#19 in 2019

I can't believe I'm writing this -

I begin my 19th year at Intel today.

I never thought I'll be working for the same company all these years when I started interning with the company on 1-8-2001.

And what a long but fulfilling journey it has been!

I started out as a test engineer working on ATE's (automated test equipment) - writing test programs for network devices.

My next job was developing a small tester with a 3rd party to test a new memory technology that Intel was developing at that time. Intel sold the 1st generation and then canned the product.

From there, I moved on to a role as a DFX (design for test/manufacturing/etc) engineer, working on RTL code for a memory technology that was a joint venture as well. This project got cancelled early on, and it was the year I got married. Within months of our wedding, I had no project to work on. 70-80% of my team was laid off. I survived.

After a few weeks of ambiguity, we formed a small memory path finding team, and picked up an FPGA project to work on. And soon after, we started working on another big project, which was in path finding for several years. It is now a product, which Intel will be shipping this year. A key milestone for my career!

I wish I could publicly talk about my work, but due to IP issues, I can't.

I don't see myself as a VP, GM or CEO of a company, ever. I've managed projects but never people.

I am happiest working on technical aspects, defining architecture or root causing silicon/platform level issues, or enabling customers with new features. And I love mentoring new hires or junior engineers on our team, whether its issues with their job function or team, or whether its coaching them to push for a well deserved promotion. I currently have 6 mentees - 4 females and 2 males - and my conversations with them about work, work-life balance, and life in general - are so enriching and fulfilling.

I hate politics at work, and dread going to senior level meetings where I have to watch what I say, and things are interpreted in several different ways. Lately, a lot of back stabbing has been going on with our project, and I cringe when I'm involved and have to defend myself. I'm hoping this aspect of my work improves this year, as soon as possible.

Let's begin Intel Inside #19!!!!

I am BACK :)

Hello Hi Namaste Salama Aa Gaye Phir Se Karne Hungama....

Sorry for disappearing from the blogosphere for so long. I didn't intend to take such a long break, but I am back for good now. I've missed writing, and more than writing, I've missed reading all my favorite blogs - Ramesh, Sriram, SK, so many more....hope you are all doing well.

I just read my last blog entry from June 2016 where I wrote about my UK trip - WOW, has it been 2 years that I didn't write anything here? Ouch!

Life has been kind and generous during this time. No illnesses or health scares, family is doing well, kids are doing great, and work @ Intel is creatively challenging but still provides me enough flexibility n balance as a working mum.

Kids are on summer break right now, and my parents will be here next weekend to spend the summer break with us. All of us are looking forward to their company!!

On the personal front, I took a break from running in 2015, 2016 but I picked it back up in 2017, and have been consistent at it.  It's all I think about, read about, and do most days. I've run many races since I resumed in August 2017 last year. A couple weeks ago, hubby decided to join me for his 1st half marathon, and we ran it together - a memorable experience for both of us!!

My next race is the Ragnar Tahoe in July. It's a team trail relay race, where you take turns and run for 24+ hours non-stop as a team. I've never done something like this before, and it's going to be challenging, especially at 7000ft altitude, the uphill climbs and a possible middle-of-the-night run. I'll keep you all posted on it - I'm nervous but excited!!

(https://www.runragnar.com/event-detail/trail/tahoe_ca)

Another thing I have immensely enjoyed since September 2017 is working out @Orange Theory Fitness. I love the coach led, interval training at this gym, and it helped me lose so many inches as well as lbs. I participated in many special events (like the dri-tri, which is a dry triathlon at the gym - 2000m rowing, 300 reps of body weight exercises, and a 5k run on the treadmill). A year ago, I was in no state to even complete it. I finished my first dri-tri in 54 mins - and I know I could have done better!!

After every workout, we also get a summary in the form of a bar chart below - I love analyzing the numbers....whether its my heart rate, or calories, or the zones, it's my jam! I used to go into the orange/red zone very quickly in the beginning, but my cardio health has improved and it takes a huge effort now to get into those zones and bank some splat points.

