Comfortably Uncomfortable.....

One of the professors from my institute said, "Do not stay comfortable in your current job and growth comes from being uncomfortable", which registered in my mind. For the past six to seven months, I have not done something which pushes my limit. Every day I felt like a routine with no big challenges. I did not learn much or read books. I was not consistently doing yoga. In short, I was too comfortable. I realized I need to do something challenging.

Then one of my cousins shared about an opening in their company which I happened to apply for fun. My cousin worked in the same company for many years, and he is someone who loves his work. Generally, in the IT sector, employees seek growth and shift to new companies after certain years of experience. But my cousin stayed in the company for too long. I was excited to learn about the culture of the company. I gave a lot of online interviews, but not any walk-in interviews. I applied without a second thought.

One afternoon I received the exam link and a call informing me that I should attempt it in the next 2 hours. I was in the office and couldn't do it. The next day there was a follow-up call again informing about the exam. I was free and my friend compelled me to give it a try. I qualified for the next round. They asked me to attend the offline interview. There is a lot of inner turmoil if I should attend the interview. I concluded that the worst that can happen is getting rejected and I will have a story to post on the blog.

I was relaxed until I saw people around me in formal wear. They carried books, a bag and some papers. I understood the vibe of the interview that day. Everyone was revising the topics. Some were on the phone call discussing the project they did. HR informed me about the process and called my name first for the interview. I was happy to escape from that tense atmosphere.

As I entered the cabin, there was a lady, ready with her question. The view from her cabin was good. I greeted her and I couldn't take my eyes off the view. She asked me to introduce myself. I usually prepare a list of things that I need to tell for this question, but that day I spoke whatever my mind remembered. I was constantly distracted by multiple things, the cubical, laptops or the interviewer's lipstick shade. Somehow I answered to few questions. After the interview, I left the place. The lift in that place is different and I played with it for some time. I did not interact with other candidates because they were all studying. I was afraid of looking at them.

I understood that I need to improve a lot to crack interviews. I did realize I am not technically sound despite being a software engineer. I reached the office and soon shared the experience with friends. They were excited and answered the question that I couldn't answer during the interview. I am truly blessed to have an amazing set of people around me. I did not expect to qualify for the next round but somehow I did. They asked me to come to the office for another level of interview. I wanted to give it a shot.

The next day I met a girl who was preparing for the interview and asked her about the previous round and what she is doing currently. She said she took coaching in Ameerpet and was trying for a job for six months. I felt so sad. I realized the pressure that I had during the placement season. I was terrified and had low self-confidence. I understood how tense she was about the job. I learnt that her parents are farmers and she is a part-time teacher. I prayed that she should get this job. Initially, I did not want to tell her I already had a job but I told her my story. That day my interview took longer than I expected. We both had some snacks, looked around the beautiful place, had a conversation about life at Ameerpet and returned to the waiting room. Meanwhile, my mind tells me to go back to the hostel. A lot of things were happening in my life at this point and the interview was getting delayed. 

HR called my name while my brain was planning to leave. I went into the room. The interviewer was friendly. He liked my candidature. I answered a few questions and returned to my place. I had my lunch and went shopping with friends. At each level of the interview, I had no expectations. All I prayed was that the girl should crack this job. Somehow I qualified for the interview and the girl made it too. I was beyond excited when she said she made it. I rejected the offer and during the process, I met people who were trying for other jobs, who tried to use sarcasm to overcome their fear, and who had sacrificed high-paying jobs because of dissatisfaction. Everyone was inspiring and portrayed the attitude to keep fighting no matter what the result was.

This experience boosted my confidence, the power of hope, positivity and the importance of hard work. Do not be too comfortable, or else you will miss out on witnessing the stories. Plan that one trip you always wanted to, go out on dates, try that vodka, be embarrassed and take that risk to make your life exciting.