Be your best on your worst days | Humans of ClearTax — Edition 43

Young adulthood is entrenched in a desire to explore the world and to achieve financial independence. While it is a struggle for most of us to choose what we want to do, and even more of a challenge to actually get that break, my journey was jeopardized in a more unexpected manner than for many.

I sat for the campus placement process at the end of my college life along with a thousand other students. I was confident that I had it in me to succeed and land myself a good job. I sailed through the initial processes and interviews along with a handful of other classmates. The final interviews were to be held that weekend and I was prepared to take charge of my future.

Luck has a strange way of getting in your way when things are going well. On Friday evening I felt lethargic and could not stomach a meal. In a few hours I knew something was seriously wrong with me. My roommate noticed and asked me to back out of the process the next day and rest instead. I realized in that moment that if I did not clear the interview on Saturday, I might become too ill to get through the rest of the placement season.

Saturday was a long day. I was overwhelmed with sickness and fatigue, and was demoralized and nervous because the company had already selected some candidates before my interview. However, when my turn came, I gave it my very best shot. The results came after a nerve racking wait, and when I saw my name in the list of selections, I sighed in relief and let the exhaustion of the day take over me. I went home the next day and was diagnosed with severe jaundice which required hospitalization. Do or die has been my motto since this incident, and I still remind myself to try my best on the worst of days. I believe that luck favours the brave, and we should strive to overcome any obstacles that come our way to the best of our abilities.

(This blog was penned by Manjeet Singh from our engineering team at ClearTax.)