Oh boy, I was waiting to write my experience on corporate life of an IT Engineer and after being a part of this for more than 6 months, I realised that each and everything that was said before about this industry was indeed true. As some will say that this article is very negative as I’m going to list down all the things that make a human being dead from inside but wait, this can be very positive for you if you are on a verge of leaving your job or choosing a new career. This article will give you a reason for that.
I’m going to list down some points here along with my personal experience attached to it.
1. The more efficient you are at your work, the more you will be burdened with it.
Being here I have realised this one thing that the more efficient you are the more work you will do. I have found myself into a similar situation almost every day. Let me share with you one of my experience.
I came to office in the morning and my frustration bar starts to fill… we start the day with a standup meeting (best way to waste your time, you will know why below), during the meeting each and every team member is assigned a task for the day which he/she is meant to complete till EOD (End of Day). After the meeting, I started with my task and was able to complete it in 3-4 hours. I don’t know whether the task was easy or I was efficient. So, being an innocent lad, I went to one of my senior team members and let him know that I have completed my task in a hope that he will appreciate my calibre and on top of that I will find some extra time for myself. But soon I realised that it was my biggest mistake. Forget appreciation and extra time for life, he transferred his only one fucking task for the day to me. I was so angry with him that I felt like punching him in the face but then I controlled myself. Instead, I said it politely – “ I don’t know what to do with this so could you help me with it”. In return, he said “Kya re har cheez batana padega kya (Do I have to tell you every single thing)”. Now, you can just imagine the heights of my frustration at that time. Though the task was simple and I knew what to do, but you see what is happening here. He transferred his one and only responsibility on my shoulders. I did his task as well and as the day task was close to completion he comes back to check the status and starts interfering just to show others that how concerned he is towards the task. This is how he took the credit for the day. So, the lesson learned is never to try to show enthusiasm towards your task because you are going end up in a fucked up state and there will be nothing much which you can do about it.
2. Nobody cares about your individual progress in the corporate world. All that matters is what you contribute to the company.
No matter how talented or innovative you are, all that matters to the company is its work, not your progress. They don’t care about your dreams, your passion or even your health (this one is not general). You are forced to do things against your passion and your interest. If you cannot do something to benefit the company then you cannot be anymore useless. This point is very subject and varies from company to company. But yes it is same with the majority of the corporate companies.
3. There will come a time when you will take up a job just for the money and nothing else.
This point is interconnected with #2. You are not supposed to work in the field of your interest and you end up doing things what your company wants you to do. This kills the passion and creativity inside you and then comes the time when you end up in a place where you simply become a robot who only works for money. Remember you are not a robot and that you have a purpose in life. So, if you are in a similar place where I’m right now, simply say good bye and start working towards your dream goals and purpose. Working for money is like running after void and this void will definitely kill your golden soul inside. Do not let this happen. Take action.
4. Desk jobs kill creativity.
One of the scientific know facts of life. Desk jobs kill creativity and I have experienced personally. Before the job, I used to be a dreamer. My mind simply used to think of the new ideas and innovations that I may bring to this world with my abilities. But the day I joined the company, I started to feel different and slowly and steadily observed that I was loosing my creativity and my mind started becoming stagnant and was always involved with the things that don’t matter to me. Things which cannot help me in any way. So, I have started taking the necessary steps to keep my creativity intact. But you see, I have to do an extra task and take extra care to keep my mind working in the right direction. This is seriously wrong and unnatural.
How Soul-Sucking Jobs Kills Creativity
5. Very often, you will be held accountable for tasks that weren’t even your responsibility in the first place.
I think I have already discussed this in point #1. I don’t think I should write anything more about it.
6. You will be dealing with a dozen tasks other than what you were initially hired for. Your scope of work will only keep increasing.
I was hired as a Java Developer and till date I have not felt like a developer. I’m doing things which absolutely does not require a computer science degree and any trained person can do it with ease. I have not applied any programming logic in these six months. All I did is used tools to perform tasks, take builds, create a workspace, code analysis, prepare, and loads of such unrelated tasks. I mean what nonsense. Does a Java Developer is supposed to be doing such task?
Not only this, I approached higher management and kept my proposal in front of them about the things I want to do and passionate about. But then too nothing’s changed. I’m still miserable.
