Been thinking of writing this for a while, will cover 3 things: 1. My job struggles 2. Work culture changes 3. My own mindspace during the past 6 months.
Returned from one of gulf countries post 4 years with a decent nest egg, not retiring money but enough to not have to think about work for a while.
Enjoyed first 3 months visited friends, bought some land( more on that later) and just chilled.
Then came the fomo of being unemployed and fearing the gap in resume started applying to companies. That was a humbling experience, as I had lost touch with just how grueling the interview process is here, round after round of interviews with no offer in sight. The comp discussion was a disaster as I was earning what a director would earn here but my experience was at best suitable for a senior manager.
Finally landed a role in my hometown with a 40% salary cut ( still hurts thinking about it) at a local company.
Then came the biggest shocker, expectation to punch in and out with set timings, never had that before and talking to colleagues, it feels everyone is depressed in the office. When I tell them about my previous experience, I feel a sense of judgement like they are trying to figure out what exactly went wrong in my life that I had to return.
I am still quite new to the company but still feel like I may have taken the wrong decision. Just biding my time here and trying to save up some money before either trying to return to gulf or applying for PR to a western country.
Talking about the land, I had grand ambitions to construct an Airbnb property, but the costs are a shocker to me. Would require another 5 years of work to save up the cost of construction in India, that's why thinking of going back and doing the same in 2-3 years.
Thoughts welcome.