I remember sitting in my office after a meeting where my manager appreciated my efforts as a new Product Manager. He complimented me on my ability to understand the problems, my time and people management skills, and my dedication. The annual appraisal was around the corner, and he promised me a promotion and a good raise. But after the meeting, none of these compliments resonated with me. All I could think of was that I probably did not care about my firm, title, or work; I would switch to the next company that pays me more. I got reflective thinking about it. It occurred to me that I work only for money and only to pay bills and not that it’s any evil thing, but I believed that this was the right age and time for me to take risks and do something bigger, better, and meaningful. Looking back at my impulsive resignation from my comfortable job and a coveted role, I do not regret it.
That’s when I decided to work on building a hotel from scratch and ended up learning a lot through this process, even understanding the nuances of a non-IT job. I better understood a physical business’s problems and real estate’s legal nitty gritty. Additionally, I also helped my family by stepping up to take some responsibility for fulfilling their dreams, and the satisfaction on their face was incomparable to any CTC.
Now that the hotel is operational, I’m here at ISB to hustle again and find meaningful work.
-Soumya Priyadarshini, PGP Co’23
