Finding New Paths: Chakshuv’s Way !

What does one do when they have to face uncertainty each day? Hush, take a deep breath, and restart! The man who handles one of the most dynamic profiles here at Cyntexa. The man who has been acknowledged as the anchor of the ship! He is Chakshuv, and this is his story of going places, gaining a lot of experience, and helping shape Cyntexa’s future.

Chakshuv was brought up in Jaipur and hails from a business family. Growing up with two sisters at home made his childhood fun and exciting. Plus, throughout his childhood, he was fun-loving and outgoing. Talking about studies, the obedient and studious Chakshuv was very particular about his academics from the very beginning. Initially, he studied for the marks and good PTM reports, but later, he started liking the process. Even though he loved socializing, he never let that affect his studies and performance. He clearly remembers that feeling when he scored good marks in his 12th standard. His parents were very happy, and seeing them proud of him made him even happier.

Unlike many business families who want their children to join their business, he was never pressured into joining once high school was over. His parents were super supportive and encouraged him to pursue higher studies in whichever field he wished to. He applied to the prestigious Delhi University College for a B.Com degree, thinking his marks were really good, he would get through a really good college. But he was shocked to see that the marks he had scored could only get him to an average college as the competition of marks at the DU was so high. His college was mediocre at best. Somewhere in his mind, he believed that studying at the premier and most prominent institutions could only get you to big opportunities in life.

While his college sessions had commenced, he got the news that his father had suffered from an ailment, which meant he had to rush back to see him and help him reduce the workload at the family business. Chakshuv was spending most of his time in Jaipur managing his family business rather than attending college in Delhi. Fortunately or unfortunately, because of his father’s ailment, he got to spend enough time exploring and understanding how business works rather than just sitting through long and bookish lectures at his college.

This was a good learning experience for Chakshuv. Eventually, he wanted to venture into different verticals as the kind of skills he possessed could be utilized more prominently in other industries. Hence he decided to part ways from his role in his family’s business and went ahead to pursue other opportunities.

But if not business, then what’s next?? This question bothered him for days. And he had to quickly make up his mind because he couldn’t take much time; otherwise, he could have lacked way too much. The next thing that popped into his mind was to get a master’s degree. After deliberately searching about these options in the remaining academic year, he was sure that he didn’t have much inclination towards studying exponentially well math to clear the entrance exam for Indian colleges. Thus, he decided to prepare for foreign entrance exams, like the GMAT. He had prepared twice for his GMAT exams, but the score needed to be more satisfactory. Disheartened and disappointed a bit, he convinced himself to not lose hope and the chance of studying abroad in the same academic year and subsequently looked for colleges that were ready to accept his admission at that score.

He decided to pursue a Masters in Information Technologies from Melbourne, Australia. Though his family was supportive of his decision, his father felt that he should stay back here with them. However, after many convincing sessions, Chakshuv left for Australia. This was a new beginning for him—a new place, new people, and new experiences. Chakshuv was nervously excited to explore more and more of the “Great Southern Land”.Everything there was different from the way he was brought up in India. He experienced a culture shock in every way possible: the academics, the work, the people, and the lifestyles. The boy, who had known nothing about the basics of cooking, was now learning how to cook all by himself to survive. It was a new experience, but somehow, he accepted the new transition in his life. Being an international student is a tough job in a foreign land. Chakshuv did a few internships and part-time jobs to earn some pocket money during his college breaks. The internship he enjoyed doing the most was the one in the hospitality industry, where he did anything and everything in a restaurant. He says that this experience helped him become more efficient at multitasking and patient with the upcoming things in life.

While everything at college and his internship were going fine for Chakshuv, meanwhile, the COVID pandemic had hit the world. The world had shut down, and with nowhere to go, Chakshuv was also stuck in a room for the entire time. With no family or friends, he experienced a significant downturn in his emotional well-being and felt isolated. Melbourne had some of the strictest measures in the world, not just in Australia, which exacerbated an already challenging situation. He recalls that time as one of the most difficult phases in his life.

Depressed, Chakshuv thought that this was the end of the world and possibilities for him, as he was almost a graduate without a real-world job! Plus, international students were never the priority of the companies owing to visa issues. This made it even more difficult for him to find a job during COVID-19. Chakshuv remembers sending 100 emails each day to companies in search of good work opportunities. While he faced multiple rejections, the ones who accepted his advances refused to go further because of this residing city and its laws. Amidst all of this, one offer came as a light in the dark tunnel, but after working there for a few weeks, it turned out to be a scam.

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After this horrendous experience, Chakshuv had zero hope and faith.He had even considered coming back to India with a little hesitation about people’s judgment. It took him 2 months to make up his mind, and finally, he was home. The feeling of getting back home was just so beautiful for him. It almost felt like he could toss anything in life to stay at home.And he says thatyou only get to value a home once you leave it!

