This would probably be one of the most bitter memories that will never cease to perish from my mind, though its not so bitter right now when I think of it. I had the same ambition like any graduate out of college, have a respectable job along with it the money to have a happy family. I was deprived of it for a few years too long, really tooooo long.... On the positive side I'm a happy man now. But when I look back in time it was indeed not a very pleasant thought, nevertheless considering the fact that how things have turned out to be now I really don't mind or care what happened then. Like the saying goes 'Everything happens for the good' but I was never in the state of mind to believe in it at that time.
My job hunt started right from 1994 through till 2000 when I finally got a good break in my career. So here goes the very long story....
My first stop - BANGALORE, the land where people breaths IT. Ironically for me there wasn't even a single breath that could sustain me. I was staying in CV Raman nagar back then with my cousin/brother and a few friends as a paying guest. I was the only one among them without a job but that did not discourage me in anyway. I kept my head high and kept trying. Days became months, months became years, yet no hope in the horizon. In these difficult moments, the time spent with my roommates did give me some solace. To make matters a little more serious, there was this special person in my life who was waiting something to happen as soon as possible so that we could tie the nuptial knot. The sense of urgency to have a job was too much, but call it luck or chance was not going to make it easy for me. I had the privilege to set foot to most of the companies without being one of them. I must've spent a fortune printing/redoing my resume. Every other interview I attended did not yeild any feedback. On 1996 finally I got a job as a hardware engineer. It was a contract and guess what!!! No pay, the company would only provide my travel expenses as it involved visiting various clients. I wasn't happy but something was better than nothing. Come Aug 1996 my engagement, it was enivitable due to various reasons. Nevertheless it happened and my hunt continues. By this time 2 years have passed and newer technologies were in the market that I did not know about. The only way to survive was to go for some technical course which I did. My whole family was waiting with bated breath to hear some miracle to happen to me. I should admit, had it not been for my wife and family, I wouldn't be what I am right now. They gave me the courage to face whatever came my way.
My second stop was Trivandrum where I did my mainframes course. It was the most happening technology at that time. After my course I was sick with viral infection for a week and could not attend any of the IN HOUSE recruitment program. Am I lucky or what??? I was not going to give up yet.
Next destination--->Land of Oppurtunities (Bombay, now Mumbai). Thanks to my cousin Shibu who was working there after his mainframes course. I spent about 8 months there hunting for jobs day and night. There were numerous occassions when I couldn't take it any longer and the only way to overcome was to just break down and vent all my emotions out of me. It did give me some relief. Was I inferior to others? Whats missing in me? God.....i've thought the unthinkable. I started compromising on the type of job I would take because time was running out. I must've attended more interviews than anyone at a given time. The year was now 1998, and still jobless. From Mumbai I moved to Pune. Thanks to my wife's relative where I spent about 3 months. The same routine daily, except for the place I was in. It was already more than 2 years after our engagement. My uncle (father's brother) decided to take me to Muscat. Hoping I would get a job there, my marriage was fixed on July 2, 1998. Within 2 months after my wedding I flew to Muscat. I spent about 3-4 months. I was happy in all respect all of my time spent in Muscat except for the very purpose of my visit. Things were getting worse than I thought. I had almost got through an interview but was denied by the head of the organisation. My last hope in Muscat was also thus shattered.
Dubai was my next stop. The place, even now if given a chance, I would love to work. That was not to be. After 3 whole months it was time to return. All my hopes and aspirations down the drain. The feeling of separation so vivid, the return journey added more fuel to my already disturbed mind. It was only fortunate that I did not go berserk. After I reached back to India I decided to do the Oracle course. Thought it would give some kind of leverage to my resume. I completed the course and also took my OCP in 2000. Finally in the month of February I got the job as a software engineer in a company in Bangalore. Of course it wasn't a dream job but better than anything I had hoped for. Life changed and all breathed a sigh of relief. The good times was short lived. There was a sudden change of events generally in the IT industry especially the dot com balloon burst during the year 2001. Lot of companies were shutting down and job cuts rampant. Well the obvious happened, I fell prey too among others. Guess lady luck has not yet finished with me. The news came as a shock to everyone but it was the plain truth. I was once again left jobless. We were expecting our new born in a few months time and now the future did not look so good. I continued doing some projects privately for the same company for whatever they could pay me. 8 months went by during which we were blessed by our son in the month of Nov 2001. My job hunt went on as usual. In the month of March 2002 I attended an interview in an MNC. It went well and for almost a month I never heard back from them. I kept calling and they informed me of an opening in UNIX. I did not want to lose the job for that reason, so I joined a crash course in UNIX. On June 2002 I got a call for another round interview. But I did not hope for it considering my past. On June 10 I received a mail that I had hoped for, my offer letter. I couldn't control my emotions, I did not know what to do. I called home to break the news, my mom was so happy that she cried over the phone. The news spread like wild fire, infact it was an occasion that no one could forget. For me personally it was a dream come true. I've been with the company till date and bestowed with all the luxuries of life. Our lives have changed for the good though it took a hell a lot of time to arrive, but when it did it came with a BIG BIG BANG.
These experiences taught me a lot of things. Perseverance is the key to success. In spite of all failures I never gave up. It was very very hard at times, sometimes even unbearable. But with my wife and family's support I was able to overcome all the difficult moments that came across. Well most of them and the proof is right here writing this blog.
