Software Engineer

Software Developer

This year feels like a calmer year compared to others. There's nothing much happening for me, neither good nor bad and it doesn't affect me. I have a different perspective on life from previous yea...

This year feels like a calmer year compared to others. There's nothing much happening for me, neither good nor bad and it doesn't affect me. I have a different perspective on life from previous years yet I don't know what to do.

Yesterday while walking after the dinner I was thinking that I am at such a point in my life that whatever I pick from the next day and do it for the next 6-12 months I could reach anywhere. Physically, mentally, relationship anything.

It's like a bamboo year for me, under the ground, working on my mind and I hope the next year comes out to be the year where things happen for real and I could look at this post and smile.

2024 summing up

2024 summing up- Grapevine

I have been a little caught up with numerous things in my life lately and have finally found some free time to open up myself to new experiences. 

I had a wishlist of shows and movies that I wanted to watch but as soon as I start watching them, I get bored and feel like turning it off. 

No, its not the content
No, its not the genre
No, its not the actors
No, its not the taste either

This is pretty ironic as considering the fact that I have spent a fair share of my youth chasing academics and career, my heart had always craved for life experiences. I had to let go of the woman I loved simply because I was too focussed on my JEE. I wont be able to forgive myself for that EVER. It almost felt like I had lost a limb, without which , I would be rendered disfunctional. Thats a separate story tho.

Nothing excites me (yep nothing)
Nothing amuses me 
Nothing feels lively

I have no clue where my life is headed

I understand that as we age, our triggers of happiness change. I have put concious efforts into knowing what those new triggers are. But I cant find any plausible sources of happiness.

I am performing pretty well with my career.
Even got a double digit hike.
But didnt feel that kick of joy.

Have I approached a dead end?

Losing Interest In New Things

Data engineer

pareto principle is applicable here as well...80% of the time, the year end letters will disappoint...20% of the time, they'll bring a smile ... 2023 end will, in all probability, will fall in the 1st category....

nonetheless, hoping for a better 2024 and beyond...

Another year end...yet another hope for a better year end

Operations Manager

"It's that time of the year again—counting accomplishments. I came across a Twitter trend about such posts, and it's heartening to read about people achieving so much, including celebrating those seemingly small victories. As the year ends, I acknowledge those who may not have such so-called accomplishments; I hear you. This year felt monotonous for me, with neither highs nor lows, but looking back, I'm content. The year is over, and I'm optimistic about doing better and executing my plans in the coming year.

Life is good, even when it feels stagnant. Don't be disheartened; it gets better. I've had some of my worst years, but they were followed by great ones. This especially goes out to young individuals entering the workforce—your favorite company or desired CTC might be just around the corner. Keep at it.

Survival is the biggest achievement.

Accomplishment of the year

Business Development Manager

Welcome to Office Gossip's Private Community

Less than 50 days left to end 2023, What did you achieve this year?

[ thread ] what are your biggest wins this year?

Operations Analytics

Welcome to Indian Startups's Private Community

I earn a decent living ~32LPA as a Software Engineer. I really enjoy my work and it is always a joy working with smart people around you. 

I sometimes wonder if I didn't exist would it matter in the world. At work, I come up with great ideas and insights which my peers appreciate and support, but there hasn't been one thing that they took seriously and moved ahead with. 

My peers around me constantly belittle me, some unprofessional jokes about my competence and intellect, even though I am actually good at what I do and more. 

The backhanded compliments and sarcastic replies in front of other people in my company makes me sad beyond belief. It is almost like I give so much of time to this company and although everyone cares about the work I do but no one cares about me. 

My colleagues constantly try to one-up themselves by bullying juniors and laughing in their glass-walled conference walls. 

Incidents like these make me want to give up on work. I think the mix of giving all of myself at work(intensity and long hours), constant berating on my competence and the time I spend away from my family and "real" friends(not these fake work colleagues) makes me depressed as fuck. 

I am now understanding that you can never be happy in life because you can never have all that you want. You will give up something for the other. You think making more money will make you happier but you will just end up losing your sanity.

You can never be happy

Data scientist

Hey GRAPEVINERS, I came on this amazing platform 2 months back and soon I got to know that even anonymously I feel awesome connection with you all-( The identity without revealing the identity), whether it's about asking for masters abroad or about product management, someone was always there in the comments with satisfactory response that cleared my queries .
Within 40 minutes, we are waving bye to 2023 , it actually taught me a lots of things -somethings were great ,somethings were worse , but whatever it is , that's making me stronger day by day , I hope 2024 will bring the best out of me as I am trying to work on myself and I hope guys it will be great for you too

New goals , New Challenges , New opportunities , New People , New life is waiting ahead!!

Happy New year in advance to GRAPEVINE FAM!!!

Last Post of this year

My current job is consuming me completely. I don't get to upskill myself. Therefore, I am stuck in this vicious cycle where I want to leave my organization to work in a better environment along with skilled colleagues. However, to do this, I will have to upskill myself.

Would love to hear your experience if you have been in a similar situation. How did things turn out for you eventually?

People who have left a job without another lined up, how have things worked out for you?

30s is such a scary age, people around hype it as youth death. But I believe it has its own benefits and positives

What's that your life has given you?

[Thread] What good things happen after 30+ age

Consultant

I know it’s a very common question, and impossible to know or answer.
But curious how you folks here rationalize the meaning of life.

Add your age if that’s okay, for good measure

For me: I’m 27, my life’s purpose (or so I think) is to build something that helps a whole lot of people have a better life. And it is to make the people around me - family, friends, strangers happier (the scale of which depends on how successfully I pull this off).