I have put my Orange Theory membership on hold for the summer, as we go to another gym with pools and kids activities as a family. It's been only 10 days since my last class, but I miss it terribly. I was addicted to it these past few months.

Summer is here - it's my favorite season of the year. The days are warm and long - we try to spend a ton of time outdoors. We've done local hikes, water play at splash parks, biking and park picnics so far. We have a camping trip coming up this weekend, followed by a few days exploring San Francisco and the bay area. Kids have been swimming at every available opportunity, and I'm hoping to take them whitewater rafting this weekend on the American River.

So - how are all of you doing? What exciting adventures do you have planned for summer? How has your 2018 been so far?

I'm hoping to post a lot more in the coming days....stay tuned!!

Park outings are such huge stress busters....

The 12000 Intel Layoffs announcement has suddenly brought on SO MUCH STRESS at work. Every single team I work with is affected. Many small sites we work with are shutting down, affecting all our colleagues working there. We don't know yet what will happen to our team (we will find out next week), but there is nothing we can do except wait for the news.

It's been a crazy difficult week, to say the least.

However, the California spring warm weather has done it's best to keep things cheerful. This is quite possibly my favorite time of the year. Our garden has so many roses, camellias, orange and peach blossoms, other springs flowers blooming. We also have blueberries starting to grow. Thanks to the abundant rainfall this year, the lawn is lush green. The hills around us are lush green. And the parks are so inviting.

Our kids are young, and thanks to both of us working full time, go to all day private schools. We have made a choice to keep them out of ALL structured activities lately. Other than school, they have nothing planned going on. This has helped keep our evenings and weekends completely open. I have loved every single minute of this open time. We make it to the park almost every single evening, and most weekends. It is pure joy to watch them race down the slide, or make sand castles in the sand pit, or chant "higher higher" on the swings, or watch them make slow but steady progress on the monkey bars. It is also absolute delight to watch them make new friends - the son doing that more easily than the daughter, but both trying, nevertheless. After every park outing, we all come home relaxed, and rejuvenated.

Yesterday was one such lovely day, and our visit to a small park closest to our house was one to cherish. The kids made a friend, Sonia, who hit off really well with them. I played tag with them, and fed them evening snacks. The husband climbed slides and raced down with them. They played in the sandpit, climbed the structures, yelled and squeaked in delight, and we came back as the sun began to set, leaving us with a breathtaking sky in the background.

What's not to love?

Here are some more pictures of our park fun....

An award and 15 year anniversary!

The daughter got an award this morning at the School Assembly. It was for showing "Confidence and Kindness" through the school year so far, particularly in the month of December.

As her mother, I am proud of my child in every way. But her behavior with us at home or in social situations is very different from school. She comes across as a very reserved person. And she is a true introvert. It took her a couple of months to start showing her true personality to her teachers. And I love how they have picked up on her confidence, especially when they see that brilliant smile that lights up her face when she is proud of something she has accomplished.

She has always been a compassionate person from within, but we did not see her exhibit that trait to other people. To animals, yes. To the garden, yes. To other humans - rarely. I take the example of our son, her baby brother, and up until a few months ago, she would tolerate him, at best. The switch has flipped now, and she is his biggest advocate. She is extremely possessive about him, and is full of compassion for his terrible 3's which drive us all crazy. To see that she is being recognized for being kind to all her friends in school too makes me very happy!

I also celebrate my 15 year anniversary at Intel today. Yes, it's been that long a journey - from a grad intern to a server memory architect....always challenging, always fun! I was thinking if I've ever felt like I was stuck in a rut, and at times, maybe I did, but I don't think Intel has anything to do with that feeling.

The opportunities are limitless within our large company, and now, more than ever before, they are encouraging women to do whatever we desire and choose to do. The flexibility is available as well, to work part time, reduced hours, work from home, request for zero to very little work travel - and barring a few exceptions here and there, it's truly a Great Place To Work!

It's a happy day, and it's a Friday - can't wait to celebrate tonite with the family!

Fall in Folsom....

Fall is one of my favorite seasons of the year. Our little town lights up in glory with orange, yellow, red, and brown trees all over.

