A train of thought ...

While working on a massive Digital Marketing Platform (DMP) for an FMCG giant, I realised that we had to do much more than just application architecting. As the need of the hour demanded, I quickly educated myself and acquired skills in Cloud DevOps. Not only did this add immense value to the project but I was soon positioned as a trusted advisor for my client. This prompt diversification and acquisition of skills (coupled with accidental confidence at times) helped me realise that nothing was impossible if we put our minds to it, and discovering such unknowns are rather enjoyable & profitable – a win-win for all! 

I’ve always believed it’s never too late to start anything. Learning, like change, is constant. In college, I started experimenting & applying the knowledge I had acquired, and succeeding in them felt great! When I started working in the IT industry, it was the constant change that kept me interested and intrigued. Sometimes, I changed jobs just to hasten the pace and stay abreast with technology. I didn’t ever realize how quickly I was crossing milestones – the journey was exciting and enriching, and the series of achievements in the field of technology, solutioning and practices that followed were very encouraging. At every turn I looked for new challenges, new skills to acquire to conquer new realms.

One summer, when travelling on a train with sketchy network, I got a chance to think and reflect on my journey so far that got me to where I was. It felt very analogous to the train journey where a few people were enjoying their travel with fun and games, some were helping others serve food, and others were patiently waiting for the destination to arrive. That‘s when I realized an important aspect of any journey is the experiences – beautiful, challenging, fun, or even nerve-wracking - the destination will definitely arrive.

On my journey, I’ve won several accolades. Most recently, I was awarded the “Impact on the Cloud Infra Journey”. While my destination gets closer, I try to keep abreast with technology. I invest my time in scouring Safari Books Online and Lynda – they have a vast selection of enabling material. Their offerings range from novice to advanced and pro, and even God-level in some cases! To share my journey and all it has to offer - I run repetitive sessions on relevant tech-stacks on a weekly basis with my team. I keep upgrading the intensity and topics to provide both depth and breadth to the team. Not just that, I’m also cross training teams to make them more efficient. What fun is a journey if we’re not all playing a part in it? Again, it doesn’t matter where you start from – it’s where you’re headed and HOW you get there.