It’s May 2017 and I had the impression that I had already put down my reminiscences of 2016... which I hadn’t... so I am writing them now.
As mentioned in my review of 2015, at the end of 2015 I got a contract job offer in Canberra for a federal government department. However, I wasn’t sure if I should take it or not, as I was anxiously waiting for the final outcome of my job application at PWC. I knew I had made it through there; it’s just that I was waiting for final formalities to begin. The first few weeks of January passed and there was no reply from PWC. Meanwhile, the Canberra job agent was waiting for me to join as I had passed through all the formal checks. Finally, after some anxious days, I got a reply from PWC that they wanted to offer me a job, and they asked me for my expected salary. I replied to them with the figure that I knew some of my former colleagues were already getting there. At the same time, I got feedback on my annual review from my Capgemini manager, and it was not good. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting it to be that bad, but he put up a very bad picture of me in front of me. I really didn’t like that guy. But that’s another story. On the very next day or the same day, I got a reply from PWC that they were sorry, due to some issues, they couldn’t hire me. I knew it was money, and the money that they were looking for for that job was well below my current salary. Ah dammit... PWC wasted 2 months of my time, and now they have put me at a crossroads. I should have kept looking for new jobs and shouldn’t be dependent on PWC. Anyways, I knew if I continued with my current job, then after a few months I would be in hot water. My company was downsizing and I could be a victim of it because of my poor performance review. So, I made an instant decision to join that contractual job in Canberra. My wife wasn’t happy with this decision either. She doesn’t want us to move out of Sydney. My son also started school in Sydney. But what could I do? I didn’t have any other way in front of me. I have been looking to switch jobs for the past 6 months, and I can’t let this opportunity slip from my hands just like the Wyong council job one. Anyway, I resigned from Capgemini and took up that Canberra job offer. The plan was that I would stay there on my own for some weeks, and then I would move with my family. One of my friends was already working for the same department, and he said that I was coming in at a lower rate than other contractors. This demotivated me. Anyways, on the very first day, I realised I made a blunder. I shouldn’t have taken up this job. I should have waited or negotiated. I started looking for other jobs and gave one or two interviews in Sydney. Luckily (as I thought at that time), I got a job offer on a fixed term for 1 year on a similar package to what I was getting at Capgemini.
I resigned from my Canberra job after two weeks. I stayed a week at home, and then on the last day of February, I joined my new job at Qantas Credit Union, which was later renamed to Qudos Bank. The workplace was a bit far from home, but I was still in Sydney and my family didn’t have to relocate. Again, within a few weeks, I realised this was not a good idea. I shouldn’t have resigned from that contractual role. There was a lot of South Asian work culture at that job. Besides, there was no support from managers, and there were unrealistic timelines to meet. I worked very hard there. I also made good friends there. I started looking again for new jobs, both in Sydney and Canberra. Finally, after giving many interviews at different places, I got another contractual job offer from Canberra. This time the money was really good. However, on the other hand, I gave multiple interviews at Westpac. The chances were 50-50 in Westpac. In one of my interviews, I told them that I have a job offer in Canberra which I am considering, so if you want me to be hired, then make a quick decision and please no more interviews. So, on the very last day at Qudos Bank, I got a job offer from Westpac. I had to take that Canberra job starting next Monday, but I declined it at the last moment, which was a very bad thing to do. I know. I stayed at home for one week, and in July I started my third job of 2016.
For the rest of the year, I had a smooth sail at work. I didn’t face any issues. Thank God, I was finally at peace at work. My parents visited me in August for 2 months. The rest of the year was a bit more relaxed for me. However, my wife had a miscarriage in the second half of the year. It was very unfortunate, but we are still thankful to Allah for all His gifts.
So, in the end, if I sum up this year, I will say that the first of this year was one of the toughest times of my career life and I had never been at multiple crossroads like this before. But all will end well if Allah stays with you.
