Today is a special day. It is my birthday today. It also marks the completion of my 6-month probation period in my job. I had entered the “The big bad corporate” set up, new dreams and aspirations & I can’t believe that I have already completed my transition from getting pocket money to getting a salary.
Many relatives, friends, cousins, friends of cousins, cousins of friends & practically anyone and everyone who has ever worked for any length of time have told me that the first 6-months are easy. It is after those initial days will you experience the “real corporate life”. So I am not sure whether I should be excited or worried, but whatever the future might hold for me, I feel I am ready.
I have always been a very chilled out dude throughout my life & never sweated much over any issues. The only time I remember being slightly tense was when I was giving my first interview. It was bad. Not surprisingly, I didn’t get hired. I think I was too stressed out as there were very few companies that were conducting campus interviews and I didn’t want to miss out. Since I was not in one of those “extra-special” colleges, I knew that chances would be few and that’s what got the better out of me.
But I am smart. For the next interview, I controlled the anxiety and nervousness and aced the interview. I got offered a job as a Social Media Executive at NT Digital. I still remember that day very clearly. I went to my Mom and told her “Dekho pura din Facebook se chipke rehne ka yeh faayda hua”. (See, this is the advantage of being on Facebook all day). Yeah, I know made a mistake. But when the idea came to me to say that dialogue to my Mom with all the swag and attitude that I can pull off, it was funny. Let’s just say what followed reminded me of the dialogue Virender Sehwag had said to Shoaib Akhtar ” Baap Baap hota hai aur beta beta hota hai.”
That reminds me, today there is a cricket match. Gone are the days when I used to sit in front of the TV for the entire day to see the match. Nowadays, it’s an app or Google that helps me stay up to date with the match. The scoring sheet has been replaced by a spreadsheet and the TV has been replaced by the workstation. The conversations with friends have been replaced by meetings with the colleagues. But overall, it has been great. I am earning decently and am learning a lot. The dreaded “work pressure” has been average and whenever I mention it to someone, the Gyaani baba in them comes to the forefront and says “It is just the beginning. Enjoy it till it lasts.” I don’t know why people continue to work at the same place if they can’t stop complaining about it. Cry babies all of them.
Suddenly I heard my manager call me. Need to rush. One irritating habit he has is that he always calls me when I am all done for the day and thinking about leaving. Seems he has some psychic power that tells him: This dude is leaving, call him and give him some more work. I hope he remembers that I am working half day today and doesn’t assign me some more research work. It would be difficult to turn it down. My thoughts got interrupted when he announced to the entire team that it’s my birthday and everyone started wishing me. Everything very civilised, proper, sophisticated corporate style wishes.
Oh! how I miss those, junglee friends of mine giving me birthday bumps. Am sure that over this weekend I am going to receive quite a few of them. Just the thought of it makes my backside pain.
-Article by Deepak M