Looking back now, it's a year since I joined TCS. Just thinking about it, exactly on the same day same time one year back, I was in Hyderabad at a place called Madhapur having my dinner. It was a new place, new environment, new people. I was away from home for the first time, though I didn't feel uncomfortable in any way. I got to meet new people there, with some of whom I have had a great time (like Sourabh, Sandeep, Brajesh, Swami, Vijaykumar... the list goes on!).
Then, I was fresh out of college. In-fact, towards the end of my college I was not certain on how I would go on and where I would be (rather, where I should should be) after some years. I got placed in TCS before entering my final year, that too without any problems. I didn't face the difficulty of failing in first company's interview and sitting for the second one (TCS was the first company to come to our campus). I didn't face the prospect of failure. I got through TCS in the first attempt and joined there.
My mind races 5 years back in time. There I was, waiting for my engineering admission process to begin. I got a rank of 198 (pls don't think that I'm trying to brag) in TNPCEE and easily made it into Electrical & Electronics stream in College of Engineering, Guindy (then commonly known as Anna University). 4 years flew by and I was out of engineering among the top 10 students of my branch. Then TCS-ILP came and went by. Here again I got a gift in ILP for being one of the best performers in technical skills (though personally I feel I didn't deserve it, lots of people worked harder and better).
The next 10 months at work literally flew off. I came into an organisation having some ideas and mind-set and a few apprehensions too. But, my first project and the team literally blew away all my apprehensions. It was a real enjoyment, with everyday being fun. There were a lot of people I came to know, people with whom I could share my joys and sorrow without the normal barrier of apprehension that we normally have while interacting with office colleagues. There are quite a lot of people I liked in the organisation, some of whom were very close to me and whom I could never forget in my life for the way they knowingly and unknowingly changed the way I look at life and my behaviour. That was quite a bonding...
Cut-to the present now! It's 4 days since I've resigned from the organisation and waiting for 6 more days to go to leave Chennai, for the second time. The only difference from the last time is that this time around the period of me away from home is going to be 2 yrs (or more, depending on where I go after the 2 years). Somehow I feel that now only I'm really stepping out of my home on the road to becoming independent. The ILP seemed more like a stop-gap for 2 months. These two years will determine where I'll be going from here.
Thanks to GOD and the well-wishes of my family and friends, I have been having an excellent time so far. The future looks rosy and I wish to make a good use of it (with the thoughts of the wishes and happiness of my friends and family at the back of my mind).
Just before publishing this, I was going through this article when I thought how much my friends around me have been instrumental in me being what I am now - right from my school, through the college, ILP and office - they were always there with words of wishes, encouragement, support and love. Thanks a lot, dear friends!!!