I used to really enjoy walking from the overflow parking lot at work to my desk during this season. This year, they have chopped off most of those gorgeous trees that I had come to love, and cherish. Why - you may ask? It's because Intel is huge on solar power, and they have converted the open parking lots to covered structures and have put solar panels on top. Most folks really appreciate parking their car under the shade during those scorching summer months. But I feel bittersweet about the whole thing. They have taken away the entire beauty of the campus, in my personal opinion. This is how it looked in previous years....

Most of these trees are gone :(. This does not even show the overflow lot. I used to love getting in early at work in summer, and choose to park my car under a large tree in the overflow lot. And when I would leave work around 5pm, the temperature would be at its peak, often above 100F. But under the lovely shade of the gorgeous tree, my car would be covered, and cool. On most days, I wouldn't even need to turn the AC on right away, just airing out the car would work fine. I'm going to miss that going forward!!

This row of trees is the next in line to be chopped this month. Doesn't it make you cringe :(? or am I the only one feeling this way?

Other than the campus, the town still looks pretty. And thankfully, we have our gorgeous parks, with large, mature trees. And for now, they are here to stay!!!

Post 11 - 10K Trail Race

I am not sure why I did not listen to the logical answer coming from my brain "Don't do it", and went with the meek "Yes you can" coming from my heart....

On Sunday, I ran a very tough 10K trail race, organized by Intel. On a very chilly day (which is perfect for long runs), the course took us through the Folsom Prison grounds, giving us a chance to peek into a side of Folsom we never get to see. The course was hilly, with constant ups and downs, taking us through streams and bridges, through bushes and trees. It was single track all the way. It kicked my butt, to say the least :).

Towards the very end, I stepped on a small rock on the trail and fell down, hard. My left knee got bruised, but I was able to finish strong. I also got a bad blister on my right toe during the run, but it was not painful while I was running. Both were minor injuries and I'm well on my way to being healed now!

Here's what I learnt:

:: If you sign up for a race, please train for it. You could get injured badly if you don't, and pay for your mistake for years to come. {In my case: I have been running on and off since the beginning of this year, hence I had the courage to go ahead with this race. Earlier this week, I also did a couple of strength training workouts at the Intel gym, and figured I should be able to hack it.}

:: Eat well, hydrate well, sleep well - the day before the race. {I stayed up until 2.30am to pack for my upcoming vacation. I also skipped dinner (sigh) and was snacking on junk while packing. The only thing I did was hydrate well.}

:: Plan your outfit and lay it out on the bed the night before. Also plan your morning breakfast well, and pack snacks/water for the race if needed. Charge your ipod/phone and keep headphones with your outfit. {Can you believe that I did all these things? YAY ME!}.

:: Take a shower a couple of hours before the race to warm up your muscles. And stretch using a foam roller. {I showered at 2.30am before going to bed instead. And foam roller is my best friend - I used it before and after}.

:: Don't be indecisive until the last minute. {I showed up at the venue thinking I will change my run to a 5K. But when I went to pick up my BIB, I saw that my number was the last 4 digits of my cell phone. It made me smile, and gave me a nudge that this is meant to be. So I stuck with my original plan.}

:: Once you start running, leave all worries behind and just have fun. {Which is what I precisely did}.

:: A running group helps. A lot. Train with one. They will support you and inspire you all the way. I'm proud to be associated with Runnin' for Rhett and they were there with me, before and after the race.

I have another 5K race this Saturday - this time the whole family plans to do it - let's see how it goes :)! Wish us luck!

Post 10 - Rule of 75

So Intel has a "Rule of 75" for retirement - you can retire when your age + years of service equal to 75.

For employees like me, who started our career at the company right after college - it means that before we turn 50 (48 in my case :)), we "CAN" possibly retire (does not mean you can afford to).

I was chatting with a colleague about college funds and retirement planning, and he said: "According to the rule of 75, I can retire at 49. I plan to quit Intel and start an alternate career".

That's when the light bulb blinked inside me. I could capitalize on this rule too.

