Can anyone guess something out of the title of the post? We’ll you possibly can’t because I myself figured it while writing the last sentence in the post. So read on…
I’ve been juggling between roles for some time, at my work place. The last six months have been quite exciting in terms of happenings. Though the situation has been pretty hectic and quite demanding for quite some time now, I could figure out some humor in it.
In the software industry, people usually start as software Trainees, and with time, aptitude and potential become Developers, Sr. Developers. Tech Leads/Team Lead, Project Managers, Sr. Project Managers, Account Manager and so on. And then there are loads of other things like hiring, branding, training, pre-sales, accounts etc. which you can contribute in, based on your inclinations.
After a brief stint into development, I decided that it is not something I like the most. Just to emphasize, the ability to develop and the willingness to develop are two different things. However, the willingness (lack of willingness rather) can easily jeopardize the ability. Getting back to the roles, I guess an understanding of the development process definitely helps you when you move through the roles mentioned above. I’ve seen people coming straight into project management and creating a discomfort by virtue of having unrealistic expectation (there definitely are exceptions and I know a couple).
I’ve realized that I am not one of those who enjoy getting deep into development (though I respect people who do that), so after a couple of years of doing almost everything I mentioned above, I thought I am slowly getting into what I long for. Interestingly this is what actually happened:
Account Manager>Project Manager>Tech Lead>Developer..(hope it ends here! )
A reverse gear? Yup! Time and situation are really powerful. So now what next? Well I remember one of my professors at college saying,
“Anyone can excel in what they like doing, the challenge is to excel in something you don’t like and enjoy.”
I don’t even remember what subject he taught but do remember this point. Well, I am trying to motivate myself with this, not sure if this will help for long. Not that I do not enjoy coding at all, just that I enjoy the other things more which I may miss for sometime. So the professor’s statement applies to some extent.
So what’s the future? Well, next time when I move out of development (I hope it is soon) I’ll ensure that I have the right escape velocity so I don’t fall back and start it all again!
Witnessing the IT-BHU alumni meet for the first time since I graduated, was like getting back in time. And I am not only referring to the time while I was studying over there, it was much much beyond that! Listening to a couple of senior alumnus sharing their memories of college times was nostalgic.
I was amazed at the timespan which got covered with the representation. We had alumnus right from 1930′s to 2000′s! Now that’s 8 decades of graduates collected under a single roof. Isn’t that amazing? Great feeling to be associated with an institution with such a glorious and extended past.
Another welcome change was to get acquainted with some of the exceptional achievements by distinguished alumnus in various industries. Though I had never met them, nor did I know much about most of them before yesterday, just being associated with the same institution as them was such a proud feeling. Moreover, their affinity to the institution was far greater than what I see in myself.
I guess it is fairly important to realize the impact an institution can make. While there’s no doubt that a great institution like IT-BHU can provide with the best of education and opportunities while one is enrolled there, the biggest mistake which most of us seem to make (and I was making too) is to ignore the impact an institution could have beyond graduating out of it. More important than anything else which shapes our careers at such institutions is the presence of competent and intellectual batchmates either through competition or support. Nevertheless, what matters is the strong networking opportunity one gets out of the institution. As a matter of fact, whatever is taught at any institution can easily be inculcated sitting at home through books and various modes of education available these days. But what can not be achieved sitting at home is the networking aspect.
There are specific organizations running across the globe whose sole purpose is to provide networking opportunities. And that too at premium charges! While they do have their importance, I believe much can also be achieved by alumni meets which not only give similar opportunities, but also strengthens the bonds which seem to be slowly fading away after we graduate.
How many times you have found yourself in a flux because you accepted to do something half heartedly? How many times has it happened that you are a part of a situation which you shouldn’t have been? How many times you want to run away from what you are doing just because you don’t like what you are doing?
If the answers to these remind you of quite a few instances in your life then continue, else this post is not meant for you.
I have had numerous such instances throughout my life, and today, when I sit and analyze, more than half of them are because of me! Yes absolutely because of me. But why?
Well, just because I didn’t use ‘No’, one of the simplest words in the dictionary, as much as I should have. No doesn’t come naturally to me. I don’t even remember how many times I’ve said Yes when I actually wanted to say No. My instant reaction to anything assigned to me is Yes.
While we do not have control over everything that happens in life, we do have control over more than what we think. I could have avoided quite a few troubles if I said No at the very onset. Saying Yes when you mean No is as good as inviting trouble. It could mean spoiling relations, it could mean screwing up one’s schedule and what not. Eventually it could mean saying No when we want to say Yes just because we are in a screwed up state because of a wrong Yes. Let’s clarify a couple of phrases here:
Wrong Yes: Saying Yes when you want to say No.
Right No: Saying No when you want to say No.
I guess it is getting too complicated! If yes, please read the last paragraph again and continue 
No is generally associated with a negative-ness. People who say Yes very often are acceptable more in the society than people who say No. They are considered more optimistic. But we must understand that there is nothing pessimistic about the right No. I believe the most successful (and satisfied) people in the world are those who have mastered the art saying No when required, even if that means going against the wind. People may not like it. But that is the way they go.
Saying a wrong Yes may help us build a short term relation, but if we don’t believe in what we are doing, we can never extend that relationship. Saying a right No may have a detrimental short-term effect, but that would give us enough bandwidth to do things which we want and possibly be more successful than do things which we don’t want to and fail.
I am working with the Software Industry and every time there is a decision to be made whether or not to take-up a project. Now executing a software project bottoms down to two things (from a technical perspective):
- If you have the right resources (people + expertise) to execute it.
- If the time-line is manageable.
It’s tough to say No when there is enough money to be made. But it is better to say No gracefully when you can not satisfy the above two criteria. A wrong Yes would not only mean screwing up the project but would also mean impacting other projects which are going well (hopefully ).
I wouldn’t comment more as I don’t have enough experience yet, but one of the basic principles of economics says:
“Do what you do the best.”
More importantly sometimes, it is not about the ‘Capability’ to do something, but it is about the ‘Bandwidth’ to do it. So even if you have the ‘Capability’ but lack the ‘Bandwidth’, gracefully say No.
Also, saying No comes with a hidden Yes. For example: Saying No to work on Saturdays may mean saying Yes to spend time with friends and family.
Having said all this, it is not always possible to adhere to it. But I am sure our lives would be much simpler if we use the right No instead of the wrong Yes 50% of the time.
Notes to myself: Learn to say the right No.
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