My confidence, my passion to succeed, my ability to dream

My confidence, my passion to succeed, my ability to dream are the ultimate things that drives my life. Today I am working as a Solutions Architect and an agile practitioner and sometimes I think about my past where I started my career 8 years back. I still remember that day; my friend Antu Mammen drove me to an old building in Wythenshawe, Manchester. He drove me there only because I don't have enough money to get a train ticket. My bank balance was 20 pounds that day. He asked me to put 10 pound worth of petrol. 

Before going for that interview I decided, if I am not getting that job I will be leaving UK. But fortunately or unfortunately Mr J Fisher IT director at Calrom Ltd offered me the Job, even though I reached there 20 min late for the interview. After getting the offer letter I walked towards Antu, he was standing in front of McDonald's where we parked the car. He was sad and told me he kept the key inside the car and locked the doors. But I smiled and told him finally I got the job. His expression was how come an idiot like me got the job? In a humour note I carried that burden of emotion for last 6,7 year and eventually shared the same with Antu in 2015, when he told me he got a job as Software Test Analyst.

I worked at Carlom for 2 and half years and tasted the first professional experience of software development from there. But towards end of 2009 I started dreaming of a bigger job with lots of opportunity and responsibility. Calrom days taught me a lot, but decision to move on took to learn and explore new heights and opportunities and finally reached London.

London changed my point of view towards work. It was totally different world and I started exploring new things. I learned that if you have the courage and ready to do hard work the sky is your limit. That's where I started dreaming of becoming a Software Architect. Now I am working as Solutions Architect and I believe the experience I got from all jobs including Exponential-e, Capita and NHS fulfilled my dream to become an Architect. In between I became APMG Certified Agile Practitioner too, that is when I realised that combination of technical knowledge plus project management knowledge is a deadly combination. Nowadays everyone think about agility, becoming digitally transformed, Continuous Improvement etc. In this technological landscape technical and project management skills definitely add a lot flavour to success.

I came across lots of blockers and troubles in my career, but every time when I come out from it, I found an extra dimension to my career. First job I learned .NET programming, second one MVC and WCF, next was for EXT.JS library and rest based service, then KNOCKOUT.JS and WEB API 2.0 then people management and leadership skills, agile practitioner, distributed system architecture, data warehousing, data modelling, and finally CRM. Learning technology or leadership/management is not a big challenge for me nowadays because I am enjoying those challenges every day. 

People sometimes criticises me for moving fast, the answer to them is I don't have time to waste for any of them because I am not actually trying to chase or fulfilling others dreams. I am behind my dream and I am only with others in search, if they can fulfil any of my dreams somehow. Recently one of my CEO friend laughed at me and asked - why are you working for others? You won't have the freedom and you will be forced to fulfil other people's dream. My reply to him was simple. "Some people are fortunate enough to start a business and succeed. In my career I had chosen a different route and now if I wanted also I can't move away from that route easily." So until an offer comes to my way, I have to travel parallel with other peoples dream and I will have to look after my real fire.

Nowadays a new dream started propagating around me. I want to become a CIO or CTO. This dream is only a continuation of what I started doing from my childhood. Most recently the route evolved as Software developer to senior software engineer to technical specialist to solutions architect to CTO. The next destination has started appearing very vaguely in front of me. Last time the distance between dream and reality took 4 to 5 years. Again the new destination can take similar or more amount of time. But I am sure about one thing-there will be definitely new learning and new blockers. Eventually all this will transforms me stronger and good fit for that situation.

Some of you might think is he good enough to do it? I am also giving myself a challenge to show all others wrong. One day I told one of my best colleagues (ex) from Capita- I won't be talking always, but when I talk I will make sure that all others are listening. For me, my confidence, my passion to succeed and my ability to dream are stronger than others.