This time a year ago, Oneon, Walking Vibrator, Jai the Bhai and I were sitting in the Boardroom of the Nation’s Most Favoured Multinational company. By the end of the day, save for Jai the Bhai, plus another three persons parted ways with the company. I was there for 3 years and 4 months. Of the six, I am the only one who totally severed myself from the world of telecommunications.
It was a good experience. The trade shows and conferences in Geneva and Singapore, the quarrels with a telco, the 2-week deployment in Langkawi that really was 4 months, the straight face I kept while listening in to the discussions by our Thai counterparts, crazy Jakarta. A day earlier I had been diving in Tioman to deploy the DHL reef, the next day I was already jobless, but that did a lot of help: 5 days later I was on my way back to Tioman with my Dive Buddy, and the 20-year Question came into being.
There were great and bad moments working there as there were great and bad people in that company. The company had lots of ideas but making ideas reality is something of a challenge that has never been met. Many more have left since then: when I left the company had some 70 odd people; it now has less than 30. The attrition rate is more than half in the span of a year. I sold the last of my shares related to that company 2 months later when I was doing a deep dive off Tioman.
And how am I doing now? At times I earn more than twice my previous monthly salary, at times it’s at par. And it feels great earning money through something I have passion for.
To those vying for the title as Last Local Employee Standing, I wish you all the best.
SeaDemon Says 