My Career Went From One-Night Stands, Situationships to a Happy Marriage

The Glory Days: When BPOs Were the Startups

I started my career at the age of 20 in the ITes industry, what most called the “Call Center / BPO” world. Back then, call centers were as Hip and Happening a workplace as Digital Marketing agencies or Startups are today. They were full of life, parties, good money, and a promising future.

It attracted young, dynamic talent, full of rigor and the enthusiasm to change the world. The workforce was proud that they were “cooler” than everyone else. Naturally, I worked with the best — IBM Daksh and Convergys.

The Pivot: Trading Parties for a Permanent Relationship

Cut to 2008. At 25, I was ready for the next phase of life: balanced sleep, time for family and friends, and a move away from the constant booze, parties, and clubs. My affair with the BPO industry was fading.

I realized my career — and my life — needed to move away from one-night stands and Situationships and into a more mature, sensible relationship. After knocking on every possible door, I landed in the fascinating world of Digital Marketing, which, ironically, was Not So Cool back then. The only thing that mattered was that my current salary was being matched with the highest pay I drew at Convergys.

Cut to 2025. It has been 17 years, and my relationship with Digital Marketing is going super strong. After all the affairs with the BPO world, I can proudly say I am married to the Digital Marketing industry, and despite all the disagreements and fights we have, it is a happy marriage.

My 17 Transformational Lessons from 17 Years of Work

Here are the top 17 lessons I learned from my work that shaped me into the professional I am today:

Business & Strategy

1. Speed Trumps Everything Else: Business success hinges on the Right Time, the Right Product, and, most crucially, Speed. Hesitation is the competitor’s best friend.
2. Plan for the Inevitable Catch-Up: Competition will catch up sooner or later. When they do, ensure your market share and initial money-making are already taken care of. You must have already executed your ‘bit.’
3. The Exit Point is as Important as Entry: Missing a clear exit strategy in a business or project can cause irreparable damage. Knowing when to stop is a sign of mature leadership.
4. Agility is the Key to Survival: Don’t sit idle. The world is moving at an unstoppable pace. Your ability to learn and pivot is the only moat you have.

Focus & Technology

1. Human Psychology is the Only Constant: Understand human needs and behavior. Tools and platforms (Orkut, FB, IG, Snap) will come and go. Human behavior stays.
2. Technology is a Tool, Basics are Value: Technology can make life look good, but real value is in grounded basics. It’s nice to have a barber come home, but the experience of sitting in the shop, talking politics and life with strangers, is a valuable human interaction technology can’t replace.
3. Follow the 80/20 Principle (The Pareto Rule): Learn to distinguish between real and fake urgencies. Not everything requires your time and mind space. Choose the battles you want to fight and ignore the noise.

Corporate Life & Mindset

1. The Organization is Bigger Than You: The game is always larger than the individual. The company exists to solve a problem and make money. You are a means to that goal. If it’s not you, it will be someone else.
2. Embrace the Entire Spectrum of People: On your way up, you will meet great mentors, cunning colleagues, amazing friends, and those who will throw you under the bus. They are all equally important to your growth. Don’t take anything personally — everyone has their own objective.
3. Friends and Enemies are Part of the Job: It’s okay to have both. In corporate life, it’s sometimes necessary to hug a few and kick a few too. That’s just business.
4. Always Believe in the Magic: The opportunity you have been looking for — the big break, the key connection — is always just a Phone Call, Email, or LinkedIn Message away. Put yourself out there.
5. Don’t Ask a Fish to Fly (Pivot if Needed): If you are consistently underperforming, maybe you’re a fish being asked to fly. You need to pivot and realign your skills with your work. Nothing will work until this gap is sorted.
6. Do What is Best For You, Unapologetically: No one truly knows your personal life or struggles. Do not be sorry about putting yourself first. The office, the colleagues, and the world will adjust.
7. You Are Not Always the Problem: The organizations, bosses, colleagues, and company culture can be genuinely wrong. Never penalize yourself or internalize blame for something you did not do wrong.

Navigation & Politics

1. Navigate Your Own Way: You can choose to be the one who calls out every wrongdoing, or you can be the diplomatic person who navigates corporate politics easily. Both ways are correct. Be good at the path you choose.
2. Align with the Decision-Makers: Understand your ecosystem, identify the key decision-makers, and learn their ways of working. Align yourself with them. Everything else is noise. Clarity on deliverables with the right stakeholders is paramount.
3. Acceptance is Your Final Couch: Acceptance of everyone and every situation is the key to peace. You can only change something if you are part of the system. At the end of the day, it’s all about stretching your legs on your couch, holding a great drink, and saying: “This too shall pass” (IYKWIM)