Happy On the BENCH!!!

Acknowledgements First:

Thanks to all my blog readers/ followers (hope I get few :P) for their enthusiasm to take out time and read this blog. Special Thanks to my friend Saad Shaikh (PUMBAites will know him) for suggesting the topic to write on and the title.

Lets start:

What comes to the mind when one hears BENCH? Ask IT (Information Technology) guys (I am one of them) and they will tell you the IT meaning of 'BENCH'. For some it is a place just to sit idle and earn a good disposable income (as they call it), for some it means enjoy movies, games and what not in the office (though economic depression has made way for some strict policies not allowing all this) and still earn a good disposable income, for the few remaining it is a place to get frustrated because of no work and still earn a good disposable income!!!

For me, having worked for almost 3 years (34 months) in a well known IT company, is a good experience. Fortunately or unfortunately, I was on BENCH for a maximum total of 3 months (only!). It was a good time though, even when I was on projects (BILLABLE is the right word for this) (being on project means one is 'Not On Bench'). Flexi timings, 2hrs lunch, light workload were the things one would really like to have in office and I was fortunate enough to have all this. Now being an IT Professional it is a written norm that one has to (atleast) appear for the MBA entrance exams. After all, there has to be some change in life after stangnant years of wake up -> go to office -> spend statutory minimum hours -> come back -> dine -> sleep -> wake up... and so on. So, on the day before joining the office, on 19th Nov., 2006, I wrote CAT and repeated the same mistake of writing it twice in the following years. Thank God, there was MH-MBA-CET! I was able not to qualify 'writing CET' as a mistake. I got through CET 2009 and got admitted into Department of Management Sciences, University of Pune (well known as PUMBA). Finally, one more IT guy converted to MBA student.

As a MBA student, one has to do multitasking and this was the first lesson I learnt as a MBA student. The reason being: My college started on 24th August, 2009 (It was scheduled to start on 10th August, but courtesy swine flu, it got delayed by 2 weeks) and my managers at office were not ready to relieve me before 11th Sep (read it as '9/11'). Don't know what good they found in me, perhaps the thing that I was BILLABLE! So, I had to attend the college in the morning from 8am (though I used to bunk the morning lectures many a times) till 3-4-5 pm and then to office till the time my 'minimum statutory hours' were completed (At that time I was working in the second shift, stipulated work timings were 2pm to 11pm). One would think why would I bother to attend the college after all? Boss, think again, here too one has to complete the 'minimum statutory lectures' i.e. 75% of them for ones term to be granted. So with no option left, I somehow learnt multitasking. It hampered my health though - I will subsequently come to that.

Finally my lessons of multitasking came to an end on 9/11. I am still doubtful if multitasking is imbibed in me. So my 'regular' college life started after 3 long years of WorkEx. It was difficult to adjust at start, but somehow I managed it. Along with the lectures, we had to undergo a process - though voluntarily - to be a part of the prestigious cell in college - the Placement Cell. After all, very frankly, placement is the thing people do MBA for. I won't describe the process here as I am not sure if it goes with the policies or not - this is one good thing i learnt at my job - to be specific in my organization - 'When in doubt, don't!'

As part of the process, we had a 2 weeks visit to Mumbai starting 21st Sep. I had to leave my team mid-way as my blood iron level went low (My intuition says this was all because of multitasking). So I was there for just 1 week. But all of us enjoyed a lot there along with the work. But still I was in my office mood - too serious, too professional - I wasn't adapted to the college life so easily. In Hindi, we say 'Waqt har zakhm ki dawa hota hai' (Time is the ultimate medicine for every wound) - So I let it go in the hands of time. Back to college - after a week at home :) - I felt good - healthy and out from my office mood. Time is really the ultimate medicine.

Don't you think we are going away from the topic 'On the Bench'? OK so we are back. When I enter the classroom and sit on the BENCH - I feel more happy and cheerful than I did sitting on the 'BENCH' i mentioned earlier. From a professional to a student, from a Software Engineer to an Aspiring Manager, life has changed a lot - in good terms though - but one thing that is common is the BENCH. Though the materials are different - office BENCH is made up of cushion whereas college BENCH is made up of iron/ wood - it rarely matters except for the buttock! The crux of the matter is one should be happy. Hope you are happy on your BENCH. I, for sure, am 'Happy On the BENCH!!!'.

Happy reading,

I will try my best this time to come with new blog sooner,

Regards,

Lalit.

My MBA Institute - PUMBA

P.S. Please do post your valuable feedback and comments. It will help me improve my blogs.