How I transformed from Corporate to Start-up Designer

My heart didn’t feel the same after a certain point in my life, I wasn’t able to keep it quiet, it asked me to quit what i had been doing for the past one and half year in a multinational company. It wanted me to find what I was really looking for in my life and chase my dream.

“Well, then, why should I listen to my heart?”
“Because you will never again be able to keep it quiet.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

High paying job didn’t make me happy

Working for a great company gave me the freedom to learn and explore. It transformed me from a person using Nokia in to an Apple gadget guy all of a sudden. Those treats, trips and fests during my tenure with the company were a bonus and it was fun working there.

Though my job was very comfortable and flexible all the while, I felt like something was always missing and at some point of time I slowly started feeling that I would never be able to chase my dreams if I stay stuck with this comfortable life. I thrived to take some risk and wanted to have a breakthrough from this routine.

I had the same urge as you, to be part of a startup realm, but it had gradually increased after I travelled (for UX training at Cooper) to Silicon Valley in August 2014.

After that, I really wanted to work on interesting new products with an inspiring team. I hoped to be part of a Start-up or have one in Silicon Valley someday, and set up one of the greatest companies in the world; but, I was just waiting for the right moment to come.

New year new beginnings

This New Year-2015. I really wanted this year to be challenging and my heart wished the same.

I came across few companions who had the same vision as I did, and we shared our passion to bring something extraordinary into this world. You may come across this flash, where your heart and mind tells you, ‘Yes, This is it!’, and for me this was that moment.

I felt really connected with the team and proud being a part of this great journey which is coming up in our lives.

Letting it go

The next morning, I was thinking about how to convey my resignation to the company. There was a moment of silence — slowly, the faces of all the people in my life; my parents, friends, collegues, started to flash in front of my eyes on a rate of 60fps.

“When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” ― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

I had a belief in my heart, that wherever I would go, the world that I know around me, will always support me and stand by my side, just the way it’s been standing with me till now.

I wanted to come out of that comfort zone soon, composed my resignation from my desk and hit the send button. I’m no more an employee at the Multinational Company.

The New dawn

Felt the emptiness; closed my eyes while the lift was going down. That was the time where you had lost everything you had, but you gain the belief that you can do something great.

Finally I had walked out of my comfort zone and didn’t even look back at the company logo which was on the wall, colourful as always; I rolled my sleeves, gave a throttle calmly in my Duke (Da Vinci’s its name), felt the silence and the warm air inside my helmet; kick started to push my limits and leaving the fear behind.

There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure. — The Alchemist

I am Arun Raj, The Director of Design at Osmnez. I would like to use this medium to share what all I learnt and am learning in this new starup life, with all of you.

Thank you. Stay Osm!