Climbing up the ladder

I have been wanting to write this in a long time, but somehow something kept coming up and I just couldn't!! I finally managed to find the time!!

Oct 2005

It seemed like a new life; a new role to play; finally I get to live on my own; earn my money.....
Yeah, it was the first day of my first job. Nervous and still uncertain with what this new responsibility had in store for me; in the back of my mind there was this sense of pride;happiness;...a feeling of independence!
It felt great...I was experiencing one of the most challenging phases of my life!

I guess its something which everyone goes through when they get a job...particularly when its the FIRST!

Jan 2006
Life seemed to have a very monotonous routine in place.
Fewer hours of sleep; poor appetite; run to catch the early morning shuttle to work; ....Training sessions all through the day (Spent 8 hrs each day not knowing how these so-called training sessions would come in handy on the job!)

April 2006
From what I remember this was roughly around when I got assigned to a project(Sounds Fancy?? ...Not really...This is a buzz word in every software engineer's life)
How different was my routine?...Well, instead of training sessions with a million books;...I now stepped into a more practical approach to all my learning.....
WORKING WITH CODE!!


September 2006
Oh yes, my birthday.....Wish I had taken a day off! Instead lost my brains and headed off to work.
By now I had tons of work on my plate....CODE and CODE all over the place....but how much of it I understood ?? ZILCH My life had got so meaningless...seeing myself literally digging my own grave....in simple words...I HATED MY JOB!!
Thought I had a mental block; but nothing helped....
At the end of each day I'd desperately look out for someone who could understand my state of mind....and the by the time I could feel comforted by their kind words..it was morning! Time to get Back to the dungeon!!

December 2006
Alright, by now I had got a bit smarter...I had started looking for alternative job profiles. No kidding, but this was the time when I surfed the net (SERIOUS STUFF), networked with people, got introduced to new and interesting roles, juggled between locations to get more clarity on what I had gathered...
It sure was a struggle. I grew mentally strong as I realized there was a way out...there was certainly some hope of setting the foundation for a successful career.

February 2007
What do you do when one fine day you are asked to BUZZ OFF and are not given the privilege of earning the few BUCKS that you used to??
----Yes, PANIC!!!!
Here I was...without a job, without a professional experience which was worth mentioning in my job resume, without a clue of where my career was heading off to...
I was shattered.
My desperation of getting a job was evident; however I stuck to my interest..I didnt want to make a mistake again!! I hunted for jobs. My visits to the temple started getting frequent. Somehow when you're depressed; you feel there is some mysterious strength out there...that'll help you get out of all the mess!
Well, I did get out of the mess...and quite fast ...I GOT A JOB!! :-)

March 2007
My first day at my second job! Hmmm...not the kind of enthusiasm I had back in my first job. No expectations! Just a feeling of relief that I was back on my own!!

September 2007
Life had never been better. Work was fun! I learned it well and executed it better.
Got my confirmation letter, additional responsibilites, made good friends,...It was amazing!

January 2008
I was doing great. But somehow I got the feeling that my job got less challenging by the day. There was nothing to look forward to. I guess my time management skills excelled by all bounds; I completed my tasks way before the deadlines!
This got me thinking....if my job had just got too easy to handle!

March 2008
I got PROMOTED!! All that hard work and struggle had finally paid off!
A higher grade in designation, salary hike, new tasks,....it all felt good!
But there was no motivation. No kind of challenging task to take up. You always feel good when you are made to compete with the best. But this wasn't the best...
So there you have it...I was all set to get back to job-hunting. However, this time it was not out of desperation...it was a very conscious move!

June 2008
After 4 rounds of interview I managed to crack it all and got the opportunity of a lifetime!! I resigned from my current organization...No regrets, no apprehensions, ...Just plain and simple - CONFIDENCE and FAITH!

July 2008
My first day at my third company! No expectations this time around as well!! But I was back...mentally strong, confident, mature, diligent....This was the first time I realized what the last 3 years had taught me! I learned from my mistakes and never let success take over my thoughts. I balanced the two pretty well!

January 2009
I got my confirmation letter! Certainly a great feeling!!
But the best comment I received was - Quote "You are an extremely lively person. You enjoy your work and make others enjoy their work too! Truly appreciate your commitment towards your work."
I'm one of youngest members in my team. I take every day as a challenge - I treat every day as a NEW day for learning NEW things...and most importantly ENJOY every bit of it!

I believe I have climbed the ladder of SUCCESS with every passing year. I still have a long way to go,.....but I'm sure its going to be worth the CLIMB!!
That's my story!! :-)