The Right Decision

Note: Trademarks and other confidential terms have been replaced with Block Characters (X,U,V,W) for professional prudence

The day I applied to KPMG violating my sacrosanct policy of not applying to non-core-IT companies, the only thought was that in a consulting firm I could get to see more than one IT company rather than just one.

Some year and half later, that decision seems to have paid off. I started my internship feeling slightly disappointed when I realized that I was working mostly in Banks and Financial sectors and IT seemed far. But I kept up my diligence towards work.

The moment of self-assurance came just when I did not to go for the UK trip (most work there too was into the Banking and Financial sector). I was sent to Hyderabad for 3 weeks to help '§' get a SAS 70 certification. The opportunity was rewarding – I was able to observe all detailed processes from Software development, Software Quality Assurance, Infrastructure maintenance to HR management and training. The 3 week trip gave me the first chance to peek into the overall workings of an IT company. The fact that the trip was in Hyderabad, with Shubham in the same town, made the whole experience very satisfying.

Life went back to financial sector after reaching back in Mumbai, but that was a welcome break as the assignment was a challenging one. However, things were soon becoming a routine when another chance came up. Probably, it wasn’t because of my capabilities but due to some resource constraints that I was plotted on this assignment. Capability or luck – it was favourable. The end-game was that I got to see another IT company in its completeness – X.

The project I completed at X was in its last leg. But fortunately, the client went on to expand the project and a Phase II was planned. I had meanwhile worked on the concluding report of the first phase. The result was that Phase II saw me as the permanent member on this project which had multiple legs. So, this is how came along the Follow-Up-Review.

In the last month and a half I have visited 3 major Software Companies – U, V and W at 3 locations – Bangalore, Chennai and Pune. Probably, life has been kind; if I would have joined an IT company, I would have seen only one company and that too my knowledge of its workings would have been limited to mere software delivery areas. Now, when I visit a company I get to see everything from Software Development to activities as mundane as Sewage Treatment.

However, there are some negatives too. I do not get a chance to check out any of the procedures in intricate details; I have not been able to understand these procedures by actually performing them. It’s the big picture which I see but miss out the details. I try my best to reverse these negatives by enquiring about the details and getting some insight into processes which I see from the bird’s eye perspective.

Retrospectively, the decision I made does seem to be a right one – but as the thought of the day at V said today:

No decision is a right decision, you have to make your decisions right.