One year at Springboard and I couldn’t have asked for more
Sharing the story of how my life has changed over the last one year
9th May 2017, I didn’t know that after a year I will be in a position where I would be doing the most satisfying work and becoming the best version of myself. One step at a time!
Till that time I was working at Citi as a mobile developer and had reached a point where change was imminent as the work had become mundane.
I knew that I needed excitement, energy and mission in a company to utilize my skills to the best of its capabilities. This is where the thought of working at a startup came about and I started exploring a few of them.
Bangalore and Startups go hand-in-hand
I got very close to accepting an offer from a Delhi based startup and when I look back I feel it would have been a terrible mistake had I accepted, as it was not a work I see myself enjoying.
I interviewed at Springboard and didn’t have much idea about how it would be like before going through the process.
The process and the manner in which the team went about the interview left a deep impression and I became confident that this sounds like a promising place
I cleared all the rounds and jumped the ship to land myself here, not knowing what the future holds.
Coming from a corporate background, I didn’t have much expectations on developing a great camaraderie/bonding with colleagues. Fast forward to today and the best friends in my life are exactly these people. I have spent some of the most memorable and fun-filled days with them and can only imagine the good times to come.
Best friends in work place, how does that happen?
It is an outrageous thought for a lot of people when I tell them that everyone at my workplace is having the best time of their lives, love the work they do and contributing to a mission that is changing lives.
The opportunity and freedom to work at your pace and in an environment that is productive coupled with meaningful/inspiring work is the first thing that stuck me hard on joining.
I believe if you are not satisfied with the work you are doing and the way it is done, nothing else matters.
Springboard stood out and I realized, I can be 10x more productive here as well as expand my learning exponentially while being surrounded with exceptional colleagues.
First few weeks and the work part was taken care in terms of how much fun I was having, doing it.
Then came the way of working or culture as we call it. I believe culture is total sum of how everyone in the team uplifts each other and becomes a torchbearer/embodiment of that behavior.
Culture is people. It is not fancy offices or constant hang-outs
In Citi, I mostly saw people coming in, sitting at their desks and waiting for the day to get over to head back whereas in Springboard, things were moving/changing everyday.
There was excitement, inspiration and energy in people’s eyes/demeanor that I hadn’t seen before.
People seemed to be playing, working, helping each other, going out, strategizing and what not, all at the same time.
Ownership that is how much people hold the company dear to themselves is a big measure of its culture. I could sense that everyone here owned the company and was ready to do everything to move it forward
Being a startup, it allowed me the freedom to think about an idea, propose it to the team and actually lead the effort.
Fitness is dear to me and I started the culture for the same here. People bought into the idea quickly and we were up and running.
Gaining freedom to express my creativity at work feels effortless when your workplace thrives in a similar environment.
I have never felt this inspired, confident and a strong sense of belief that I can initiate the change I want to see.
A few months down the line and my profile is filled with fun photos only with friends at Springboard.
A startup goes through a lot of different phases. Being there when Series A went through was a surreal experience. Everyone in the company was overjoyed and I could see right in front how a successful company is built in small steps.
Come January 2018 and I was part of our annual offsite trip to Vietnam with colleagues both from our Bangalore and San Francisco office.
It was by far the best two weeks of my life as I got an opportunity to experience multiple things:
- It was the first instance where I went outside India for company offsite. Very few startups offer that and I couldn’t contain my excitement
- Getting to know and meeting our San Francisco team and spending time with them to understand more about their work was a pleasant experience
- Seeing what we do to help change lives of people across the world
- Talking, chatting, eating and just having fun
The trip made my belief stronger that you just need the right place and right people and life will just work out to be great
Next few months from January, 2018 went in a jiffy as we moved to a new office at WeWork, Koramangala and were enjoying finishing our work.
Come April, 2018 and I am heading to Manali, this time team India outing.
Today as I completed a year and was treated to a lunch, I recalled each of these instances and how lucky I am:
To be at place where I call colleagues my friends.
To be at a place where my work is meaningful and is not boring at any point of time.
To be at a place that expands my learning and world view every single day.
To be at a place where an individual’s view is respected and valued
and finally,
To be at a place where life happens!
A year passed by so quickly that I feel it was only yesterday when I decided to join.
Looking back I believe it was the best decision of my life to come here and I would like to thank everyone here in India and SF office who have made the journey worthwhile.
May the tribe of Springboarders grow.
To amazing times ahead:
With Love,
Jiten
PS: If you want to join the team and become a Springboarder, check out our open positions here