Whats yours? Would love to engage on this :)

Thread: What do you feel is your life’s purpose?

Corporate Strategist

- "We will get back to you" over and over again 
- 2YOE getting 95LPA
- Mom forwarding her friends' married kids pictures (dropping subtle hints)
- Attracting red flags, where efforts have dried up 
- Movies and shows watchlist growing, but guilt makes us think we are better off working
- Travel bucket is overflowing
- Personal projects have sided in a corner, because that ain’t getting anything
- Age is catching up and money is not 

How do you handle all this?! How!

How are you handling the spiralling moments? (which are just too many now)

[Thread] How was your 2023?

Product Manager

Two months ago I posted this rant on Grapevine (https://share.gvine.app/CLkpBuEqcCvrzKvx6) which I think is one of the most viral posts on the platform.

Since then I took a break, learned Vipassana, went to the mountains, read, and reflected. Here are some truth bombs that have been exploding in my head

1) There is a leadership crisis

Is it me or do today's self-proclaimed leaders just suck? Look around Grapevine: insecure toxic managers forcing people back to the office, overhiring CEOs who don't know WTF to do, and founders just abandoning ship. 

"Leaders" and founders today are about as disconnected from reality as the political class, because like politicians most of them are privileged, sheltered, and already wealthy.

2) Technological innovation doesn't mean progress. 

I couldn't laugh harder when I saw the Indus Valley report basically saying that maybe all of us VCs overestimated how much money we could make funding lending and consumer apps. 

Maybe funding lending apps that "open up credit for the poor" isn't sustainable when the rate of interest is >18%?

Technological innovation doesn't always mean real-world progress. A lot of times, it just ends up perpetuating and amplifying pre-existing inequality. 

3) Endless growth toward nothing 

Most of India's startup money comes from the West. Most of that money was just printed to repeatedly get out of an economic crisis. That's it. There was no great vision to fund the future of humanity behind all this new capital. Just Central Bankers and Presidents pressing the "Create Money" button to delay the inevitable.

Most of us here owe our wealth to Easy Money. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpMLAQbSYAw

PS: A book, that completely flipped my worldview during this time is this: https://www.amazon.in/Debt-First-Years-David-Graeber/dp/0143422715. I urge all fellow foot soldiers of capitalism to read this.

Until the next rant, stay sane, safe, and debt-free!

Follow-up to the most liked Grapevine post ever

Product Marketing Manager

Adulthood 🫡

Account Executive

I’m a very private person and I was a bit confused whether I should write here or not, but anyway.

So, day before yesterday I was sitting on my chair after dinner and was thinking about my life and what the hell am I doing.

I realised that,
Saala bachpan se aaj tak race me hi bhaag raha hun. Pehle school me 1st, 2nd, 3rd aane ki race me. Then acche college milne ki race me. Then uske baad acchi job milne ki race me. Then uske baad agar ladki chahiye toh uske liye bhi ek race hai (Don’t have a gf, plz don’t take me wrong, it was a realisation)

My current daily routine is like this:
Wakeup everyday, write code, go gym, dinner, and then sleep and repeat this cycle everyday.

School ke dost peeche chhoot gaye, college ke dost apni life me busy ho gaye, colleagues se main zyada baat nhi karta and main akela padh gaya.

Feels like life is not intriguing anymore, it has no spark left. Its so painful to live everyday.

I feel like I don’t want to live any more, I want to die but I can’t cuz of 2 reasons.
1. I’m the only son of my parents.
2. If I die like this, then I won’t be able to come out from the birth cycle.

That’s it
🙏🏼

This week’s introspection

Life has become so dry and meaningless nowadays. Struggle connects us on some level. I’d love to hear your stories of struggle and how you overcame it.

Here’s my story.
I studied B.E for 7 years because of backlogs. Every year was a new batch, no friends. Extreme depression, humiliation everywhere. Isolated myself from an extremely judgmental society. 
Confidence had no meaning in my life. 
Somehow struggled and cleared all the backlogs. Studied programming and web design. Started working for free.
After 1 year, first salary was 2k per month.
Then 18k. Then 30k.
I always felt dumb because of the backlogs. Want to rectify it. So went to the US with the only admit I got. Studied my ass off. GPA 3.95. But I was broke again. Cried my eyes out multiple times because I had no money for food. Couldn’t tell this to parents.

Found a job later after many many applications. 
Happiest moment of achievement was when I bought my first 43 inch LED TV. With my own money.

Current pay: over 2L / mo.

Tell me your story of hard work and difficulty

Product Designer

What's the one thing you had wanted to change / start / stop doing this year - call it resolution at the beginning of the year? How are you doing on that? 

I wanted to get into a better rhythm on fitness and sustain the good eating habits from last year. 

Where am I? 

After a wasted JFM quarter, did somewhat okay in Apr, May and June. July has been not too bad. Baby steps: trying to get 3-4 hours in a week for fitness. I have realised habit formation is a function of stacking. When I workout on Saturday, I want to go to the gym on Sunday too and then on Monday and Tuesday and so on.. When I miss 2 days in a row, then I degrade to saying okay, let's start on Sunday - as a fresh week. Trying to break out of that and convincing myself today is as good as Sunday. :P Definitely improved, but a long way to go.

Would love to know about others here on and hope to get more inspiration. 

As they say, one day at a time. So do you want to wait till Jan'24? :)

2024 summing up

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