What was I?
A Techie… you could say that… But, frankly speaking, I still don't know the definition of that term!!!
A Software engineer …. If every guy whose job expects him to write a few lines of code here and there is a software engineer, then I am a software engineer.
An IT guy … That's a term I could never understand.. But, then I dealt with information all through my career!!
I always wanted to say I am a DSP engineer and 999 of 1000 people I meet wouldn't understand that. I thought I can say I am a telecom engineer. Now, only 3 of 10 I meet would understand what it means and 1 of these 3 would realize that it's not the complete truth.
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A techie, a programmer, a software engineer, IT guy.. So many terms… they look all the same for few.. All the very different for many others…
I see myself and many others like me trying to use these words in many ways to communicate something and struggling in vain to get our point across..
And what's this point that we are trying to get across?
Hey…… we are not the typical stereo-type IT guys.. We work on blah.. blah.. blah… Whenever, you find someone who probably understands something related to IT, we start of these rants…
And, when a person who doesn't understand any of this comes along, we say "I am a Software engineer…". That word earns respect from those people who don't know better. I have done that n-number of times when trying to impress a land-lord to rent out his flat to me.
Are we hypocrites?
"You could say that" Or rather "You should say that"
My wife would say that…
All these days, I didn't mind being a hypocrite but always minded being branded along with the so called stereotype IT engineer.
But, I am tired. And I think I have not just been struggling in vain but I have also spent lot of energy on a useless cause.
What was I trying to prove? Coming from a niche sector doesn't make you more talented. If you are talented.. you are talented.. that's it. I should have realized it long back.
Some of my best friends, highly talented guys, have been working in IT services for many years and they have made their mark. I know they are talented and capable. They have proved it and have made their mark.
Then, why do we foster this feeling? It's just that we were looking for a way to show-of without actually appearing to do so. We don't want to get lost as one among the millions and at the same time don't want to explicitly say.. " I am talented, capable.. These are my achievements.. This is where I studied… blah.. blah and blah..".
So, we try to boast using different words. More often than not we end up confusing the people listening to us and make a fool of ourselves.
"I honestly plead guilty."
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One year of my journey to B-school has been a period of introspection and a period of observation. It helped me reflect upon a lot of things.
It told me that
"Every industry/function has some much variety in itself. It has so many challenges. There are so many profiles that exist with in it. If you come from a niche sector and you feel good about it… good for you. Enjoy the feeling and let it be…"
There ends the matter.
It doesn't make sense to try hard to show the difference in places where it doesn't matter. Being niche is only being niche. It is not equivalent to being talented. It neither means that you are at an advantage. In fact, it sometimes could turn into a disadvantage.
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It has been a significant learning.
Firstly, it told me that I should say "I am a software engineer / IT professional". Say something else only when it matters.. as in a B-school App J J
Secondly, Being diverse or coming from a niche sector has nothing to do with talent.
Note: Give yourself 110/100, if you understood what I was trying to say J
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