365 days of learning at GreyB Ft. Barsha

Remember your first work anniversary? The roller-coaster that the last year had been. Leaving college and joining a workplace with new faces, new hopes, and new expectations. If you were lucky to have an organization such as mine, you must have learned so much within that year. You’d have grown to become a completely different person. Good different. More confident. More passionate about your work. Exceeding all your hopes and expectations. And many of those new faces would have become your SOS.

Well, on her first work anniversary Barsha sent an email to us. And there are no better words than her own to describe the journey she had!

Here’s a glimpse that she shared on LinkedIn.

Interested in the full email? Here you go-

SUB: How was my journey with GreyB so far

Hi ladies and gentlemen!

The monsoons have arrived and so have I. (Rain is Barsha in Bengali)

I have been thinking so hard since morning about a topic on which I could share something. Fortunately or unfortunately I could not find one :D. Everything happens for a reason.

The clock struck 12 and my brain clicked out of nowhere ( dimaag ki batti jal gyi). “I joined GreyB exactly a year ago, on 21st July 2021.” So, before Vaishali congratulates me I thought of congratulating myself. Why not??

Whoof!!! I grew up man. At least I think I have. The 17-year-old Barsha would have started crying (Khushi ke ansoon :’D) seeing the present me. I still remember the first day of my joining. I was so underconfident, full of self-doubt, and scared. I had absolutely no idea how things would turn out for me. But I promised myself one thing, I would work hard.

The thing that caught my attention since day one in GreyB was the comforting and warm ambiance that Greybians provide. I am really grateful to Ankush Sharma for making my first impression of GreyB so wonderful.

The next great thing that happened was getting Shivam Kansra as my mentor. I knew him from my college days as he was a senior there. Even though I had never interacted with him in college but I knew him by his face and surname. Thank you would not just be enough. Honestly, he has a lot of contributions to making me who I am today. The last year was a life-changing experience for me personally and professionally. Shivam backed me up, listened to my fears patiently, kept motivating me when I felt low, pushed me for being efficient and better at work, and tried to help me out in so many ways. I really feel lucky sometimes. If Shivam was my mentee in a parallel universe I would have said “You did a commendable job. Great work:D”

New Job new me.

There have been too many changes personally and professionally over a year and today I’d take this opportunity to reflect on them.

How I have changed personally over the last year?

Confidence: From being underconfident to being able to express my thoughts confidently.
Concentration: I was a person who struggled to concentrate on a topic. A lot of practice, physical exercise, and meditation helped me to concentrate. I do not struggle to concentrate anymore.
Responsibility: I have been assigned a mentee and I feel more responsible as I have to take care of his learnings too.
Motivation: I naturally feel motivated to do better at work. I do not look out for motivation from someone else.
Clarity: I have a clear mindset about my visions and goals.
Faith: My faith in myself has increased a lot. I know I can and I will. Having faith is of utmost importance to get ahead in life and my last year has made me realize that.
Acceptance: I finally, whole-heartedly accept myself the way I am. I do not wish to be like somebody else.
Happiness: I do things that I like and make me happy. Be it singing, dancing, drawing, exercising, or cooking I do all the things that make me happy. I feel happier now.
Driving: I learned to drive in the last year. I drove 20 km in Kolkata with my dad sitting right next to me and well you can imagine what I had to go through. :’(
Fitness: I lost approximately 25 kgs in the last 2 years and became a fitness freak. Yeah, I was overweight, since, forever. You can consult me for tips now. 😀 (Just kidding)
Financial freedom: I went on a trip to Goa with my cousin last December on our own.
Reading: I had bought 6 books out of which I read none. I read 2 books which I already had. One is Rich Dad Poor Dad and the other was Mahashweta by Sudha Murty. Yeah, I find it hard to read books. Help me, please.

Did it sound like bragging? I hope it didn’t.

On to how I have changed professionally over the last year?

I am sure Shivam can give a better answer to this. But, let me give it a shot.

Timely update of projects.
Managing most of the work on my own.
Added responsibility of managing my mentee.
Expressing my thoughts or interpretations on projects.
Asking more questions on doubts or queries.
Trying to not repeat mistakes and learn from them.
Getting work on both invalidation and landscape projects.
Learning technology on 5G, video encoding, nanorobots, cybersecurity, telecom, and the list is never-ending.
Understanding the importance of regular discussions.

If you were there with me till here, a heartfelt thank you. I hope you enjoyed reading. If not, then please feel free to give your suggestions or improvement pointers. I promise to do better next time.

To all the newbies who have joined this year, do not fret. There will be times when you will feel low and demotivated but that’s not the end. If you fall down be assured that you will get up the next time. All you need is faith and confidence in yourself to do well at your job. Be hard-working but give yourself time too. Make mistakes but learn. Stop comparing if you do. Ask, ask, and ask your mentors about everything that crosses your mind. You are good to go, pal. You will do great.

Hasta la Vista, until my next mail.

Regards,
Barsha

Did the memories of your first year come flooding back? Mine sure did! 🙂

Starting a new phase of life, be it your job, your college, your school, or even the first time you walked, is scary but it comes with a lot of lessons. And as you go forward with grit and determination to conquer the world, you reflect back on all that you learned and all the people that made it possible for you to be where you are today. Because when you build a base as strong as that, you are sure to climb to the top!