Upgrade yourself at Sapient!

DISCLAIMER : The following article was printed in a series called "Sapient Story" at Sapient Corporation. I wrote this article way back in July 2013 and was penned with an intention to get it approved and printed for the Sapient wide audience. These are my personal views.

July - August is an exciting period for fresh graduates in India. It's the time when most colleges end their courses & students begin their careers at their very first work place. It is also a time for anniversary celebrations for erstwhile students at their current jobs. One often sees posts on FB or LI like “completed 2 years at so-and-so company”. I enjoy seeing people celebrating their milestone with gusto & getting a good number of likes and comments.

I began my career with Sapient on 01 August 2011 and as I complete 2+ years here, I have a completely different perspective about these 2 years. Rather than just completing years and earning my salary, I feel happier about the people I met, the knowledge that I acquired here and the attitude and aptitude that I developed towards my work and my life. And all of it continues to this day. Sapient has indeed proven to be a great source of learning for me. To everyone who asks for my views about Sapient, my exact words are “Boss! This is the place to be!!”.

I firmly believe that every day I have spent here has taught me something fruitful. I am sure I would reap its benefits in the long run too, in my professional career. Being a fresh college graduate, Sapient has helped me mould myself in a way that would guarantee me professionalism and the right attitude. It has imbibed in me the confidence that helps me succeed. It gears me for the next challenge. Growth just happens here. Personally experienced! In short, I have upgraded myself.

I feel that there are a couple of things which make Sapient extraordinary; first is the people and second their attitude. People here are very learned and skilled, with right level of experience and expertise at the right position. But would their mere presence be enough? No, not at all. It is their willingness to impart knowledge and enable others that makes Sapient what it is. I feel lucky to have the opportunity to work with some of the best minds in industry.

I ask you young beginners. Just try to memorize the draft of your first resume and its 'Career Objective/Aim' section. Mine read “To work in an innovative, challenging and global environment so as to contribute effectively towards the overall growth of self and the organization”. At that time, I could not think of this by myself and hence had to "google" it up before putting down that fancy line on my resume. I today realize that what was once a dream has actually become my reality and I feel so good about it. Have you too realized you dream?

I perceive Sapient as an Institute, an institute with a plethora of opportunities for everyone. It has a perfect blend that suits everyone’s taste. Sapient is definitely unique and that too in a lot of ways. In other companies, you won’t find the leadership team looking for a Phunshuk Wangdu among you or planning a trip for you to Bermuda. If you are outside Sapient and reading this, believe me, a lot of us sit beside the people you would aspire to be. Or if you want to resume your interest in basketball, cricket, football or whatever it is, Sapient is the right place to be. All of this results in the holistic improvement of an individual. I hereby thank Sapient and its people for the fantastic kick start to my career. I am not sure about how long I will continue to work here but yes, for now, I feel satisfied and I take pride in working here and express the same around.

Welcome 2011

Time has passed by so quickly. It's been eons since I updated this blog. It's not that I was busy, but rather I did not have the urge or passion to write. I know the title of this blog post seems quite absurd, "Welcome 2011", but don't you think that its never too late to welcome anything that you expect to turn fruitful for you.

The year 2010 was an eventful one with its own share of ups and downs. The past year redefined my life for all the right reasons. In my college life, I faced a lot of challenges that nearly threatened to make me give up and quit. I made a lot of mistakes which I never would have imagined. As they say, “When things go wrong, they do so at the most inopportune moment”. Guess I have to get used to the fact that I will make mistakes on and off.

On the positive side, 2010 gave me many reasons to smile. I got through all of my backlogs when it was least expected. I happened to get one of the most lucrative offers offered by IT industry in AIT. Then of course, there was this girl, who could not resist falling in love with me, or you could call it other way round too. I succeeded in many, and failed in some. As they say, “Behind every successful man there are many unsuccessful years”. And in fact, 2009 wasn't good at all. The best part of 2010 came when I realized that I had grown old, old enough to realize my mistakes and learn from them. Bye bye 2010. Thanks for the good and not so good memories. I cherish them all.

2011 has started with a bang. I got my job offer, for which I would like to thank Bhuvanesh Yadav [Helped me to get through the first obstacle], Nikant Ahlawat [kept me alarmed], Prince Mishra [my mentor], Chetan Sood [iska naam arbit hai], Krishna [helping me go techie], Raju & Shekhu [for providing me this opportunity] and all others whose names have been missed out.

On the personal end, I had made up my mind for a new bike, but finally time constraint put by Sapient and Bajaj both, hindered me from buying one. It would have been the sexiest among sexy, Bajaj Avenger 220 cc and that too Midnight Black. I would have preffered to call it KAALIYA. Hope whenever KAALIYA comes, it helps me reach the road to prosperity.

Life at College is just going ok. Looking forward to a great year ahead, second half of which will be spent at Sapient with some of the most awesome people from college. God! Pray that I get increment in my salary this year and that too twice, plus I clear my CAT with 100 percentile [more importantly 100 percentiles in all three sections], and get some 10 to 12 girlfriends more by the end of this year. Bas itna sa khwab hai.

To add to my college concerns, I need to get a passport and a pan card and among them the most important being to clean up the mess i made up with my first semester exams and perform well in the coming exam, so as to get at least 60% in final year. Pray that I study well.

I've got an interesting year ahead of me. Although I am not sure what is in store, I am confident that this year will see me reach some very important milestones in life. Til then, See ya. :)