my complete career) and end my career in a field I have not even heard as of now. Yes, that’s a wish. With this, I would like to thank everyone who has helped me in my career and supported me enough to be able to sustain my job and become a valuable employee. My respect to all of you.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA