Corporate's we are!

Hello Busy People!!!

It was final year of my college....engineering college to be specific and I was on cloud nine getting placed into the first IT company which recruited our college students that year, felt lucky me.So far all well, chilled out classes, more pointers on major project that usually engineering students do in their final year outside the classrooms, less theory subjects, enjoying seniority.
Most of my friends where placed gradually in one or the other company but little did I know that getting placed in one core company blocks your privilege of attending any other core company yet to recruit and my dear friendly enemies who could not clear a dozen of interviews got placed into better core companies that visited later that year now I felt lucky they but was still happy with my job offer.

IT gives its essence!!

Later that year after our graduation we were all eagerly waiting for our joining and inquisitive about the corporate world so couple of my friends, friendly enemies got their joining letters dated very next month after our graduation (lucky they)while the first one's to get hired we were still waiting.
Months passed by, that year passed by and finally we joined our office training center after 6 months of waiting only to know its a very strict training center one of its kind in India and one among most reputed training center in Asia Continent at that time.Time flew we were busy learning, making mistakes, adjusting to the diverse weather and learning secure way to do malpractice in worst case scenario to clear out tests after training of different subjects which were very different when thought in college but totally new while learning here.
Training was no fun then but when I look back it was soo much fun extended college with pay, new friends ...oops colleagues , different culture, first pay, trips to nearby places as training center was in different state , shopping and so on . For 3 months we had a roller coaster ride of our lives and finally we became Engineers!

Engineering.....

After extensive training we were back in our state so weather was not too harsh to cope up and all fine till now.First day I entered the office premises with my friends like we were four gals from our college in same batch myself, Banu , Harika and Swathi all of us were put into different teams and few in different floors, first day met my manager after a brief introduction to the team he sounded like my guardian angel ...trust me on that he really sounded like a angel helping me put my self together and start my professional life, no systems were allocated yet , I happily told my friends and friendly enemies about my manager and they told about their's it was a satisfied day.
Later that night when we four were having dinner in our room and my friends told how they all had other friends from our college in their respective teams except me(again lucky they) , one of my friends Banu disclosed she heard from her seniors that my manager is one of the most rude and short tempered manager in entire office so did the other two Harika and Swathi told me but with a sly smile which made wonder were they happy or concerned?
Then the days passed be we really became busy with our works and gossip about our bosses during lunch and break time which I usually never do but this man was a real villain of my life and news flash that is how most of the engineers feel about their bosses.

Manager makes your life adventurous ..... best adjective I could fit in here.

My manager was awarded Best for that year in his category, I wondered what it meant because everyone working under him just hated him for his pressurizing behavior and short temper buy I say he was a person with bad behavior but not bad character and skills.When I look back I see he was a strict person but never misbehaved with lady employees which is very hard to find in IT Industries these days, not being judgmental but as part of my experience I have seen lot of male chauvinism in so called Corporate.Work went on with lot of learning, getting mocked, getting bashed, it was fun though now when I see the larger picture. I was not that super cool, brainy kid right from beginning but a hard working gal, it took some time for me to understand what real time projects are, what is real time coding, how we deliver products so it was a all a little new with no new joiner along with me I became alone and got lost sometimes but I had my really cool seniors only few very few who always helped me.
About an year later my manager then assigned me to a lead with whom he had lot of differences, basically to learn a new module she handled. My lead was a considerate lady she guided me , thought me and assigned lot of work to see if I could do it but here begins the conflict my manager didn't like me working for her which was way confusing to me as he himself had assigned me to her ...so the chaos started as he started dumping lot of work on me so that I get myself involved with work assigned by him but I had already lot assigned by my lead too so the ego clashes begun and I was the scapegoat who had to go through all of it .I was not that smart to understand that My manager wanted me to only learn the module from that lead but work on assignments provided by him so that he could fire her whenever he wanted and I replace her at crisis.
Later he was furious that I chose to complete work assigned by my lead as I had already started, little did he give me a chance to explain and threw me out of team which was my first heart break in IT culture, it didn't take even a week that I got into new team as my work(zero defect) and ratings (given by the same manager who threw me out of his team) were good.
New team was really cool no short tempered boss, no bashing, lot of new technology and a good mentor(as different projects have different architecture mentors usually provide knowledge transfer to new joiners).I worked hard and really started delivering all my assignments without the help of my mentor in a short span , all well till now.Then one fine day I realized that my mentor will be leaving the company in a couple of days which came is as one more heart break not only because we had mentor pupil bond but I will have to take over all his work and lead independently.I really became clueless on what next.

Being Clueless is Dangerous.....

At this point of time based on what few of my seniors, friends cum roommates told I decided to switch to another company not sure why maybe to get a good hike in compensation.After 1.5 years I started preparing myself and got placed in a different company which was a very reputed one.
Now when I get to think of it I see the reason I chose to switch "I had no friends", yes when my project got changed after a 1.5 years journey with my seniors who were all friends now I was left with no one...well what about my college friends cum roommates? I missed a episode here it goes...

Friends or Foes???

We four were all in good terms till our training of 3 months got over later when we came back and got assigned into different projects our group got extended from 4 to 6 as I mentioned Harika and Swathi got other gals from our college in their teams who probably joined a month before us , Akshitha and Navya are the two to join us.I din have much in common with Akshitha as she was Harika and Swathi's classmate but Navya had helped all of us a lot during training as she had joined one month earlier and for which I had a sense of gratefulness towards her.Me and Banu were classmates remaining 4 were in other class during college
Now for you to understand our equation I need to introduce myself a little ...
I am from a orthodox family where having a male friend raises eyebrows that too when we are studying away from home so I made a conclusion that I will not make any friendship with guys because allowing me to study away from home in reputed college was a big thing.I started my college away from home and Banu was one of my classmates and we were all staying in College Hostel so we had a sense of friendship and sisterhood I can tell.I had a girl gang and enjoyed college life to the fullest.
But it soo happened that I opted to stay with Harika(which I regret till date) during training and so Banu had to stay with Swathi this resulted in little strained relationship with Banu though we think alike when it comes to behavior, friends and manners.I made a mistake of being judgmental about Banu's character as she used to have lot male friends during college and also rumors of dating a couple of guys which was all hearsay when I look back, even if she had I should have been mature enough not to judge her for her personal relationships which is really very wrong thing I did and many gals do during their college days but I can assure one thing I never imposed my rules/principles on others lot of my best friends also had boyfriend and lot of guys in their friend list.only thing I was worried is I didn't want to get acquainted to any guy so I preferred not to share room with Banu but with Harika. Harika also had a boyfriend during college days who used to call her during training period often she used to go out in middle of night and talk to him over phone which I was unaware and once asked her casually in front of all which I am not sure why made her feel guilty and then our friedship started straining due to their bitching behind back attitude even about closest of friends which I and Banu would never do to a friend.
So with this equation we were group of 6 hanging out in office and often they used to try to pick fight with me to cover their guilty conscience like one instance we had lunch together usually in my team and Banu's team it used to end up around 1.30.pm - 1.45.pm for lunch break while they would be in cafeteria by 1.pm and they used to often complain about waiting so we gave a clear indication everytime that they could carry on and we would be late now they started telling behind our back that "We ACT busy", just that they go early and want to cover their guilt or whatever feeling that they too work hard these four stupid girls started making really unacceptable remarks.Later me and Banu started having lunch by ourselves and if one of us were absent they used to intentionally ask us if we had lunch alone even when they knew it.These type of people are called friendly enemies.
One such incident was these 4 girls wanted to smoke for the first time and we were heading back to our room but Banu was not there as she left early that day so they stood in front of the cart selling cigarette and were discussing who will go and purchase but I had made myself very clear that I will not try as I am asthmatic and basically I wasn't interested like I was definitely interested in tasting wine, alcohol which I did a little later, so they were now insecure or whatever that I would tell others in office because they do it like spill beans about girls and bully them but sorry I was least interested in that so I told I am getting late as they discussed on who will buy for almost half an hour on road and I offered to buy them so that we could go back to room early without further delay they were okay and we went back meanwhile my mom called and asked why I din't receive her calls a while ago which is a daily routine and I casually told I was waiting for them on road as they wanted to buy cigarette and din't feel anything wrong but these girls went gaga over me for telling my mom what happened, it was a brief mention she din't even ask who were those friends as we don't discuss about friends at all but she did tell me not to smoke as I had asthma and feared of me getting habituated.So every time they felt they were guilty/insecure all four would pounce on me and bully me which I din't realize then but I answered them back always.
At one point it reached such extremes that we were all in room Akshitha and Navya also joined us so we were just chatting and suddenly Akshitha pointed to a brazier hanging along with few others and asked who wear such big (according to them well very much less then beauty pageant perfect proportions)cup size and it was mine.Like really you guys started body shaming and now I was done with their bullying I looked and right beside it was one more which I guessed was Swetha's(one among the four) so thought to give them a taste of their own medicine and told that was mine and whose was the other which was as big or small as mine and then it turned out to be Banu's and she felt bad.
I really started hating them as they started picking fights in office to for some silly things during office hours so after a year just before I change the team it soo happened Akshitha's ex boyfriend was from same place as mine so we knew each other just hey-bye types so got to know from him that Akshitha has broken up with him as they won't agree in her home about their relationship I told this to Navya(was not in good terms with Akshitha) that he had pinged me so that she would tell to Akshitha and Akshitha would ask her ex to not discuss their personal things with me I din't even ping him then that day during office hours Akshitha, Navya, Swathi and Harika called me to come to ground floor and they started screaming at me how could you talk about me and my personal relationships in my absence?Harika had her own complaints? I never guessed Navya would manipulate and tell things I thought she was a silent girl who helped me during training.They wanted me to apologize for all above mentioned episodes I told very clearly I don't see any of my mistake here but my heart was broken again when even Swathi about whom I never even spoke once was yelling at me along with them that day ,I used to compliment her singing skills always not even one word against her till today but she was shouting at me and I broke out as I din't knew why I was being harassed. These people are called friendly enemies .... I get tears to this day when I remember being harassed by my own friends..... innocence lost.
After this I had a new team(mentioned earlier) and no friends(Banu left as she was getting married) so when my mentor left I prepared myself and attended interview every weekend and got selected into a reputed company in next couple of months.That sums up to my 2 years in IT industry Corporate we call.


New Beginnings.....

Will tell you about my new innings very soon.