May 2013. 15,00,000 engineers graduated in India, out of which more than 90% wouldn't know enough tech to get a decent paying job — or at least one they'd be happy with in the long run.
Existential Question 1 — Engineer or not?
Summer in Bangalore was a welcome change from the heat I'd dealt with in Chennai for 4 years. I was slowly falling in love with the city, mostly because of the weather and unlimited dosas I was getting in the PG mess. But was the love sustainable? Definitely not with ₹7,000 pocket money — especially when it was coming from papa.
So the questions were:
- How do I find work? (No idea. Felt like recruiters had lost access to Naukri.com and LinkedIn — why else would they not call?)
- Do I want to spend any more time trying to be an engineer? (No. No. NO.)
These questions felt tricky at the time. Who would have guessed that the answer would hit me on a random bus ride when I saw a Facebook post ranting about a walk-in drive for a job at a BPO?
Icing on the cake — that day my trip to the interview location would be free because I had the bus day pass, and I had a clean shirt in my backpack. I was practically ready.
The next question: is BPO the place I should go? Especially because of the engineer-wala khandaan I come from. If this turned out to be a wrong decision, I'd become a joke in front of the padhaku cousins. Risky much?
My career aspirations being unclear made the whole thing more complex. But as it turns out, it wasn't that complex. Me being decent at communication was enough to know there were chances I could maybe succeed in a BPO. Chances of success: 51%. Slightly farfetched, yet seems achievable.
Great. Decision made. Switch buses, reach Domlur, and put your best foot forward.
17-05-2013: First day at Dell India Services in inbound call support — with one question in mind: could I get promoted to Team Leader within a year?