15 Years of a Career…and Still Counting

Ritika Bajaj
Jul 25, 2017 · 3 min read
Image Source: Pixabay.com

I started my first job on 24th July, 2002 — that made yesterday my 15th work anniversary… And, I couldn’t help but look back and wonder what it was all about…

There are days when I think, did I even build anything at all? Or is destruction the purpose of creation then— to create and let go, to form and disintegrate, to move higher only to know you’re in the same place?

When you move from one job to another, one project to another, all that goes on in your mind, is that you have to keep going, keep working.

Then one fine day, you decide to halt…take a break and assess where it is that you want to go, and what it is that you want to achieve…

I’ve never been a goal-setter, targeting x amount of revenue, or keeping a certain career goal in mind.. I’ve believed in going with the flow, letting life take its own course…

My career goal was to simply make the most of opportunities given to me, and to keep learning and growing incrementally.

In the past 15 years, so much happened, and then so much didn’t…

Projects were started and completed, while some were shelved and didn’t see light of day… People were met, places were visited, some bonds were formed, while others were severed…all a part of growing and working.

When you look back it feels like a lifetime… A career span is made up of so many highs and lows, that it becomes difficult to pick out one or two…

But you do remember many experiences, and more than anything you remember the people you worked with…because they made the journey so beautiful, and at times so easy… You know you could never have done it alone!

Thus, it is an opportune time to thank every person who has supported me in the last 15 years, who has encouraged me and instilled faith in me…

To the companies who backed my ideas, to clients who commissioned interesting projects, and to the entire gamut of writers, editors, photographers, illustrators, and other service providers, who came together so seamlessly to make it all happen.

I’m also grateful for the tremendous support from readers and mentors, who kept me going every time I doubted myself… And of course, not to forget family and friends — without them none of it would have been possible.

My biggest learning from the last 15 years has been that grace and professionalism are probably the two key traits that every person needs in a career…

What I’ve also learned is that passion overrides everything… For those who believe in their work, no level of perfection is ever enough, and the strife is an ongoing one... You simply keep working, it becomes second nature, it becomes the only thing you know.

There was no need for a celebration yesterday, the fact that I was still working was celebration enough… So I wrote a blog for a client, and then I wrote another for myself — the one you’re reading now — an ode to my 15 years as a professional...

As I look ahead, at the next 10 or 15 years, I have no plans set in stone… in fact, I have no plans at all. I would rather let the future unfold on its own…

I don’t know what I’ll be doing in the coming years, but I’m happy where I am now…and that’s all that matters.

There may be ‘many more miles to go before I sleep’…but for now this is a great place to be — to rest, to take stock, to connect and reconnect, to generate ideas, and let go of some…

The possibilities of a life and career are endless…we simply need to be open to exploring them…the rest usually falls into place!

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Ritika Bajaj

Written by

Writer-editor, educationist, entrepreneur, seeker, change agent, voyager, student of life… and more

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