14th July 2020 marked my 10 years working in the IT industry.
When I realized this, I took some time to reflect on what I was when I started this and what I am now. And gradually I started to realize, boy, a lot has happened which affected me personally and professionally. Sometimes I felt very weak and helpless; sometimes so confident, nothing seemed unachievable. I didn't have that clear mindset on how to deal with various things and circumstances nor did have any "godfather" to seek advice from. No one in my family (even in extended family for that matter) ever remotely had any IT industry background - I was on my own.
However, as I moved on with my career, I made many good friends and colleagues who pitched in sometimes; gave a friendly ear to talk through it and provided some very good advice. Can't thank you enough for that folks, - you very well know who you are!
I could retrospect, go into sort of flash-back mode and write about numerous specific events, circumstances, challenges with examples mentioning individuals etc., however, I think the most important thing is to learn and move ahead. Stress on how you can be a bit better tomorrow than today rather than dwelling in the past.
So, I'd like to share some of the most important key takeaways as I moved through this journey which hopefully based on my experiences, would help someone out there making their way in, not only professionally but at a personal level as well. Even if it doesn't, it will always remain a playbook for me going forward whenever I deal with any such situations going forward 😊 -
Always remember "This too shall pass". Either you are at the peak or right at the bottom. Time keeps changing for everyone - and it will for you too. No matter how desperate life seems to be or overwhelming with success in your mind (I've been at either ends) - the situation will change! Learn to be in a zero state – if things are going very well, don’t be overwhelmed about it. Be kind and have a sense of gratitude and keep maintaining this. If things are not so good, just remember above – don’t get depressed, keep trying harder with that 10% extra on your efforts. Things will turn around and it has to.
Always focus on improving yourself. You will only achieve greater heights at the base of your own efforts, expertise and competitiveness and not on sympathy. You might see sycophancy being working for now for others, but trust me on this, it never lasts, and it will finally be up to their competency. Just try to think what you can do 5% better tomorrow to improve yourself than today (knowledge, health, relationships - anything at all).
Compare and compete only, and only with yourself. Sounds a bit cliché, right? I know, but very true. You are in your own time zone. However, that doesn't mean you should be constrained yourself within your own small world. Look around, experience and understand - you have only so much time to do and learn from your own mistakes, learn from others too!
Start creating a brand of yourself to sell. Ask these questions to yourself -
Why should someone hire you?
What have you done to showcase your talent?
How can you separate yourself from the crowd?
What possible justification you have when you are asking for x% of raise?
Well, I could go on… but you get the gist. Start participating in hackathons, online competitions, subscribe to some popular weekly news feed to keep yourself abreast with the latest on what's happening around you. Contribute to open-source, create your own github repository, write a blog, join webinars, participate in community meet-ups, speak at such forums, be active on LinkedIn etc. Sky is the limit, if you really want to build it.
Don’t burn your bridges! Ever! You are angry, I get that. You have that temptation to write that scathing email and tell the world what and who has wronged you, I get that too. But, just take a deep breath and sleep over it. Don’t do something in the heat of the moment which will affect you permanently. Refer #1 above, “this too shall pass”. If you consider yourself matured enough to express the situation “professionally” and able to communicate in a healthy attitude, give it a shot – once. Else, just relax and let it sink in your experience. If you decide to leave the organization, if it comes to that, for a better opportunity or otherwise, do that on a positive note and always speak what you learned during that tenure in future too.
We live and work in a capitalist industry – always be mindful of that. Never take anything personally. Just focus on giving 100% to your job and try to go beyond. If you don’t get rewarded for it and you see favoritism and politics winning over it, you are not alone. I know it would be difficult, but just engage in a discussion with an “open mind” and with a “healthy attitude”. Understand from them where you lacked and didn’t get what you think you deserved. Most important thing – never raise a comparison chart with others (why him/her and not me), just focus on and talk about what you think you deserve. Sometimes you will get the right answers to your burning questions, sometimes just bulls**t. Don’t argue, keep all your points in the most professional way possible, listen and understand the reasoning completely and end your conversation with a smile! Trust me, you will gauge what kind of values the organization really have from that conversation (which it markets vs what it really is). Think upon it and take your decision what suits you best.
Again, we live and work in a capitalist industry – it mostly boils down on making profits. To get to this, sometimes the leadership will take decisions which they very well know is not right or fair with others. They can hire or retain someone with let’s say double the compensation of yours having same amount of experience and expertise as yours. It hurts, really hurts but just learn to deal with it. There’s no point in raising this – these are smart folks; they already know how to get around with these things. To be very honest, I don’t blame them, I blame you if you are thinking about it and getting yourself into depression. They are doing what’s apparently best for them, you concentrate on what’s best for you. If you think you really are that smart and deserve more, why don’t you prove it? Get yourself out there in competition and show your worth and earn it in the right way. If you don’t or can’t for whatever reasons, as I said, deal with it – no point raising or pointing fingers about it.
Keep a notebook, an excel whatever and draft your next 6-months plan, week-wise. Write down what you want to do in a 6-month timeline with a realistic deadline. It could be upgrading yourself with a new technology, preparing for a certification study, prepping up to upgrade to search for better opportunities, embark on a health transformation – whatever. Things might (and will not) go as planned and that’s OK. Just tweak your plan accordingly but its important to set a path first on where you want to head. If you think you are procrastinating (and you will, being human), best way is to have a hard-stop date. Tell your friends and family about this on what you will accomplish by that date. For example, if you want to get certified, just pay and enroll yourself for a date. This would indirectly bring you right back in the game because of that sub-conscious pressure of a deadline and constantly hearing “hey, how’s that thing coming along?!”.
While initially you will be evaluated at technical level (initial 2-3 years), in the long run, you really need to build on your communication and soft skills. Even if you are a technical geek or a technical freak, you need to be able to explain and convince its value and your expertise in a clear and concise manner. I don’t mean being able to speak fluently in English or have an accent to impress, no. On the contrary, it might hit you back if you do it. Just be yourself. As long as you are able to “communicate”, you’re good.
Always be proactive in taking challenges. Be open and ask questions. Focus on the “why”. Try to align your company’s interest with yours and ask how you can contribute to take the business to next level. Don’t be too much sensitive on your tech stack and be in your comfort zone always– learn to solve problems first. Be open to learn and practice whatever comes your way – you never know when and how it will benefit in the long run.
I could go on and on… but I believe this really sums it up. Everyone has a different journey of their own – but in my mind, these I think forms the absolute base of it.
However, the most important thing over above and all of this is, take care of your physical and mental health first! Everything else comes later.
Finally, I’d like to mention again – I can’t thank each and every one of you enough with whom I interacted and worked with, these past 10 years. There was always a learning for me from each and every one of you.
Looking forward for yet another exciting decade …. 😊
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