I’m moving on to my next adventure

next adventureIt was approximately a year ago, I wrote my first blog post “Why you should change jobs every 4 to 5 years”.  At that time, little did I know where I’d be going next or what my game plan was.  But I did know I won’t stay in my current role for not more than a couple of years.

After five years at Yahoo, three of which in my current role, I have decided to pursue something new.  An opportunity to work at a startup company.  I’m going to Boost Media in San Francisco where I’ll be joining a good old friend and a mentor of mine, Shawn Kernes.  I was stoked when I met with the team over there and walked away very impressed with what they have built so far.

But why this switch?

For all of us, when it comes to switching jobs the motivation could differ from time to time depending on where we are at that point in life.  Be it a new challenge, better title, more money, additional responsibility or whatever.  I’ve made my fair share of moves along those lines.

Learning something new every day is a priority for me.

The moment you wake up and you commit to yourself you are going to learn something that day, then it doesn’t feel like you are walking into work.  Instead it feels like you are about to have fun and getting paid for it.  Our ability to learn is not constrained by age, however it does get constrained by the environment.  I feel like I’ve plateaued.

I’m walking into Boost to learn how startup life is going to be and also share the experience I gained at companies like KPMG, eBay and Yahoo and help them be successful.

Past five years at Yahoo, I learned a ton.  I know I have grown personally and professionally.  I’m very grateful to the amazing individuals who helped me get here.  I’m also incredibly proud of my team and the impactful projects we delivered for the company.  Thanks Yahoo for the wonderful opportunity!!  I truly had a blast!!

On to my next adventure.  Wish me luck.

Anand

Image: (c) Can Stock Photo

Is my role relevant anymore?

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Is my job function still relevant? Is my business becoming a dinosaur? Relevancy questions that often come up when we are in the verge of disruption. The question is one of concern, one laden with uncertainty and doubt. More often than not, the timing of the question becomes a tad late.

When I was a project manager a few years ago, I used to get such existential questions a lot from fellow project managers who are used to waterfall style of software development. If you are in the technology industry, especially in Silicon Valley, you could probably relate to the fact that many tech companies are moving away from Program Management Office towards a nimbler Agile style development approach. Nowadays the lead engineer takes on the role of a scrum master and drives the work product delivery. Although the fundamentals of project management has not changed, the title has.

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Why Mentors are Important in Your Career

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A few months ago, John Donahoe (eBay CEO) wrote a LinkedIn article that talked about how instead of trying to learn a lot from a few people, he had to learn a little from a lot of people.  It is definitely worth a read.  Check it out.

Specifically in that article, when I read the following sentence it resonated with me at many levels:

“I realized the perfect Yoda-like mentor didn’t exist, and no one person had all the wisdom I was seeking….”

In his post, John references mentors and managers interchangeably.  In my opinion managers can be mentors. But mentors does not have to be your managers.  Luckily I had the good fortune of having some great managers and mentors.  Spanning approximately two dozen years working for small to big companies, I have had nearly 20 managers in my career so far.  Most of them turned out to be great mentors.  Also in my career as a project manager and then as program manager, I was fortunate to interact with some amazing leaders who I consider to be my mentors as well.
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If I Were 22: I Would Want To Fail…Fast

iStock_000005383278MediumI was asked by LinkedIn a couple of weeks ago to write a post on what would I do #IfIWere22. Since then I have been racking my brain on what could I possibly tell the graduating class of 2014.  I honestly believe 22-year olds now are lot smarter, better informed, socially responsible than my generation.

Finally I decided to share three lessons I learned in my career.  Before I explain what those are I wanted to share my personal story.
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5 reasons Why Project Management is a Good Career Move

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Recently few of my network connections were interested in switching over to Project Management.  I thought I’ll share my experience on this post why that’s a good decision.  Wait, scratch that.  That’s a fantastic decision.

If you are looking for a change in your career,  whether you are in a technical role or a non-technical role, Project Management could be a great stepping stone.

I spent much of my career as a project manager and it has helped me gain invaluable lessons in my current role on the business side.  As I look back in my career it was one of the best decisions I probably made.
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