Five key changes that professional life brought to me

It has been more than a year in professional life. And, these 14 months have been tough, challenging, exciting, and full of learning, with some ‘happy moments’, too, in between. Although I am still ‘childish’ at heart, an attribute I never want to part with, there have been some significant changes ever since I joined the workplace. The most noteworthy changes are below, though not in the same order:

Commutation by Metro: I faced one major change after landing in the national capital: travelling by metro train. It was an altogether different experience for a person coming from a Tier II city. For me, travelling by train was only meant for far-off places to visit our relatives, which always used to light my face and fill my heart with immense joy and pleasure.

Contrary to this, now standing at the platform, looking at the digital timer and number of coaches of the upcoming train fails to bring cheer to me. It’s always a race against time. Everyone is in a hurry to reach the office, school, college, etc. Initially, the scene used to give me jitters, as I had never seen this kind of rush, crowd, pushing and pulling one another to, anyhow, put one’s body in the coach to reach their respective destination on time. I have still not become comfortable with the trend, and with a big heart, I allow other people to get into the jam-packed coach and wait for another one.

Working time/shift work: I remember that even during school, our classes used to start at 8 o'clock. But, with the concept of shift work and an urge to be ‘best and fast’ from the rest, we are dropped off at our office at 7 in the morning. With the feeling that ‘I haven’t taken the required sleep’, I take my seat to work for the progress of the company.

Still, I feel lucky, as I have not been on the night shift to date. When I see my colleagues sitting at their desks, struggling to stay awake and work, I look above and say, God, you have been really nice to me!!

Office work: Although I was aware that the media job is a lot more demanding than others, the real picture was way beyond the image I had in my mind. The fixed nine-hour shift generally gets extended to 10, 10.5 hours, and sometimes 12 hours, and every time you are on your toes, you don’t know when a ‘breaking news’ can come. 

Wait for week-offs: The whole school and college time was full of masti, unlimited fun, jokes, and loud laughter. The classes were so entertaining that I never waited for weekends to meet friends and share our feelings, thoughts, and emotions. The hostel life was also enjoyable, and since mine was a residential university, I never had a ‘dearth’ of people to talk to.

However, nowadays, I eagerly wait for my two-day week-offs, the most precious days, for which I have a long plan, but most of the time, I end up sleeping, doing laundry, and doing other important chores.

Managing finances: Last but certainly not least, I am learning how to run home and manage finances. The day my salary gets transferred to my account; I prepare a budget and allocate a particular amount to every small and big item, required for day-to-day life.

By saying this, I also mean that I have started to understand the value of every rupee. Although I have never been a spendthrift, getting a job has made me learn how to spend money wisely and judiciously.