Baby Steps

I moved to London last year in June after dreaming about it for a few years. By some stroke of luck, the company in India I was working with at the time, interviewed me for an internal job posting and decided that I was not completely hopeless for the role. Paperwork ensued and I was soon pinching myself, finding everything surreal and somewhat too good to be true.

The perils of being a doubting Thomas (who at least set store by personal experience) is that you turn your fears into self-fulfilling prophecies. If you feel like a misfit in a new place, chances are many others share the sentiment. There are blogs after management blogs that talk about the pervasive imposter syndrome and how it impacts women in general and doubting Thomases in particular.

Long story short, my stint lasted ten months. The company in question announced massive layoffs by the end of the year, and unfortunately, my team was among those impacted. I was in shock for the first few weeks (a natural response, I’ve been told), but soon after, had to spring into action regarding my next steps. I knew one thing. I wasn’t ready for my London story to be over.

As a literature graduate, who has found solace in many a fictional world over the years, I was well aware of the ironic distinction the city held for me – a former coloniser and a present-day melting pot of places, people and culture – perhaps thanks to which, I saw little evidence of the everyday racism I had subconsciously expected. Also, in my brief tenure, I was blessed with the upside of good managers and friendly colleagues, something that put my mind at ease like little else could.

So I set about applying to new jobs, trying not to think about the economic slump or sponsorship requirements, and writing cover letters to colleges for courses where my experience counted and which I could count on in turn. I got lucky with the latter and in the first month itself, got a conditional offer from one of my top choices. This blog is a result of the many choices I have made since.

You are welcome to join me as I process life one week at a time in the land of Thames. I have past experiences to share, present dilemmas and hopes for the future, which include inviting some of you to share your London story with me. I'm also occasionally going to throw in my analysis of (digital) marketing trends (this is a college assignment at the end of the day), management lessons I learned from bestselling books, and ordinary occurrences that are extraordinary in hindsight.

Alpaca my bags and see you on the other side!