I've long contemplated about changing my career. But what next? Is the million dollar question. I choose to live quite frugally in many aspects of life, and could really cut down on expenditure even more drastically if the needed arises. But still, I have a family to raise and kids to send to college. So I need income on a consistent basis.

Alternate Careers that interest me: Nursing, Therapist, Owning/running a preschool (Age 3-6), small business owner (I have some ideas here), writing (although not full time).

So  maybe I just carry on for the next 12-13 years with my current career, and then pursue one of these alternate professions? Or do I start working on an alternate path right now? No spare time on my hands so not sure how to accomplish that.

I'm thinking out loud here and looking for some brainstorming.

Day 8 - Work Anniversary #13

The husband was sooper nice to me this morning....he woke up early and did many chores that normally I would do. Before leaving for work, he came by to wish me "Happy Anniversary". For a minute, I felt terrible for forgetting our "wedding anniversary".

But then I paused - and thought again, and told him, "but our anniversary is not until the end of the month".

And he said - no, it's your "Intel Anniversary" today - another pause - and his wish brought a huge smile on my face :).

13 years - jeez, it's a long long time. I never knew I would stick around with one company for SO long. Thank God I don't feel stuck though. I've changed groups and positions and work profiles, and my current job has been the most challenging assignment that I have taken up in my career. My manager, who is technically exceptional, always pushes me to do more and better (it's another story that he only does that and appreciates very little of what I deliver, but that's okay) so there is never a day when my work day is boring.

There is still SO much to learn for me.....and honestly, as much as I like being a mom and cooking new recipes and doing things at home, I think I would be miserable not having a career.

Also, I LOVE being in California. Southern California would be slightly better than this, but where we live currently is blissful. Small town - everything is within 10 minutes of driving, excellent schools, great weather, great social circle, an affordable lovely home to live in, and lots of nature around to enjoy for us. The entire country is gripped by the Polar Vortex but we have warm sunny weather out here....could not be more blessed in that department!!

I treated myself with a sooperb massage during lunch time. The therapist Cassandra was really good, and my sore running muscles are thanking me tons right now!!!

One more year and I have my second sabbatical from work - looking forward to a paid quarter off :)!

UBM Post 8 - Kid to Work Day

Every year in June, Intel organizes a Kid to Work Day. The age group for kids who can come to campus and participate in the various workshops is 7-15, but the younger kids come during lunch time to the cafe and get a feel of their mommy or daddy's workplace.

For me, it's a chance for my colleagues to meet the kids and see how fast they are growing up. There's usually 'awwwwwwwwwwww' and 'sooooo cute' and 'he looks like you' 'she looks like her dad' 'how are the terrible two's' and more of such small talk involved.

The daughter has come to work many times before - for Halloween trick or treat, for Santa pictures, for the Spring Carnival.....and so, in her mind, Intel is a place where mommy goes to have fun, meet her friends and occasionally, have meetings with her manager M :).

Prior to having kids, I always led a workshop on KTWD. They range from hands-on engineering experiments, making video games and playing them, chip design with play-doh, various robotic workshops, working with legos, etc. These require many hours of planning, and an entire day of commitment on the day of the event. Last year, I was pregnant, so I signed up to be a lobby volunteer who greets the kids, makes personalized badges for them and gives them their goodie bags. For a couple of hours, it was good fun, but the booths were outside the building, and it was terribly cold that particular day.

So this year, I signed up to wear a bunny suit during lunch time in the cafe and pose for pictures with the kiddos. I was glad to get an older version of the suit which had plenty of pockets built in for ventilation. I put in on and reached the cafe on time, only to be stared at by all the kids (and their parents) and no one approaching me to take pictures. I felt odd, went back into the bathroom and checked my appearance :). It looked okay.....a little scary, but fine :). There was one other person wearing a similar suit and he too felt odd that no one approached us. So we started approaching the children ourselves and asking them if they knew what we were wearing. They didn't. So we explained to them what a bunny suit is, who wears it, where, and why. We started getting lots of questions from them, and most of the parents also pitched in with the explanation. The first batch of kids still did not realize that it was okay for them to get a picture clicked with us. So one of the organizers of this event made an announcement in the cafe that the bunny suit people were here and kids could line up for pictures with them.

