- What is it like to be a Software Consultant at Sahaj? Does it demand experience in a plethora of programming languages, technology and techniques? Or is the question about your problem-solving skills?
- How does Sahaj enable individuals to channel their creativity to solve complex problems? Is learning and innovation vital ingredients of the DNA of this organization?
Those are questions I had before joining Sahaj 2 years ago! I have worked on providing solutions for companies who specialize in Out Of Home advertising, Automotive and Fintech domains. It has been a very different and rewarding experience.
Did I hear you say “just tell me the good and not so good?”. Sure, here it is!
Pros
- Diversity — We consult on a wide variety of projects that leads to a very rich perspective. There is never a dull moment; we always have something new to learn and act upon. This lets us meet very interesting people from different domains, industries, cultures and countries.
- Accountability — Clients expect more from consultants in unit time compared to their own employees. A refreshing side effect is that the onus of the work is on us.
- The ability to stir the pot is a privilege. Many times, when done for the right reasons, it is critical to the success of the engagement. We are focused on solving the problem in the best way possible, not on stroking egos.
- Downtime — We are not always working on projects. When we aren’t, we hone our skills — maybe with the latest shiny toy or improving in an area we are inept at. Just because we have time, we don’t develop products; we choose not to.
- Work-life balance — “Clients suck the life out of consultants”, is a myth. They are fair and have sensible expectations. Sahaj does help maintain the balance by ensuring that things aren’t piled up willy nilly
- Best of both worlds — We not only conceptualize the platform of the product but also develop the complex components. Sahaj is a service provider that does product innovation — this is where product development happens in its truest sense. We don’t limit ourselves to suggesting ideas, we build them!
- Co-thinking — We don’t merely develop against a set of requirements in a silo; we speak to the clients, clearly understand and appreciate the business and problem before offering suggestions and arriving at a solution.
Cons
- Technical consulting involves working with the client for around 6–18 months; while it is sufficient to make a deep impact, it isn’t to forge strong bonds.
- Since people are geographically scattered, it becomes hard to meet them. Meeting Sahajeevis from the same office once a week is a breath of fresh air and usually, Friday is the day. We all look forward to it!
- Deep dive — On short-term projects, we fail to see the impact of the decisions we make. For most Sahajeevis, who like to be in the trenches, this is mitigated by completing multiple projects to gain depth of knowledge along with an awareness of a wide variety of use cases.
- Lack of sense of belonging
We don’t get to chisel and refine something overtime to make it the best.
Yes, it is a mixed bag; but Sahaj has been good to me. I am glad to be riding the bandwagon.
If you are interested to join us, we are very happy to talk!