I moved to Berkeley in 1985 after completing MS and MBA from Ohio. My husband was completing his Phd dissertation and we had planned to return home to India after his doctorate. I had a lot of time on my hands and started looking for a placement on campus.
A Programmer position was open in the School of Maternal and Child Health. It called for expertise in REXX and knowledge of modelling using SAS on IBM mainframes. I was conversant with SAS and good at modelling, however, had no idea of REXX. I decided to wait for a suitable opening. My husband, however, insisted that I apply. He felt I would easily pick up REXX. He was confident I would do well in the role. He convinced me that I had nothing to lose by applying. Even if I did not get selected, I would learn something in the process. There was merit in what he said and I filed the application. To my complete surprise and shock, I received an interview call for the following day.
The biggest hurdle was getting familiar with REXX. We went to the Lawrence Berkeley Lab and made copies of the REXX manuals. I spent a better part of the night reading. Luckily, no difficult questions were asked during the interview and I was selected for the role. I was also offered the role of a Statistician. And, thus began my first job as a Senior Programmer cum Statistician at the University of California at Berkeley.
The job was challenging but very interesting. We collaborated with physicians and researchers. Our modelling and data analytics resulted in trends and forecasts that were published as a seminal paper. This programming experience laid the foundation on which I built my IT career.
When I think back upon this milestone event, it is all about Trust and Confidence. I applied only because my husband had trust in my capabilities. It raised my confidence and motivation. It made me go the extra mile to prepare for the interview and do well in the job.
It has been my experience that most people will rise to the expectations you have of them.
They will seldom let you down if you trust them. What has been your experience?
I would love to hear your views and any personal stories related to trust.