Stories by Trillian
This past week has been difficult. Between working full-time, teaching on the weekends, and studying for my CCSP exam, breaks have been few and far in between. I have barely spent any time with my toddler. She wants to play and pipes up every time she sees me with “Come, mama, play”. But mama has either no time or no energy.
I tell myself that it’s probably for the better. When this wretched pandemic ends, I will most likely go back to traveling every week and it’s perhaps good to not have my toddler too attached to me. I wouldn’t want her to have the same intense separation anxiety I had every time either of my parents traveled. The curse of being an only child I suppose.
But is it, though? Is it for the better that I have no time or energy for my beautiful baby girl? So, with all these internal conflicts plaguing my mind, I turn to social media or the news for a quick break, and all I see our posts of friends and family having lost their loved ones to COVID-19. The news seems to be riddled with deaths too. If it’s not people killing each other over religion or other imagined myths, it’s mass shootings that seem to be ubiquitous in the US.
I feel emotionally overwhelmed. I feel like I could use a good cry. But it will have to wait as I start this week. Perhaps I will forget my sorrows as the corporate world consumes and gobbles up all my time. This too shall pass.
#mentalhealth
Here’s another story. My parents spent a total $1700 for my 4 years of Computer Science & Engineering tuition. It wasn’t an Ivy League university but it was one of the more reputable ones. All of this in India, by the way. Right out of college I had a job; a non-glamorous, nothing-to-write-home-about job. It was a great learning experience though. It gave me the foundation that put me on track for where I am today.
And where am I today? I am in the US, with a great career, a beautiful home, and a loving family. So, was it worth it? My journey that cost next to nothing in monetary value but took a lot of resilience and perseverance, was it worth all the trials and tribulations? YES!
This is my long way of saying that if a middle class nobody like me could make it to where I am today. You can as well. You don’t need a degree from a fancy college. But having a degree will give you a head start. You need good teachers and mentors, you need the support and trust of loved ones. Most importantly, you need to believe in yourself and not give up. However, do not lose sight of what is important. Compassion, love, and empathy will lead to a more satisfying existence in the long run. Be kind and be generous and we will come out of this pandemic stronger and better.
I am not a storyteller. But here’s how I started my career in IT.
I was picked up by Welspun before I graduated; only to find out that I was accepted as a Management Trainee instead of an Engineering Trainee. Welspun wanted me to train in International Marketing. After a month of deliberation, I stood firm and asked them to place me in the IT department since I didn’t want my four years of rigorous training to be in vain.
The only opening they had was in a remote manufacturing plant in the middle of a salt desert that separated India and Pakistan. And there I spent 6 months, living in a hostel, I paid $26 a month for food and lodging. So, you can imagine the quality of life.
I didn’t mind it though. I felt I was earning my keep. I come from a poor family, so I grew up on stories on how my father had money either for a meal or the bus fare to his college. It felt good to rough it out, and learn on the job. I was proficient in C++ and Java right out of college, here I learnt about the .Net framework.
I designed and created my very first Inventory Management System using ASP.net and C#. Coding was my passion and I spent hours in high school working on personal projects. It was so satisfying to finally get paid for it, even though it was only $250 a month.