And it was then that the floodgates opened. We were sooper busy (and happy to be so) for the rest of our time in our cafe. I found it funny that I smiled during every picture even though my mouth was covered - as they say in hindi, "aadat se majboor" :). At the end of my gig, hubby brought the kids over, and the baby started profusely crying when he saw me. Ofcourse, it was not his mom he was looking at, and the bunny suit looked scary :). Only after I removed my head gear did I see a smile on his face and his arms up in the air to come to me :). The daughter, on the other hand, was quite fascinated by my outfit and wanted to get a picture with bunny suit mumma :).

All in all, it was an afternoon well spent. We've suggested some preschool workshops to the organizers so that the younger children can participate, and we'll see how its received. Looking forward to KTWD 2014!

Baths and Swings

One of the very few things (or maybe the only thing?) the kiddos love doing together is bath time. They share toys, and have fun frolicking in the water. I am yet to try it out in the big tub, coz the son is still unsteady on his bum...but the little tub in our master bath is working great for now.

And they both lurrrrrrrrrrve the swing - ya there's swings at the park and they are oh-so-much-fun but we can't go there all the time.....both the kids can fall asleep in this swing at home, the daughter will eat her snack while swinging, and any tantrums going on can be resolved by putting the child in the swing. For less than 20 bucks, this one is a great addition to any home with infants and toddlers.

And today is my mum's birthday....mum n dad and the kiddos came to work to have lunch with me (thanks to my friend A who played chauffeur) - we have a vegetarian station in the cafe whose fabulous cook presents us with new yummy dishes every day. I am yet try out something here that I did not like. Today was no exception. We had a quinoa and brown rice thai salad with pineapples, red cabbage, green beans and asparagus in a peanut-sauce. We also had peanut-curry tofu with cauliflower, a barley salad and some yummy falafel. The daughter had way too much fun at her mumma's workplace :).

Next up - Mother's Day Weekend :)! Fun Fun Fun!

Back to work....

:: First day back at work after a longish break - I find it peaceful and relaxing so far....I miss the kids but not so much that I would want to run back home :).

:: Cleaned my desk thoroughly - I find most cubicles filthy and full of junk....I like to keep my working space neat and organized.

:: Was pleasantly surprised to find a divisional recognition award plaque at my desk for a small research project I did with Barcelona team a while back.

:: Went down to the cafe and was happy to see that all disposable items - cups, lids, spoons, etc have given way to reusable mugs and steel utensils.

:: Spoke to my manager and found out he got a well deserved promotion. Extremely happy for him and feels great to work for someone who is much above the rest of the staff (in terms of technical expertise and mentoring) on our project..and is a true leader. Now only if he would cut down on his micro-management (and to be fair, he has succeeded in doing that in the recent past) then he would be someone I could learn and grow from and enjoy working with in the years to come. We had a bumpy beginning but we seem to be getting along fine since quite some time now.

:: The entire family, including moi, was sick with a bad bacterial infection as soon as we landed. It took us more than a couple weeks to recover. The baby has had back to back ear infections (seriously, he needs your prayers) and I seem to have caught another cold yesterday. It's been very challenging, to say the least, in terms of illnesses since 2013 began.

:: For our daughter: I've toured many preschools and have done trials at 3 of them. I have come to a conclusion that for our daughter's personality, a Montessori will work best in the beginning years. She has an interview today (good luck to her :)) and if she does well then she will start half-day preschool this week - I'm excited and nervous! {Any inputs on preschools, montessori, etc are appreciated}.

:: Tried out a new chaat dish recently - did not take pics but will post a recipe soon. It's a lot of work to make it (soaking dal, grinding, baking, etc) but its sooper yummy and nutritious.

:: I am already planning a short vacation in summer {sigh} - it will only be a week long but looking forward to it!

Here's a recent picture of the kiddos....{got a few matching outfits stitched in India...feel so happy to see them wear those :)}

Back to work now!

