I too, like many others have chosen the safest and surest path. The road of IT.
All I need to do is huddle up in front of my laptop or my system and keep staring at the screen. Stare as if there is something very important in it. And make facial expressions that would make onlookers wonder if I am trying to find something very crucial & critical.
Yes, I too huddle up and droop over my laptop. Doing something very important. In fact, it is so damn important that I can't even speak what I do. I was once asked by a common friend...'So, tell me what do you do for living?'..
'I work.', I replied.
'Well, yes, but what do you exactly do in your work?'
'Well...I do nothing.', I replied flatly. Yes this was the straight answer that came out from me.
People would wonder if I was being sarcastic or something. But no, I wasn't. In fact, I was myself surprised to see my truthful response. To my realization, my response gave out my complacency and sheer acceptance of the things that were. Developer turned Tester, I reflected back on work that I had done and realized that out of my 30 months (2.5 years) of work experience, I hadn't 'work' worked. I do not find anything substantial that I would have worked on.
Agreed, we get work eventually as we grow but somehow my work seem to have degraded. I started off with a dream of coding in kick-ass technical languages and frameworks such as C, C++, Java, .NET, etc. But in reality I worked in a data warehousing and Business Intelligence stream (even better!).
Initially I was trained in many awesome tools but eventually I ended up working on plain simple MS Excel Sheet. Now, the journey from tools to excels is a conversation for another day.
So, the bottom line is, I come into office, and act as if am working my a** off. Of course, there are work around like clearing certifications, creating BOK (Body of Knowledge), etc. But I am done with almost all of them (those that were a part of my role and those that were for the higher role; BTW, I still wonder what values do certifications and BOKs add).
Basically, I am idle these days and I waste time or rather invest time on FB, and news and blogs, etc.
I discussed this 'sheer waste of time' with one of my mentors. He asked me to join him for coffee. There he gave me a simple few steps guide.
He promised me that if I follow those steps diligently, I would never face any issue in my whole working career.
My mentors guide to successful and fulfilling career:
Easy 15 steps guide to surviving the day in IT industry:
Suppose it's a typical 9 to 5 job. The day kicks start at 9 and meeting is scheduled at 10.
1. Come late to the office or dot on time for the meeting: This would highlight you and make you visible amongst people in your team. Attend the call / meeting.
2. Check the mails and open a new mail and address it to Onsite, team, etc.
3. Go for breakfast/tea. By the time you come back it should have been 10.45 or 11am.
4. Come back to your desk, go through the mails, respond (Forward the funny forwards you received.). Check the tasks for the day.
5. Ping to your lead or even better go to his/her desk with a notepad and pen and talk regarding the clarification of the task however simple they may be, just ask your doubts and questions.
6. Come back to your desk, ask your friends for tea and break for tea. Have a water cooler break.
Gossip, chit chat. Hopefully it is 11.45ish now.
7. Work with some slight word plays on that mail that you opened. Mention the doubts/queries/inputs you have regarding your work.
8. Sit back on your desk and try remembering/focussing on the task of the day. Around 12.30 your friends would start messaging/ calling you for lunch. Don't keep your friends waiting for long. Break for lunch at 12.30.
9. Hover around at each menu board/caterer. Hop from food court to food court. Settle for the food court that catered to majority of your groups varied dietary needs. Enjoy your meals till 2pm.
10. Once back from lunch, try focussing on your work and the tasks for the day. I know, you are sleepy. Take a nap. It is refreshing. Wake up around 2.15 or maybe 2.30 and try working.
11. Work for 30-45 mins. Ping your friends for tea/coffee around 3.15 and go for another round of tea or coffee.
12. Return back by 3.45ish. The work is still undone. Try finishing it ASAP. You need to catch the 5pm bus..or at least that 6 pm bus. Just code/test/document/work on whatever your task of the day was. Don't even review it. Just do it. But DO NOT send it.
13. Work on your mail. Highlight the things that you did or the doubts that you had. Review and re-review it.
14. Mail the completed work at 4.45pm to your lead for reviewing and sending to onsite. Mention the term 'Kindly review it before sending to onsite.' Mail the mail that you had composed. Mail it to everyone but omit one, your reviewer/ lead (optional).
15. Lock your system and run for the cab/bus. Run (walk) without looking behind or stopping to greet anyone or even meeting anyone's eyes. Just keep moving. Don't even answer the phone calls. Do not do anything other than boarding that goddamned cab/bus and until it has started moving.
You are free for the day now. Anything that comes is a task for tomorrow now.
'That is the golden key to secret of surviving in the IT industry.', commented my mentor with pride.
He then excused me stating that he had to work on an important mail, winked and left.
But I kept sitting there. I kept wondering. What sort of work culture is this? I would rather prefer starting my day early, finishing my job and then leaving early to pursue my personal life rather than pulling out this act.
I just wondered who are we bullshitting anyway??
-Manya
4th June, 2012,
4.14pm
