Graduation: The last day you have fun

"Hey Jyot. How are you? You seemed to have recovered quite well" said my trainer as I took a seat opposite him to join him for an evening snack on the graduation day of my training.

"Yeah. I'm much better now", I replied.

"Good. Do you think you will be fit enough for corporate life a week from now?" said my trainer reminding me that I would be joining my first team in the company a week from then.

Had I been asked this question just when I just graduated from college, my answer would have been a confident "Yes". But this question made my mind go back 4 months in time.

It all started when I started my first job with a reputed MNC. Good grades and a degree in engineering had given me a nice job and dressed me up for success. Little did I know that four days into my job I would find myself lying on the hospital bed. My first taste of blue blood left me down with enteric fever (typhoid). On my way to my hospital, the thought of telling my manager about my condition made my pulse rate rise to 180. Finally after gathering my composure,I made a call to my manager at work and told him everything. My manager was cool as a cucumber and told me to take care and get back soon. I felt relieved and spent 10 days under treatment in the hospital. I finally resumed work after 21 days.

During the time I was sick, I received a lot of support from my manager, my co-workers, friends and family. I had missed 3 weeks of training and had loads to cover-up. I had to really put in a Hercullean effort starting from then to prove myself in my first job.

When I got back to work, the training program for the new joinees was in full swing. Test were being conducted, long days were scheduled, presentations had to be prepared and the program just got more and more hectic by the day. Finally, roughly a month and a half after getting back, I was at par with the other joinees and had started to enjoy my work.

One Friday, when I got back from work I realised that I wasn't really felling all that well. I had a severe headache and couldn't sleep that night. The next day morning I woke finding myself having high fever. I was taken to the doctor who asked me to get my medical reports done. 4 days later, I was diagnosed with enteric fever for the second time in less that 2 months.

This time around, it was killing me not only physically but also mentally. What will my manager think? What about my job? Will I still have my job 4 weeks down the line when I recover? What will my co-workers think? What had I done to myself-I had all of a sudden become Jyot-The Weakling.

Finally, I had to come to terms with the fact that there was nothing I could do to change things. I just had to lie down on the hospital bed and let the recovery take its course. I made a call to my manager informing about the tragedy. This time around, I got the same reaction and he calmly told me that I should get back soon and come back. My co-workers too extended great support. I owe a lot to them as it was their encouragement which kept me going and always lifted my spirits. The illness left me to weak to inform many of my friends. But I got amazing support from the one I did tell.

5 and a half weeks later when I welcomed back to work. My manager told me that I have managed to pass the training program and the gave me my grades for the various courses in my program. Though the grades were average and my performance was not all that great, I was just happy that the efforts I had put in would allow me to graduate in a couple of days from now.

Graduation was fun and reminded of my last few days in college. The long hours I spent together with my friends in college doing nothing but still having the feeling of satisfaction of having come to college to spend that time. Playing tennis, whiling away hours in the quadrangle and the photo sessions all flashed back. I just couldn't imagine life being so chilled ever again. Corporate life was different. In fact, I dont't think any of us has a life at MNC's :P.

I don't know what drove me back to work the second time I recovered. I wasn't confident about proving myself any more. I didn't fell convinced that this is the right place for me. Should I have jsut listened to my mother and done my MBA from the reputed college I got into? It was I who had opted to work instead and from the time I had joined this MNC, things had taken a bizarre turn. I was hospitalised not only for the first time but also the second time in my life. Was I doing the right thing?

I still don't know the answer to that question. But some times I feel it is not a choice we make, it is just destiny. Things just take their course irrespective of what we do.

I finally answered my trainer's question, "Only time will tell. But I guess I was destined to be here and may be I am destined to be fit one week from now."

My trainer replied: "Yeah, I hope so. But right now, you are destined to have fun. Whether it is B.Tech or MS or MBA or work, graduation is the last day you have fun. Go out there and have a blast. Take care of your health and you will do amazingly well in the future." I couldn't do much after this but hope my trainer was right. I exchanged a smile with my trainer and spend the rest of the evening having fun with a new bunch of friends and co-workers! That night I went home singing and hoping in the future "All Is Well"!!!