I have been thinking of writing this one for sometime now. Leaving AdviceAmerica is not just one of those trivial things that happened in my life - I spent close to 7 years with AdviceAmerica, and I somehow believe that those were the years that defined me as of today. The technical strengths I have today were drawn from the experiences I had with that company. Some of the friends I made there were real.. The work I did there was enriching, so were many of the other experiences..So as I was saying, leaving that place is nothing close to trivial. I would say it's quite significant - hence this blog, something I am writing down.. so I don't forget..
I am not a person who actually remembers incidents that happened in the past - I tend to forget things. I just have random images of such things in my brain which are mute.. But what I have strongly within me is that feeling, a warm sensation of vague memories of many incidents that make the overall picture beautiful, a feeling so strong I like to get soaked in with some light music in the background..
I wanted to recall a few incidents now, but strangely I dont remember my first day. But what I remember is two days before that when I got the offer letter from Sharda madam - my first offer from a company..I had to struggle hard to get that. I remember how happy I was, I remember she handing me the letter, I remember my eyes filling when I saw the salary I was offered. I remember getting into a bus heading back home and calling all those special ones who mattered the most to share the news.
I remember that feeling that I had so strong initially - that I wanted to be the best. My brief stint in the quality team before moving into the development team was really good. That period of time helped me understand the product what we were working on. And then I was put into one of the best development teams then in AdviceAmerica - the Calculators Team under Vijay. What I am today is all those experiences I had in that team. More than what I gained to inflate my technical skills, it is the bond that I shared with the team I cherish the most now. I don't know if I will be part of a team like that ever..
I was there with the company when the product was in the primitive stage. I was there to be a part of some important decisions, I solved problems, I wrote hell lot of code, and more comments than that. I wrote a lot of documents. I made a lot of technical analysis, broke down problems, mentored a few.. I was part of the team which made a great software product. AdviceAmerica started getting noticed - it was acquired by Fiserv - global giant of a company. 6 years - I was there when all happened. When I look back now, I don't remember having a relationship with any organization for that long, be it School or College. Those were the years I learnt a lot, made some good friends, and above all, built a great product. Those years made me what I am today - stronger and better. It was quite a journey. .
Leaving AdviceAmerica was not easy for me, especially the last day at work. Suddenly I was aware that I had only a few hours left for the day, and the moment I surrender my Id Card in the reception, I am officially an ex-employee. I cleaned up my computer and my workstation.. cleared my drawer, finished up all the formalities. When the team got up together to take a few photographs for the last time, I was kind of numb, and robotic. I was just doing what I was told - smiling and waving hands mechanically.
After the last pair of hands were shook, after the last photograph was clicked, after the last swipe-out was made, I slowly moved out.. the glass door gently closed behind me.. I could see blurred view of my friends behind the glass. I came out of the building with a heavy heart, and slowly looked up at the big AdviceAmerica board one more time, and I paused for a moment - giving the company a goodbye one last time.