Back to work

So....the paltry 6 weeks of disability leave that the State of California allows me to take is over....and I am back at work today...Boo :(!

I've brooded over this topic many times before, here and with friends in several discussions - but I still have to vent it out one more time today - just 6 weeks of leave - isn't it a joke? And that too, it's classified as disability..not maternity. Even third world countries have better benefits for new moms.

I am barely out of pain.....the baby is so little...dependent on his mother entirely. Thank God for my parents who I know are as devoted as I am to my children for helping us out.

Now I am certainly blessed...and it's my choice to come back to work sooner, and save more time-off for later. But that time off is one that I've accumulated for 2 years....and some of it is because I've been in the workforce for 12+ years, so it's given to me as an added benefit. I have more than 5 months off, which I plan to take in 2013. It just works out better for me that way. I did the same with my daughter and I'm sticking to the formula that worked just fine at that time. Also, I have a choice to quit working and stay at home for some time......a huge factor mentally and emotionally. But I don't feel like quitting....just yet. These are the few months that I have to stick it out.....if I can manage somehow for a couple of years, I know it will get easier, and I will not have a long break in my career...you never know when you will get back into the workforce once you are out.

The daughter has terrible sibling rivalry....she has not accepted the baby yet. It's been rough, if I'm honest. However, each day, there are moments that are fun, and precious. Some days there are no tantrums and I feel on top of the world. Some days are full of tantrums with just a few moments here and there that are worth remembering, so I just choose to focus on those moments and forget the tantrums altogether. It's getting better everyday, and I hope it continues.

The baby is chugging along fine. I'm missing his cuddles and smiles at work today, but I'll make up for it during lunch, in the evening and at night.

Here's a close-up of RnR clicked earlier this week at home - my darlings :)!

{this moment} Something new.....Something old

"A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember" - SouleMama

The first two pictures are from last weekend. Intel organized a Purple Picnic outside Arco Arena for few lucky employees and gave us all free tickets to the Kings-Trailblazers NBA game. The kiddo thrived in the loud arena atmosphere.....she was feeding off the energy from the crowd and was thoroughly enjoying her time out there. For the picnic, she had lots of company from the neighborhood kids, so she had a blast. She went down for her nap around half-time and slept for more than 3 hours!

And in this picture below....the daughter is 3 days old. It's the day we brought her home from the hospital. I was browsing through her birth pictures and this one simply melted my heart all over again - so beautiful, so precious, so tiny, so soft, so cuddly, so huggable, so lovable, so squishable....so angelic!

11 years at INTC

I vividly remember my first day at Intel, attending the New Employee Orientation workshop, 11 years ago today. It was my dream to get a job at Intel, and I achieved it within months of coming to the US. I started out as an Intern, at the small Sacramento campus, as a test engineer. I was extremely lucky to find a group which took me in as a family, nurtured my technical skillset, and appreciated the hard work, sincerity n personality that I brought with me as a fresh graduate. I still work with some of these people - we followed each other as we moved groups, and we blend so well as a team. Some have become my family in the US, and take care of me like their daughter. I feel very lucky and blessed to have begun my career with such wonderful individuals.

Since then, I have switched many job profiles, and have moved from the test side of things to being an architect. I landed into my current role by great recommendations and lots of luck....and it's a role which is very tough to get into. I have a very challenging job, as I mostly work on next generation technologies (none of which I can share publicly here), but it is very rewarding as well. Nothing that I work on can be googled - very little of it can be referenced from elsewhere. Inspite of so much experience on my resume, I am still a junior member on the team, with only one new college grad hired recently.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my professional life all these years. I've gotten promotions when I deserved them. When I was single, I worked hard and played hard. I put in long hours of work and sometimes worked weekends, but I traveled quite a bit as well, and always found time for exercise or sports. After getting married, I learnt to balance better. After becoming a mom, I switched to a reduced work-week and at the moment, I feel I have a very good work-life balance going on. Intel has supported me very well during these transitions. I have always managed to take as much time off as needed, and I have also put in extra time when the project demands it.

