Infosys – My oyster

Spam! That was the conclusion my father arrived at when he saw the email from Infosys inviting me to attend a test and an interview. Parents and faith … sigh! But don't judge him so quickly! A commerce graduate with a post-graduation in marketing management was definitely not what the iconic Infosys would be looking for, right? “They must have made a mistake” was thus concluded. This was circa 2000.

Cut to 2019. After 18 years and nine months of being a proud Infoscion, I am filled with just one emotion - Gratitude! Join me as I share some crisp highlights that make me hero-worship this place.

Long before hiring non-STEM graduates was cool, Infosys accepted folks from liberal arts background and wove them into the ecosystem. The organization has an inexplicable way of making you be a better version of yourself. In my first few weeks, I saw all the geeks speak an alien language and got ready to take flight. Then a kind gentleman in Hyderabad development center coached me and said join them, don't run away. Thus started my foray into understanding technology, the IT industry, and what would be the start of a lot of wonderful mentors who had my back (though they never made it easy for me!).

As part of the Education, Training and Assessment unit, I have had the privilege to be close, or rather closest, to the core of this institution, that is, talent development. The corridors and campuses have always been abuzz with ideas and conversations that translated to laying of a strong foundation for the development of talent and staying ahead of the developments in the technology, domain, and the business world. After all, to be a navigator for the clients and business, an Infoscion has to be equipped with the best-in-class learning opportunities.

Let's zoom in a bit more into the work environment. The campus has a way of overwhelming you and reassuring you at the same time. The expanse of the campuses reminds you of the scale of operations and yet the company culture is an assurance that the famous N=1 was probably conceived to reflect the investments made by this organization to ensure each one felt heard and valued. Personally, for me, the work environment was dominated by my managers. Whether it was allowing me to work out of our Pune office during my first pregnancy where I had severe gestational diabetes and needed more care or making me figure out how do we rollout the first overseas roadshow for Knowledge Management in the US and Europe, trust me, my managers knew how to make me richer with experiences.

I can go on and on gushing about how the organization has made me a better version of myself, courtesy the people it has nurtured. But there are some honest confessions too. I stammered and stuttered as a child and still nurture a fair bit of insecurity about my capabilities. But this organization would hear none of it! They made me emcee and reminded me I am good at it, every time, and made the proverb ‘world is your stage’ a reality for me. I did not have confidence to step out to buy a loaf of bread as a child and today this organization has made me travel solo, anchor important business discussions, and chalk out programs which I had never imagined (and I still am pinching myself).

Infosys is my oyster. It has let me be me, even while it was chiseling away at my personality and competency, because the culture is carefully crafted and fiercely guarded to value principles and, for the umpteenth time, make an Infoscion the best version of oneself!