Me getting into IT at Fifty!

HackWithInfy2022, Pune

Being a journalist, I had never dreamt of a job with an IT major. Though I had nearly 3 decades of experience, it had not much to do with technology, apart from using computers for work. So, I was quite amused when I got a call from Infosys early this year. With the usual rounds of interviews and tests, I joined the prestigious Strategic Technology Group (STG) as a senior consultant mid-August. The amusement has turned into gratitude for various reasons.

I was down with Covid during the onboarding days, but the recruitment team was super cooperative and the whole process was seamless, barring a few hiccups. This was my first experience of working with such a mammoth organization, though I had worked with big names like The Times of India, The Indian Express, and Dainik Bhaskar. Earlier, if I had an issue with my leave, I would just pick up the phone and speak to someone in HR and the problem was solved. Here in Infy, it’s all system driven, and I took a while to adjust to this. However, I don’t remember when I had to use that system last.

I remember the first few weeks of the morning Stand Up meetings on Teams (not much has changed yet). I would jot down the words/terms/jargon that I didn’t understand and google them later. I could barely grasp what was being discussed by the Team leaders. And that led me into the fascinating world of Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence, data privacy/security/protection, crypto, NFTs, the whole digital jingbang! These meetings also reinstated my faith in an inclusive positive office culture, which had eluded me in some of my earlier jobs. There is never a voice raised, no foul language used, no backbiting, no blame games! The team leader gets full credit for creating and maintaining this culture which has certainly kept the team together and successful.

Coming back to learning, I started doing short courses on LEX, and felt a childlike joy at completing them. I listened to a lot of webinars and enjoyed those. I read articles shared on the Infosys Knowledge Institute portal.

I have started doing small assignments that were not too technical, but I realized that there was a lot I could contribute as a non-IT person.

I am very much a people’s person. I have had great colleagues till now with whom I have enjoyed lunches, tea times, snack times, heated political discussions, meeting people from a variety of fields, traveling, etc. Because of the pandemic, I have been robbed of this opportunity. But only just. It won’t be the same even if I went to an ‘office’ every day as our team is spread all over India. And it’s a boon working from home, looking at the traffic scenes in Mumbai. I am learning to snatch a few moments of fun, camaraderie, the so-called water cooler talks, etc. in the virtual world. It helped that within two weeks of my joining, I had an opportunity to visit the sprawling Pune DC and stay at the fabulous ECC for 4 days and spend great time with some of my team members. I got to know at least some of the faces behind the names and that encourages me to ask someone for help without thinking twice.

Joining Infosys has another important facet, that of my age! I have crossed 50, I don’t have an IT background, and yet I was accepted here. I know a lot of people raised their eyebrows when they learnt about it. Most were like, “Infosys, as in the IT company? What do you do there?” I totally understand that as I see women of my age, struggling to change jobs, finding something satisfying and fulfilling, being appreciated, being valued as an experienced employee, coming to terms with not being considered for promotions, etc. When the number of women employees has seen a sharp decline, I believe there is a design in me getting into Infosys. I want to make full use of this opportunity, learn as much as I can, give my 100 per cent to work, impact lives as much as possible. Amen.