Not sure when this fucking recession will end or how many victims it will claim before it subsides. My life & my work, or the lack of it, has not been too isolated from it so far, though mercifully it has not rendered me with any long scars, atleast till now. But that is not to say that it has not left me rattled or has spared me of its painful pangs.
The first major hit for me was in November when I got a lucrative offer from Dubai. I had packed all my bags, wound up nearly all my stuff here, got my visa etc & was ready to fly. However just on the verge of my departure the offer was withdrawn, leaving me stranded with nowhere to go. Thankfully some days were left for my last workday here & I could manage to withdraw my resignation.
Few days later, lay offs began in my place as well. I knew one day it will rear its ugly head at my doorstep too; though I was praying that my past good deeds will not be forgotten soon. When restructuring began I was offered a position in Mumbai, even though my organization did not even have an office there & I was supposed to work from offices of different vendor agencies. It would have been a tough deal, but given the situation I had reluctantly accepted it.
The first major hit for me was in November when I got a lucrative offer from Dubai. I had packed all my bags, wound up nearly all my stuff here, got my visa etc & was ready to fly. However just on the verge of my departure the offer was withdrawn, leaving me stranded with nowhere to go. Thankfully some days were left for my last workday here & I could manage to withdraw my resignation.
Few days later, lay offs began in my place as well. I knew one day it will rear its ugly head at my doorstep too; though I was praying that my past good deeds will not be forgotten soon. When restructuring began I was offered a position in Mumbai, even though my organization did not even have an office there & I was supposed to work from offices of different vendor agencies. It would have been a tough deal, but given the situation I had reluctantly accepted it.
Now that Mumbai is also not happening, for the angrez coming here wanted somebody with a different skillset, it has left me & my superiors in a quandary. Another assignment is now available in Angola, in the wilderness of Africa, where my firm is building a gas pipeline. Now life in remote African jungles is not what I had bargained for, recession or no recession. I have declined that very sweet offer, aware of the consequences & the situation in my shrinking office. I had a long chat with my boss today morning where I was sermonized to be open to challenges & tough situations & do away with my candy floss lifestyle. It was a heavy session with me coming out second best by a long stretch.
It gets all the more scary as I do not have absolutely any work with me now, or for that matter I did not have any for the past three months & do not see anything coming for the remaining year too. Don’t know why but have been getting that sinking feeling……
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Just hang in there.. everybody is doing just that!
ReplyDeleteWhich company was that in Dubai? I am not surprised. The market here has collapsed. Dubai economy is largely dependent on real estate and tourism. No more oil here (Unlike Abu Dhabi which still has oil for another 100 years) Thus with the banking industry in taters, real estate, amongst others, was worst affected. We in IT are still just about hanging on. Tough times for sure. Absolutely no clear visibility on what's lined up in the future. But for now, all we can do is hang onto what we have and hope for the best! Cheers and good luck.
ReplyDeleteHey,
ReplyDeleteAll I would say is cheer up, whatever has to happen will happen but in such times it is your mental strength which will be ur best fren....
chin up buddy. the strangest thing about life is the flow of time. If tomorrow the earth is barren, everyone loses their job, people are destitute...time still goes on. So, recession or no recession, you will find a way to live. Of this, I am confident. More confident than those shaky stock markets, in any case ;)
ReplyDeletei hope things r better now?
ReplyDeleteDubai is risky...i know...i was brought up there n my folks stil live there.its changing for the worse.