Miles to go before I sleep…
I still have goosebumps from entering my first employer’s building on November 27th, 2013, excited, nervous, and overwhelmed all at the same time. As someone with a Bachelor’s in a completely different engineering field, I was intimidated to enter the world of software development at first.
How it started
I was working for one of the top-rated IT companies in the world. My heart swelled with pride when I started my job. However, one month into my very first project, the client shut down the entire project due to budget issues. That meant I wasn’t billable to a client or project. I spent that time learning and improving myself, nervous about what would come next. But things kept moving forward. I ended up working for a different client with a completely different role than what I had aspired for. 1.5 years into the job, I finally landed on a project that had development requirements.
This was the kickstart my career as a software engineer required. I spent the next couple of years learning and implementing diverse new and emerging technology stacks and delivering projects one after another. All was well for years, and I ended up getting a transfer to Canada. The best phase of my life started then, personally and professionally. I got to work closely with the product teams, which was a completely different working experience. And personally, because that is where I met my husband.
Time to retrospect
… It’s March 2020, and the remote work situation has started. Well, I have to agree that spending five months in lockdown in a new country alone did take a toll on me, both physically and mentally. I decided to move to the US, where my husband lived and worked back then. A few months later, I began working for another “Big 4” technology consulting firm.
Speaking about my experience here, I was never completely happy or satisfied with my role. I was moved between four different clients in a span of 1.5 years, with projects spanning from less than a month to 2–3 months. This is where I had to pause and reflect. While technology consulting firms focus on building innate capacity to transition from project to project, it takes away the charm of building a long-term relationship with clients and commitment between a product and its developer. I am grateful that I get to try and learn new technologies with every client or project, but one doesn’t get much time to prove their level of ownership in short-term roles, I believe.
The plan ahead
Today, after spending nine years in the industry, it appears to me that I have only traded my time for money. Looking back, it dawned on me that I was merely a “resource” for firms that worked from deliverable to deliverable. There is no dislike for tech consulting firms or jobs. I am extremely grateful for who and where I am today and what it has taught me so far. The journey matters more than the destination, and I do affirm that. But this is where I take a step back and say goodbye to technology consulting for good.
So what’s next? I recently decided to move permanently back to India to be closer to family. I aspire to channel my technological and analytical skills, combined with my zeal for creativity, to develop something new and exciting. I am working on a platform that focuses on self-care and helps build consistency through social engagements. Sounds fun, right? I am eager to share more soon.
Watch this space for more!
PS: My husband’s technology venture is here, which takes bookmarking to a whole new level. Check it out: https://www.betterstacks.com.
