Who am I?
How could I help?
I’ve worked in the tech industry for about two decades at big names like Bloomberg, Amazon and Google. The journey so far hasn’t always been a very smooth ride. I had a great childhood, but had an average academic record and struggled with limiting beliefs. I had a lot of help, but I wish someone had shared with me the tips I am about to share with you.
I am interested in personal development, personal finance and mentoring so I plan to focus on these topics. My experience is drawn from the tech industry, but you could apply the ideas to any field. If you are someone who is just starting your career, growing your career or just want to hear what worked for me in achieving my goals, read on!
Want to know more about me?
I grew up in India and came to the US to pursue my Masters in Computer Science at Binghamton University. The college experience didn’t just teach me academics, but also offered valuable life lessons. I didn’t have financial aid to pay for tuition, so I covered my living expenses by working at the university dining halls. Dishwashing, cleaning tables, mopping stairs, and preparing and serving food was a humbling experience. It took a long time to graduate. I could blame it on the economy, but really it was laziness and the carefree college life. Fortunately, I got serious at the right time, worked hard and secured a job at my then dream company, Bloomberg.
I started at Bloomberg as a Software Developer and eventually grew into a management role. At the back of my mind, I had a lingering dissatisfaction with my low GRE score and delayed graduation. Bloomberg had a generous education sponsorship policy for areas relevant to one’s work function. I decided to capitalize on that opportunity, worked hard to get a good GMAT score and secured admission to the part time MBA program at New York University. Interestingly, I graduated from my part time MBA program in less time and with a better GPA than my full time MS in CS! And I further outdid myself by also completing the New York City Triathlon at the same time (more on that later if you are interested).
After ten amazing years at Bloomberg, it was time to explore something different and challenge myself more. I moved to Amazon and spent six years as a Software Development Manager, in various teams including subsidiaries. I learnt a lot of soft and hard skills, but the most satisfaction I got was from helping my team achieve their goals. My next adventure was getting a job at Google. The reason I call it an adventure is because it wasn’t an easy move. I failed in my first attempt and it took me some time to rebound. I learned from my mistakes, tried again and it ultimately paid off.
I am not sharing this to highlight my achievements. Many of my first attempts were either failures or average performances. I want you to know that someone with an ordinary background can achieve success with determination, hard work and persistence. Don’t be afraid of failures. I know it feels shitty to ‘fail’, but analyze your mistakes, seek help from others and keep trying. If I can make it, so can you.
I’ll leave you with a quote from Hockey Hall of Famer, Wayne Gretzky: “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”