It is already March 2025, and I have not formally documented my reflections on the past year. While I have mentally analysed the events, I haven’t committed them to writing, which doesn’t truly count. 2024 stands out as a remarkable year compared to 2023 and 2022.
The year began with my first international trip with my wife, but I couldn’t fully enjoy it due to concerns about pending work. I was solely responsible for a critical Network module and wanted to check in my code before taking leave. Despite the code not affecting production or even being compiled for it, my team-mater insisted against checking in incomplete work. I struggled to explain that I was working iteratively and preferred to commit changes in smaller batches as the modifications affected numerous files. My explanations fell on deaf ears, and worse still, he reported that I was pushing non-optimised code.
I felt as though the ground had disappeared beneath me, with my entire career flashing before my eyes. I questioned why I was in this situation—my ethics and work quality had never been challenged before, so why now?
Though I have no definitive answer, my first holiday to Krabi and Phuket was certainly overshadowed by workplace stress. I enlisted a colleague’s help with the module during my absence, and by the time I returned, he had resolved several critical bugs. Together, we delivered the module with an outstanding user experience, which later became the template for other modules.
In February 2024, I interviewed with Meta for the second time. During the system design round, I was asked to design Pinterest’s masonry layout—the very same question from my first Meta interview in 2021. Unfortunately, history repeated itself. Despite having practiced this exact problem beforehand, I faltered in explaining the algorithm. Though I had a clear approach and vision, I couldn’t meet the interviewers’ expectations. I failed again!
My anxiety and stress levels peaked in January. While reading Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules of Life, I discovered strategies for managing stress. A psychoanalyst prescribed me relaxation medication for three months. During this period, the highlight of my day became stepping away from my desk, taking these tablets, and falling into a deep, peaceful sleep. It was a surreal experience—as if my brain and eyes could simply shut down on command.
I began developing a dependency when I realised this wasn’t how I envisioned my life. After completing the prescribed course, I discontinued the medication without consulting the doctor again. In retrospect, I should have discussed my concerns with him (a point to remember for the future).
My wife and I struggled to spend quality time together during the first half of the year, eagerly anticipating weekends. My explanations about working weekends did little to please her. She would often sit on the sofa behind my desk, ensuring we at least shared the same physical space for part of the day.
For another year, I received no salary increment. The company’s stock value had doubled, and my compensation had already exceeded the standard pay for my level. The options were either promotion to the next level (which had been discussed with my previous manager) or maintaining the status quo.
My direct manager changed at the beginning of the year. I had productive conversations with my outgoing manager and skip-level manager about promotion expectations. Shockingly, my new manager admitted having no understanding of my role or its growth trajectory. This was tremendously disappointing! Once again, I questioned—is all this drama worthwhile? Is it worth stressing myself and going the extra mile when my manager is underperforming?
Is it unreasonable to expect an incoming manager to understand the roles within their team? My manager wanted to transition roles at the same level, moving from FEE to SDE, a domain with which he was more familiar. He had always managed SDEs, but what exactly does an SDE do writing React Native code? I refused to accept this situation passively and created a six-month plan to work with my manager towards promotion.
A joyful moment! My wife and I purchased our first car! We were captivated by the Jimny’s build quality from day one. We had booked it earlier but cancelled due to our plans for Germany. As fate would have it, I was destined to own a Jimny, fit it with 215/75 tyres, and take it on a road trip!
I am thoroughly satisfied with its performance, functionality, and 4x4 capabilities. I plan to keep it stock (except for the tyres) with potential modifications further down the line! More about car performance
Fortune smiled upon me when I received an offer from ServiceNow and submitted my resignation. My manager could not do anything to retain me and asked me to cancel my first official trip to the USA. I complied without hesitation, but my skip manager insisted I meet the US team at least once before departing. Thus, I embarked on my maiden journey to the United States—from Bengaluru to Austin, Texas.
One might assume that with a visa in hand, it’s simply a matter of booking tickets and flying. Not in my case! I initially booked tickets for California, then resigned, and subsequently booked for Austin, Texas. Everything seemed straightforward until the CrowdStrike 2024 outage occurred. My itinerary was Bengaluru [Saturday] -> Boston [Sunday] -> Texas [Sunday+4] -> Boston [Friday+1] -> Bengaluru [Sunday]. This plan was disrupted when my connecting flight from Boston to Texas was cancelled due to the outage. My cousin, whom I had planned to meet on my return journey, lives in Manchester, NH. With my skip manager’s support, I could either book a hotel in Boston or take a cab to New Hampshire. I chose the latter, which allowed me to meet my four-year-old niece for the first time and reunite with my cousin’s family ten years after meeting his wife at their wedding. With this turn of fortune, I stayed 2 days in Texas, 4 days in NH 🫰🏼
Meeting my niece was like travelling back in time. Years ago, my cousin’s daughter in Hyderabad was the same age, and I used to play with her. Now, as my niece showed me her teddy bears, gifts, and games, and I found myself shifting between past and present, noting the remarkable similarities. What a blessing!
He is a Senior Engineer in my team and hired me in this team. From my first day in the team and till last week in Amazon, He has been pushing me to an edge. Always asking relevant questions, calling out key area of improvement, had a maybe face for my suggestions.
This changed when I met him in Texas. At 5, he was already up for a round at the bar. We talked a few things here and there on the first day but things went shooting right to the sky in the second evening. We were buying drinks for each other, ate his favorite tacos and then his favorite Margarita’s. Oh! That evening ended around 10 in a local bar near my hotel where we reached by walking 8 miles, Damn! We have exchanged our contacts and send each other irregular updates.
The ServiceNow offer arrived at the perfect moment. Initially slated for Hyderabad, I negotiated to extend my stay in Bengaluru. So far, the job has been satisfactory. More updates will follow in future blogs.
A personal situation arose during this period that required me to dedicate more time to my family than ever before. My wife and I stayed at our family home for two months, returning only towards the year’s end. I cherish the time spent at home.
| Theme | Goal | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Family | Car | ✅ |
| Move closer to hometown | ❌ | |
| Plan a dog | 🟠 | |
| Career | Jan - Jun: Trust the process. Let Amazon plan my promotion | ✅ |
| Jul - Dec: Make a process, Handle your promotion. | ❌ | |
| Write a blog every month | 🟠 | |
| Health | Mental health - describe joy and happiness | 🟠 |
| Regular at gym - learn calisthenics, snatch. | 🟠 | |
| Reduce drinking beer. | 🟠 | |
| Work on your temper. | 🟠 | |
| Drink more water. | ✅ | |
| Travel | North east | ❌ |
| Rajasthan | ❌ | |
| Gujarat | ❌ | |
| Books | 12 Rules for Life | ✅ |
| The Art and Business of Online Writing | ❌ | |
| Joys Of Compounding | ❌ | |
| WebRTC | ❌ | |
| Goddess Kali | ❌ | |
| Games | Hogwarts Legacy | ✅ |
This year presented a mixed bag in terms of both career and personal life. My mental well-being faced challenges, but I endeavoured to maintain stability. I gained valuable insights from the overall stress experienced throughout the year.
On a positive note, I’ve become better at recognizing patterns in my anxiety disorder and now try to remain present in difficult situations rather than escaping from them. I’ve come to understand that while stress may not diminish, I can improve my approach to it. When under pressure, I can decompress through Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) practices, consume less greasy and more fibrous food, and use music to enhance focus.
Surrounding yourself with YOUR people significantly elevates positive emotions. Having family and friends during times of need truly feels like a divine blessing!