Graphic Designer

2025 - start of rejections

When Hard Work Meets "Budget Constraints" – My Promotion Story I got the news today. My promotion was rejected. Not because of my performance. Not because I lacked skills. But because of budget constraints. At first, I felt a mix of emotions—disappointed, frustrated, even questioning if all the extra effort was worth it. Late nights, taking on responsibilities beyond my role, mentoring juniors, driving impact—yet, when the time came, the decision wasn’t in my hands. I let it sink in. And then I asked myself: What now? Here’s what I realized: ✔ My growth isn’t defined by a title. The skills I’ve gained, the respect I’ve earned, and the impact I’ve created—those remain mine. ✔ A "No" today doesn’t mean a "No" forever. Companies may have budget limits, but I won’t let that limit my potential. ✔ I have two choices: Stay demotivated or channel this setback into something bigger. I choose the latter. To everyone who’s faced a similar situation—I see you. It’s tough, but don’t let external factors define your worth. Keep learning, keep proving your value, and when the time is right, the right opportunity will come. Have you ever faced a situation where a well-deserved promotion didn’t come through? How did you handle it? Let’s talk. All the things that I wrote above is bullshit ....I feel shitty inside but wrote like a brave face...fk the system.

Seeing so much of the talented currently laid off, why aren't we seeing new bootstrapped businesses?

The general advice that I have heard is to just keep learning and enter the workforce when it is normal again. But I thought for some people, this is the push that they needed to build their own startup or business. Sitting without any job that screw anybody's mind so this seems to be an option too. Funding is dried up but people with a good enough runaway can start a business together in a bootstrapped manner. Even if you return to the workforce right now, there isn't a guarantee you'll be getting your previous CTC, the previous WLB. Companies are trying to cost cut by overloading on a per employee basis and raising competitive nature between teammates themselves. If you getting this much toll, 70 hours per week in worst cases, might as well put that effort on your own venture. Building a startup is risky. But when your current job is itself risky, doesn't seem wrong to build one. But popping up of such small scale business doesn't happen much. Why?

Help me with my new year's resolution please

With the plethora of software being introduced in the market, for the past couple of years, I've lost track of staying on top of learning new tech. This will be my new year's resolution. Keep learning new tech - if not everything, the idea is to get my hands dirty with something new. So please help me with ideas on where to start and how to proceed. Context - I'm a senior engineer (9 yoe) at Meesho (of course). I'm strong in Java and Spring. Python and Ruby I've learnt and used in the past - with a lil refresher, I'm sure I can code again. I'm decent with Devops.