7. You will be constantly made to believe you need the company more than it needs you, and that is not always true.
This is a very old confusion that I have in mind. Do company needs me or I need the company because I have always been told that I’m the one in need but everyone failed to give me a solid reason for that. It could be true at times but it is not always the case. We do not need a company to survive, we work on our will and in return of our work and service, we take money. We are a team and work in cohesion for the betterment of society and each and everyone must feel the same. It is then only we can dream of a better society.
8. Meetings are a waste of time. Always. Nothing good has ever come out of them, really. Most people aren’t listening, and the ones talking are far away from reality.
Meetings are the best way to waste each and everyones. We follow agile approach. The agile approach is the best-accepted software development methodology. But, it is just the name that is being followed in the company. In the morning we have standup meeting then in the evening we have another meeting with our on-site coordinator. According to the Agile Methodology, this meeting must not exceed more than 15 minutes but in our case, it goes on and on for more than 40 minutes. This simply wastes time and nothing good comes out of it.
In the evening we have to give our day’s status update to our on-site coordinator. Again, this meeting must not last long for more than 15 minutes but then again it lasts for more than 30 minutes and sometimes stretches out for an hour. After the meeting, we have to spend 30 minutes more in drafting the mails and sending it about the same things that we just talked about a call. And we do it over and over again everyday. Isn’t this insane and a total waste of time. According to Agile Methodology, this meeting must answer 3 main question –
- Let the on-site coordinator know if we are facing any road block?
- What we did today? (in couple of sentences)
- What is still left?
These are the questions which must be answered in the call but no, I have never experienced these things being followed and everyday the meeting stretches for more than usual set time. Which makes it boring and frustrating because each and everything is already being covered in the mails and same things are being said in the call.
9. You will be made to work with uninspired people and it will be the most difficult task ever. Your team-mates would neither be of any help, nor would they make it possible for you take everything into your own hands, and it will kill your passion.
I joined along with two other people. We have become good friends now. I did not know how would I have been survived without them in such a negative environment. Apart from them, I have not found any one in my team who inspires me. Each and everyone is so content with what they do and nobody cares talks about new ideas or new things. They are like robots who only cares to do what they are being told and go home. It is so discouraging and uninspiring. This makes you feel alone and slowly and steadily your mind starts to accept this situation and turns you into a similar being.
10. Nobody is going to appreciate you staying in extra hours every single day but the one time you leave a little early, hell will break lose.
There has not been a single day when I came out of the office before working for 10 hours at-least. Nobody gave me extra money or any appreciation for that. But there was one day when I have to leave early for the day and everybody made faces as if I’ve done something very wrong. Your life is not yours anymore. You are not free anymore, you are constrained by the rules of their world. It’s not your world anymore, your world starts to revolve around making them happy. You are a slave.
11. Whichever new initiatives you volunteer for, become your responsibility.
Haha… this is something for which I was laughing at myself all day. There was an open task for which people had to volunteer. I volunteered for it. I took the job thinking that I’m helping them by doing a favour but I failed to realised that it has become my responsibility and if somehow I’m unable to deliver it then I will be blamed for it because hey! Did I take it right?
I shouldn’t have volunteered for it 😀
12. Office politics is definitely not a myth.
It is a naked truth. I would just say that do not get involved. Just keep yourself up and working. There’s not much you can do for it.
13. But Meritocracy is definitely a myth. There will be times when undeserving people will get credit for the work you do, simply because they are higher up on the corporate ladder.
I have already shared my real life experience with you in the #1. This is a naked truth and there will always be such people around who will take credit for your doings and you won’t be able to do much for it. Just keep your calm and leave the job 😀
14. Half of your time will be spent in sending out unnecessary mails that will never even be read to countless people who want to feel important before you can actually start working. And more often than not, you will end up doing everything yourself.
15. 80% IT engineers don’t have a girlfriend and those 20 % who have a girlfriend are not able to spend sufficient time with them.
If you are going to spend 6 hours in sleep. 3 hours in travelling. 11 hours in the office. 3 hours in breakfast, lunch, dinner (combined) then you get only an hour left for the day for yourself and your family and your girl. Spend this hour wisely.
Conclusion
If you are financially stable then I will suggest you to never go for a job. Instead take some time to come with a new Idea and plan to execute it. You have a lot more potential then you can ever imagine. Do not waste it by doing things that you don’t want to do. Do what your heart says because it knows what you want.
And as always
Be My Aficionado 🙂
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