I’ve completed 5 years with my current employer as of yesterday. I cannot believe it’s been 5 years already. I still remember the first day I walked into this project, all enthusiastic and scared at the same time. I guess I should pat myself on the back for sticking so long; but the fact is, it doesn’t seem like a long time.
There have been so many disappointments, so many happy moments, so many appreciations, so many mistakes, so many situations that went out of control…. you get the idea.
Come to think of it, I don’t know how I’ve managed to be here for 5 long years. There were times when I thought to myself “What the hell am I doing here?” “Is this helping my career?” “Am I happy with what I’m doing?” “Why the heck do I seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, ALWAYS %&%&@#*@#((” etc etc….
Yet, here I am for better or for worse!
I must admit that it has been an incredible journey so far. I’ve learnt a lot of things and gained a lot of friends. But every thing has its ups and downs. I try not to think of the downs as I don’t want to go to bed angry and frustrated now 
Looking back now, these are the things that come to mind when I think about these last 5 years:
- My first salary – I think it was in the range of 15K rupees as it was for 45 days or so. I bought 3 silk sarees for my Grandma, Mom and Aunt. They were very impressed and my Aunt still tells me that it draws the attention of people and they always ask her about it. It had taken me no more than 10 minutes to get in to the store, select the sarees, pay for them and get out. The other thing I did with my first month salary was to fill up the tank in my old Pulsar bike (18 liters). The sad thing was that I was left with almost no money after and I had to borrow from Mom to see myself through the next month. (Embarrassing, I know!!)
- No Passport – I didn’t have a passport back then and a passport served as a security check on employees to make sure they’re ok. I didn’t have one and there was a client visit going on and I was asked not to enter the work place (I was asked to stay in the library) until I get the receipt number (or whatever) that is proof of my passport application being processed. Unfortunately I didn’t have a proper residence proof back then and it took me longer than usual to get it done. But it was so embarrassing for me back then as I took it very personal. I can now understand why they had to do what they had to do, but I can never forget it.
- First Personal Appearance – This was funny! I badly wanted this Visa for a number of reasons and was hell bent on getting it. So I pay attention to all the little details, things that may be asked, how I should present myself, introduce myself, etc.. etc… I had prepped so very well that I was very confident. I had dressed up nicely as well (white shirt, “You could see your face on the leather” polished shoes, tie – the whole 9 yards). So, when the time comes, I step up to the guy and he asks me which company I work for and Bam! “You need to come back with an ***“
- Second Personal Appearance – So, 2 months later I go back with an ***. I had no hopes of getting it this time. It’s like all the planets aligned just to mess me up the last time when I was so prepared, I completely gave up this time. I was not wearing a tie, no white shirt, no preparation. It was a lady this time. She says “Oh! You’ve come back with an ***. Please pay your fees sir” And that’s it, I got the visa.
- My first client meeting – I was taking over this project from person X who was very good and had an excellent rapport with the clients. Now, this person was going back and the clients didn’t like me taking over (I’m the new guy 1 week in the U.S.). This was supposed to be some peer review session (I can’t recall what we were reviewing) and X and I were talking print outs of this document. The meeting was supposed to start at 9:00 AM and the printer for some odd reason was not working and I had to get the document printed using another machine which delayed us by 5 minutes to the meeting. So, I’m already shit scared and cursing myself profusely for the delay when we enter the conference room. This one client in the room said “There he is; better late than never!” I can’t describe how bad I really felt then. I wanted to shoot myself as I thought “Well Sayee – there goes your onsite career. Now the entire U.S knows you’re not punctual. God knows how you managed to eff up the first impression! ” HAHA! I’ll close by saying that this client & I had to work together for 2 more years and we’ve an excellent rapport. We remember that incident a lot and always joke about how she almost had me packing and sending me half way across the globe with that one line.
There are other things I will not write about here for obvious reasons. Maybe, 5 years down the line, if I do reminisce, some of these may not be remembered.
Wish me luck because, sure as hell, I’m gonna need it!!
