March 2013, Seattle, WA

“Hey Rohan, I want you to know that we really value everything you do here at Amazon. The team is held together by your work and you guided it through some very difficult times and we acknowledge that. But,…”

…nothing someone says before the word "but" really counts.

I had been promised a promotion for the insane amount of work I had put into the team through some very troubled times when literally everyone else quit. I had put in my blood, sweat and tears into stabilizing the boat. However, the promotion did not come. At first I felt betrayed and angry. I enjoyed the work I was doing at Amazon and I thought I was quite good at it. Clearly there was something missing.
 

That conversation with my manager helped me reflect and understand the real issue.I realized that day that I was in the wrong job. I was an effective leader but a terrible developer. That conversation was the data point I needed to become fully aware that I would never be more than a mediocre developer. 

         This was a huge problem. I held a Master’s degree in CS from a fairly reputable school; people had high expectations; and while I knew I was awesome at many aspects of my job, writing code was not one of them. Unfortunately for me, that was the most important job function.
 

The next day, I cleaned up my resume and updated my linkedin and reached out to a few recruiters who had been in touch and asked them set up interviews for a Product Manager role. It was a space I was interested in exploring and I had a feeling I might enjoy it. Fast forward three years and three promotions and I’m as excited as a monkey on coke to get to work every morning.

 
 
June 2006,
Pune, India.

Most of my friends ended up in really good local or regional colleges for their undergrad. A few even made it to the IITs. And I was literally left at the bottom of the pile in a never heard of college by the highway. 

      Most people other than my close friends and immediate family had written me off at that point. Everyone agreed that I would amount to nothing and would probably work some menial job the rest of my life because why would someone hire a mediocre kid to do anything worthwhile.
 

I sat down and really reflected on my life choices. I had made some very poor decisions and incorrect prioritizations that had landed me in this spot. I had dug myself into a hole and I was the only one who could dig myself out. It was going to be a hard uphill climb; so I strapped on my boots and set off, one step at a time.
 

Fast forward four years and the very people who had written me off were now congratulating my parents for raising a child who they  hope will inspire their own.
   

How do you deal with problems in life?
 

Solve them.
 

What is a problem? In my head, it is nothing more than a situation or a scenario with a series of potential decisions that would lead to certain outcomes. 
      That’s it. Plain and simple. 

        Sure there are varying degrees of magnitude to what we would say is a problem. Sometimes the situations are heavily determined by external factors beyond our control; sometimes the impact of problems is catastrophic. I am not debating this at all. 
           I too have had to deal with problems around death and loss, poverty, education, career, love, friendships, and a few dozen other things. But when I look back on most of them, they were all in essence just that; a situation requiring a series of decisions.
 

I have a very simple method of dealing with problems in life, no matter how big or small they are. I will objectively and categorically leave emotions out of it. Data is king. Any problem can be solved if we put the right resources and time towards solving it. 
         At that point, the problem becomes a simple prioritization exercise. If a particular problem is important in your life, give it the time and resources it needs. Emotions are necessary, but they should not be clouding your judgement.
 

Are you stuck in a shit job?
 

Stop blaming your boss and the company. Improve your skillset, study hard, work on your resume, reach out to recruiters, practice your interview skills and make a change. A little less social media and tv shows and a little more education will help you through.
 

Are you having a hard time coping with the loss of a loved one?
 

Understand and fully internalize that life and death is a simple biological cycle. Celebrate their life. Make the memories happy ones. There is simply no point dwelling on something you cannot control of change; accept things and instead of “dealing” with them, celebrate them.
 

There are people who are lonely, depressed, pressed for cash, hate their marriages, detest their jobs, envy their peers, have no friends, etc. The list goes on. All of these are problems. All of these are solvable. Every single problem that you will ever face is solvable; in fact, there’s a good chance that thousands of people before you have been in those very shoes, and, have made it.
 

I’m not saying it is easy; it never is; but that’s no reason to not do it.
   

 “The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullshit story you keep telling yourself as to why you can't achieve it.”
              - Jordan Belfort
 

( Of course this quote was coming; what else would you expect of me? :)  )


 

In case we haven’t met before, I’m Rohan Kamath.

 
Thank you for reading. I hope I could help you ponder today.

 

{ Blogger's Note : Rohan Kamath did his BE from University of Pune 2006-2010 and MS from Standford 2011-2013. He interned at Qualcomm(San Diego),then worked at Amazon.Currently working at Microsoft.}