From a Schoolboy to a Thought Leader: Relooking at a Decade of Transformation

On the last day of the decade, it brings a flurry of emotions to ponder about a journey that has seen it all. I mean, this is the decade that started with me trying to scathe past the last couple of years at school. Fast forward 10 years, and I am celebrating 5+ years of association with my dream organization. Life does have surprises for the best of us and when my dad mentioned SAP to me as a school kid, I never really understood what it meant and how vast it was! By the time I was in college, SAP was all I knew as a target destination (again, thanks to my dad). Come 2020, I am recognized as a Thought Leader champion at SAP Labs India, for my publications at IEEE and Springer during Quarter 1, 2020. This article is a recollection of a rollercoaster journey of a decade that will always be a period that helped me become what I am, not just as a person but academically as well.

Rewinding the scale to 2011, it was the year of boards for a student who never found it easy to really decipher the actual meaning of the Physics or Chemistry concepts that were taught to him. Maths had lost its charm but was replaced by a new lover, Computer Science. The ever-growing flirty relation with English Literature continued to blossom in a world that had declared the schoolboy, a School Captain. Being supported by friends and juniors along with the blessings of your school teachers is a must, and it was their support that helped me leap past the challenges. Quizzing was an essential part of my life and that made me meet the brilliant Rajib Sanyal (Quizmaster of Doordarshan), who made me become a part of his quizzing team in the years to come. Next came, college, a place that upgraded the flirty status of Computer Science to that of a newly blossomed love about to get into a relationship of a lifetime. I consider myself lucky to be guided by some amazing faculties and I never really had to question my love for the chosen field of study.

It feels like yesterday when I told my dad that I will be joining SAP as a #SoftwareDeveloper. That was October of 2014 and I was still finishing my bachelor's degree education at NSHM. In 2019, I completed my master's degree from BITS Pilani in parallel to working with SAP Labs India. 5 years of #lifeAtSAP, 5 special years of being associated with a place that feels more like a family now. A place that helped me wear multiple hats at a very early age and with the support of some great mentors and colleagues. The special interest of knowing more about processes and methodologies opened doors to people strategy, Agile Coaching, and what not and I am proud that I could contribute to such topics. It all seems like a dream and although it ends with a challenging year like this, it still has given a lot. Months of lockdown led to a flurry of publications and rejuvenated my love for research, all in all, reminding me of my primary school teacher who predicted another decade ago that I might go into research someday (creepy visionary for sure). Ending it with 16 publications overall and the first-ever opportunity to be a Co-chair for the Technical Program Committee of an International Springer Conference, ICCCE-2021. Keeping it aside, I also did get a shot at being a part of the football team of my organization since 2018 which was a dream come true, concluding the menu of specials that touched me over the last 10 years.

This post is just a recollection of emotions that has run through me in the last decade and transformed me from being a school student to a #softwareprofessional, and also saw me complete my college education. It kind of seems like a vital phase of an interesting life and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved with this journey. Starting with my teachers who still expect a call on Teacher's Day, my beloved friends from school and college, to my wonderful colleagues at SAP, this journey wouldn't have been as beautiful as it is today. I wonder what lies ahead and as my high school English teacher used to say, "You give your best with empathy, and be prepared to be amazed by the outcome!".