In the equation of success, having a purpose is one part, another is one’s ability to persist. I have seen a number of people who, when faced with difficult situation, just did what their heart told them. Probably, that’s what I did.
After experimenting with multiple career options from Chemistry to Civil Engineering and losing an important year doing that, I finally decided to pursue a career in IT. I completed my studies and started a career which grew fast until 2001 dot com bubble burst. I lost my job too. A recession can easily lead people to doubt their career choices but I was always clear that if I were to work, it was in IT.
At a time when I had other lucrative avenues to keep paying my bills, my heart told me that I should continue doing my best in my chosen area of work. I was putting hard efforts hoping that success would someday knock the door. But it didn’t, at least for a long time.
My parents taught me that when we sow the seeds of our efforts, we seldom get “immediate” results. But it never goes in vain.
I spent a few years struggling to get a strong hold in IT services by virtue of my low-paying job. It was easy for me at this point to give up and pursue higher studies or take up a job in non-IT sector because I knew that I had persevered long enough. My heart again told me to go on and I did until I secured a job in a mid-sized IT company. This was my opportunity to shine. My growth was drastic and I quickly moved up the corporate ladder in a matter of two years.
I remembered what my parents had taught me. All that I learned in my “struggling years” helped immensely in accelerating my career growth. Even now, as an intrapreneur, I deeply value the important life lessons I learned during the dip.
When I persevered, I never consciously did it. I just did what my heart told me to do. Now, when I look back, I know what perseverance looks like. Life is never perfect and when we are in a difficult situation, we have a binary choice – to push it through or give up. And this choice makes all the difference!
Today's guest post comes from Tanmay Vora, a friend and reader of LeaderTalk. Tanmay heads an independent quality assurance business unit at a software services company based in India. He has 12 years of diverse experience in software development methodologies, quality management, software testing and process improvement initiatives.
Tanmay is the author of an upcoming book titled #QUALITYtweet: 140 bite sized ideas to deliver quality in every project due for release in November 2009. He speaks and consults on Software Quality Assurance and hosts QAspire Blog. You can follow him on Twitter .
He loves writing real life short stories, reading, music and is a passionate explorer of management and leadership subjects. Tanmay wrote this story during his business trip to Helsinki, Finland but he lives at Ahmedabad (India).
