Today was my last day in Infosys - An end of 2.8yrs of learning to be a software engineer and trying to ‘fit in the groove’ for having followed the mass psyche…Thankfully before it got too late, I realised IT wasn’t really my cup of tea and decided to trust my instincts rather than follow the herd. There’s so much that Infosys as a company has taught me in this short span that I’m sure I’d reflect back to those wonderful days and experiences over time as I switch roles and careers.
There’s this tradition that folks out here follow of sending an adieu e-mail on the last day and I didn’t want to break it. So here goes mine…
BCC Intentional
On March 10th, even before dawn breaks in, I would be out there on the asphalt roads - Running and training like never before. As I fix my morning breakfast and coffee, I would no longer have to bother about missing the 07:00am Bus. The very thought that I would not have to travel 30kms to reach my workplace gives me a sense a freedom like never before. Life’s just getting better by the day!
As I walk out of the gates on 9th, my 2.8 yrs in Infosys would come to an end. And today as I look back, I see I’ve taken more than what I’ve given to the company. It’s been a stupendous journey. I was lucky to be part of a budding unit and to have real cool managers; to be in a Production support project for about eight months and then a Process centric project for close to 1.5years. I never was keen on doing technical stuff and I’m so glad I wasn’t compelled to do it either! I flunked my certification five times and I’ve absolutely no regrets. The day I was offered a job as a Software engineer, I decided I would work on my terms and would not accept subjugation at any cost. I somehow felt my personal life was far more important than my work life. I stood by Kantabai’s philosophy [Itna Paisa Mein Itna Ich Milenga] and most of the days; I was in by 8 and out by 5. I can count on my fingers the number of days I’ve worked over time or over the weekends - All this without sacrificing on timelines or deadlines.
Considering my interests, Both the LexisNexis project at Pune and the Pfizer Change Management project here in Hyderabad have been highly satisfying. I simply couldn’t have bargained for more! Liaising with various teams across timezones, Scheduling releases and the best part - Anchoring escalation calls is something I’d cherish for years to come. I still wonder why people are so much against working in non-technical projects. There’s an equal amount of pressure and thrill involved and neither really gives you more pay than the other…So what’s the big deal?
Over the last two years, Infosys has given me an amazing platform to meet and network with quite a few real cool and interesting people. I’ve been part of dance teams [Hyd Milan ‘08] and skit plays [Raheem beedi!] which I’m sure I wouldn’t have pitched into but for my amazing team mates. I’ve been part of outdoor adventure groups [AdVentura and eventually HydVentura] and Biking groups [Thunderbolts] which I’m badly going to miss as I plummet out of Infosys in a couple of days. I picked up the guitar and tried my hands at Budokan Karate.[Haven’t made much progress on these but am sure will get back to complete this unfinished job!]. I’m going to miss all the events and DJ nights that keep happening so very frequently. And last but not the least I’m going to badly miss you folks who’ve always been out there to mimic back those thirty-two shining teeth. The lunches, the outings, the coffee breaks and the cross cubicle volley-ball games - It’s as if I’m putting a full-stop abruptly and vanishing out into the blue…
But I’m shit excited. Excited about the uncertainty that’s going to be with me, about the financial instability, about the responsibilities I’d be taking on, about the people I’m going to meet and more so about the kids whom I’ll be teaching and eventually learning from for the next two years. I’ve still not exactly figured what I’m going to do with my life. But I guess that’s what’ll keep me on my feet every day from now. Post my fellowship at TeachforIndia, I would probably pursue my childhood dream of having a ‘Dr.’ in front of my name or probably start something of my own. There are a lot of ifs and buts involved and I hope to figure the evens and odds in the two month break that I’d be taking. Guess I’ll just do what I’m best at – Backpacking across the country, trying to sink with the locals and take some real good time off. This phase of my life would probably be about crossing the narrow rickety bridge spanning hundreds of metres over a deep ravine - Options galore, But not really sure of what’s at the other end…Life’s just getting fabulous!
One March 9th, One chapter ends and yet another begins and before I put a bookmark; I just want to stop by and thank you for having made this one memorable journey, to say the least. If you happen to stop by Pune /Mumbai over the next two years, do buzz me or fire me an e-mail…I’d be all the more eager to hear the scoop from your end. For the next few days I should be reachable on 9885913093 and if not, I’ll just be a googol away…
Signing off with tons of sugar [and two ounces of salt…]
Warm Regards,
Srikanth S. Perinkulam I Hike | I Bike | I Run | I Volunteer | I Read | I Blog | I Tweet And for all this … I Work
M: +91 9885913093 | W: +91 040 67060198