March 30, 2007: `Prisoner, tell me, who was it that wrought this unbreakable chain?' `It was I,' said the prisoner, `who forged this chain very carefully.
- Prisoner (Geetanjali) by Tagore. Me: What do I do?! Inner voice : Carpe Diem. Me : Which one? Inner voice: Go check the muhurat! It had to be done. I started typing. Dear Sir, Please consider this as my formal notice of resignation. ............ (That was two months ago. Today is my last day. :) ------ The above post was written more than two years ago in my blog. And this thread brought back the whole experience. So here goes: I left my software job in 2007 and the reasons are a mix of whatever has been written so far in this thread. I used to start a work day at 8 a.m. and it used to end at around 11.30 p.m.. The day's beginning used to be marked by a huge and often fiery discussion with the onsite coordinator. (Yes, yes, in case you didn't guess it already I was a 'team leader' for an offshore project for an IT major. A one line resume for every Ram, Sita and Hanuman from an engineering college.) And for some reason, a similar quantum of work could be achieved within 8 hours when I was in the US. (Which is another reason why I used to have a verbal duel with the onsite co-od, who happens to be a close friend, who couldn't understand why with time zones, work times had to stretch. And I was equally puzzled.) After a month, I started to analyse this issue. It is one of those continuous feedback loops that operate on all things negative. Every one used to troop in late, later than 10 am. Then came the discussions on what to work on, followed by an hour or so of work and then lunch time. After which, a slack inevitably had to happen. (The only reason most people are in IT methinks is for the moolah. Now if you can't have a good lunch after all that, it ain't worth it, is the reasoning behind the sumptuous meal. Didn't help matters that there was a nice Rajasthani dhaba nearby, which knew how to make a good badam kheer.) Before you know it, it is 6 pm and not much has been achieved. Then comes the whole hassle of trying to rush things etc. etc. Every one ended up working late, and as you left for home by 10. 30 p.m., you had to come in late. The loop continued. Let's break it, I said. Start the day early and I used to come in at 9 a.m.. I was the only one at work and listening to the rantings of the onsite coordinator all alone made it quite a lonely experience. In all fairness, people did try coming in early for a week. But one day of working late, and the old cycle resumed. So, I don't think it is laziness. I think it is losing those early morning hours before lunch where mostly every one is productive. There is a certain guilt chatting at 9 am. It fades as the clock ticks. I went on like this for a year, gained lots of kilos in the process and continued on -- reason being, it was a young team and I liked all the people. Then a marriage happened. A friend's. Taking off for three days (weekend + 1 day leave) made me realise something -- this project wasn't my path to salvation.( It made me realise something else too -- none of my blouses fit, but that's another story.) I thought about it for quite a while. It didn't make sense. I came back and wrote the resignation letter. Ahem. This turned out to be longer than expected. :)