Now, it was time for him to find a good, stable job here in India. He was all open to the idea of settling in any city in the North. He was simultaneously meeting prospective interviewees in search of work and searching on LinkedIn. Everyone made him think that companies in a Tier 2 city like Jaipur are mediocre, with low pay and no job satisfaction. He, too, was skeptical of the same. While scrolling through LinkedIn, he came across a job posting from Cyntexa’s account for the role of Business Analyst. As per his qualifications, he thought it would be the best match for him. 

He came for the interview for the BA, not knowing that destiny had other plans for him. He was offered the role of a Growth strategist at Cyntexa. He felt like someone had just removed the carpet underneath his feet! Taken by surprise, he wasn’t able to process this sudden change. He instantly thought he had to take some time to think about this role, which was extremely new and unheard of for him. Meanwhile, as he was still in doubt about the role of Growth Strategist, he kept asking for reassurance that if something goes into the wild, would he still be competent to become a BA here at Cyntexa?

After multiple reassurances, Chakshuv took the leap of faith and joined in as a growth strategist. However, this was just the beginning of a new transition ahead. The position and the role of a Growth Strategist were still in the budding stages. No one had a clear-cut idea about the responsibilities and ideal work a strategist would do. Chakshuv had to figure out his responsibilities on his own. Though he had people around him to constantly help and guide him, it was still a tedious task. There were clouds of uncertainty and immense doubts regarding what was to be done next?

Remembering his initial days, he recalled an incident where he was given a task rather than an assignment that made Chakshuv go into full panic mode. He was shunned; he had never done this. He asked multiple people who could help him with that, but he was completely lost. Later, he realized that he was just overreacting to that. Plus, he was also slowly understanding the parameters and responsibilities of his role after that incident.

Chakshuv, with a sigh, initially made peace with this most challenging part of his profile—the dynamic nature and uncertainty of work and responsibilities. There were days when he was super busy, and there were also days when assimilation work was a task. He recalled an incident that made him understand why everything in his professional life had transpired; his experiences and skills gathered over the years were now going to be put to use. Chakshuv was on a call with a client who had gone furious and raging because of some glitches. It was Chakshuv who had to face the client, who was bad-mouthed and disappointed. If it was somebody else who was in his place that day, he could have easily lost his cool and tarnished the rapport with the client. But because Chakshuv had already been part of the hospitality industry, he knew the tactics of handling such clients. He was polite, humble, and empathetic with that client, and he swiftly conveyed his message without upsetting him. Though Chakshuv felt a little bad about the client’s behavior, nevertheless, he got over it and saved the day!

This made one thing clear for Chakshuv: no learnings never go in vain! If you have learned something, somewhere or another, life gives you a chance to apply that knowledge well. Chakshuv handles one of the most important and distant profiles here at Cyntexa. He doesn’t define his roles and responsibilities alone, but the roles of every individual working here today. When asked about how he feels managing such a responsibility, he said, “Indeed, it is a tough job and requires me to be on my toes all the time and sometimes it even feels like an added pressure on my shoulders, but it also results into something very meaningful and amazing in the end.”

Although Chakshuv was doing well in his work, there were also times when he had to revisit and re-correct the work he had done. The entire effort he puts in is sometimes used to get rejected. Though he took it in good spirits and did not let that sink in and reflect on his future work, who doesn’t get disheartened when work gets disapproved of? He did, too. But one thing was very clear in his mind: that Rigidity takes you nowhere. So, instead of giving up and rigidly not acknowledging the mistakes, he decided to reinvent his ways and methodologies, and he kept working on improving himself.

Seeing his improved work and efforts, the management appreciated and applauded him. Which made him happy and validated. He was also given a chance to lead a team, as he always believed in the “WE” instead of “YOU” ideology with his team. He knows how to get his work done by anyone who helped him stand out from the crowd. Initially, he was struggling to keep everyone happy. He wanted to keep everybody happy, but with time, he understood that it’s okay to not keep everyone happy and meet their expectations every time.

So, as they say, if you evolve with time, you become better! And this was the same in Chakshuv’s case. He was amidst the lowest phase of his life when things could turn even worse, but he took charge of his life both personally and professionally. He didn’t allow himself to be stuck and less volatile to not evolve or improve at all. He witnessed the biases and stereotypes getting broken for himself when he was able to make a good career in a Tier 2 city as potential and talent defy the boundaries. In the end, what matters is peace of mind and contentment over money.

Thus, this was Chakshuv’s tale of going places, witnessing the lowest lows, and then bouncing back to life. Uncertainty can be a challenge sometimes, but now, in his words, “BRING IT ON!”