Intel is also a great place to work for the outstanding benefits it provides to its employees. From an excellent retirement program & Sabbatical every 7 years (which is 8 weeks of paid leave in addition to the 4 weeks off you get each year) to discounts for virtually everything, to amazing programs organized at each site - a top-class gym with 24x7 access, onsite Spa, fun quarterly events (our last one was a cricket game that I organized for my mostly non-Indian team), winter parties, summer carnivals, free tickets to movies and various shows...the list could go on and on. During the recession years, it was not so good. We even had to pay for the disposable water/coffee cup, but things have definitely gotten way better since then.

Intel is also known to have a peculiar work culture. Lots of meetings, lots of documentation, lots of power points - they say it moves slowly. Some of it is true....because we are such a large company. However, in recent years, the focus has been to be nimble and agile. There are many folks who have never worked elsewhere (like me), so people coming from outside of Intel have issues fitting in. I feel its more of their problem than ours, as we have an open door policy w.r.t all issues, and positive changes are welcome if influenced and approached in the right manner.

In recent years, the company has also put a lot of focus on hiring, and retaining diversity candidates - women being one of them. Special incentives are given if a diversity candidate is hired to the referring employee, and women are given much more flexibility and leave options to be able to retain their positions when they go out on maternity leave. A lot more needs to be done, but the progress in recent years has been very encouraging.

Many people ask me, Isn't it boring after so many years? Honestly, I rarely feel that way. It's because we have so many choices to do different things within the same company. It's a matter of making those choices and changes happen. If I were to keep switching companies, I would not get the flexibility I currently have with a flexible reduced schedule, where I feel I am as much of a mommy (maybe more) to my toddler as a valuable asset to Intel. I would also lose the benefits that I have piled upon so far in terms of retirement, stock, paid leave, maternity time-off, etc. Not to mention - each new place comes with its own challenges. Being within the company for so long, and having such a wide network of people that know me (&vice-versa), it is easier to switch groups and roles when the time comes. Getting recommendations for yourself is easy, and getting feedback on the new role and manager/colleagues is also easy.

At this stage of my life, I need the balance and flexibility, more than anything else. And I'm happy that my current company understands and provides that to me. When change is meant to happen, it will!

I'm truly grateful for my professional journey so far....I hope it continues on the same positive path.

Here's to many more successful years in the semiconductor industry!

Looking forward to retirement?

I met my ex-boss today in the parking lot at work, and spent about 5 mins talking to him while we were both rushing for a meeting. It was his last one at Intel. He had come to sign his retirement papers that day.

So the conversation went something like this:

Bob: Shachi, how are you?
Me: I am doing good Bob, how about you?

Bob: Oh things are going well....I have been on leave, came today to finally sign my retirement papers.

Me: Wow....so you're finally retiring, huh?

Bob: Yep - it's time to move on to do different things in life.

Me: What are your plans, Bob?

Bob: Oh, I want to travel to South America and the Caribbean, spend some time in the mountains (Bob lives in a huge house in a forest by a lake, and used to commute 3 hours daily to come to work), finish building my out-house (his second house in the backyard), and think about an alternate career. (Bob is single and has no family....he has some distant relatives on the south-east coast of US, but he hardly visits them).

Me: That sounds fascinating, and a lot of fun. Much better than working at Intel, Bob :)

Bob: Yeah , yeah. How about you? What are you working on these days?

Me: I am working with XX and YY on so-so-so.....can't wait to take my sabbatical end of this year....need a break after 10 yrs at Intel.

Bob:  Oh you should take it ASAP.....I've taken 4 during my career at Intel and each was much-needed.

Me: Yeah.

Bob: Okay, Shachi...Good Luck with all your stuff and hope we cross paths again!

Me: Good to see you Bob! Congratulations on your retirement and have fun!

Bob: Bye, Shachi. Take care!

Me: Bye.

After the conversation, I spent an hour thinking what I would do during my retirement. Definitely travel, just like Bob....and much much more.

Sigh - that day is far far away :)