Summary

The website content details the author's first solo trip to their college, IIT Roorkee, as a means of revisiting memories and connections, which was made more poignant by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown.

Abstract

The author, Sanjeev, shares a personal narrative of their first solo trip, which coincided with the celebration of Holi and a visit to their alma mater, IIT Roorkee. The trip, planned before the coronavirus outbreak, became a precious opportunity to relive college memories and strengthen human connections. The author, having quit their job to pursue niche areas in data engineering, values the independence of freelancing that allowed them to take this trip without compromising their work schedule. They emphasize the importance of maintaining a routine, even while traveling, and the joy of reconnecting with friends and mentors. The trip was also a chance to appreciate art, as the author was impressed by a junior's skill in face-sketching. Despite the impending lockdown, the author managed to capture moments of nostalgia and reflection, which they share through photographs. The article is part of a 21-day streak series, highlighting the author's commitment to consistent content creation.

Opinions

The author believes that travel is a means to explore, create memories, and build human connections, which they find particularly important given the challenges of physical distancing during the pandemic.
They express a strong connection to their college life and the relationships formed during that time, emphasizing the difficulty of maintaining these connections post-graduation.
The author values the freedom and flexibility of freelancing, which allows them to blend work and personal life more seamlessly.
They advocate for the exploration of multiple talents and the monetization of these skills, suggesting that the right guidance and platform can lead to success.
The author holds a high regard for art and creativity, as evidenced by their admiration for a junior's artistic talent.
They see travel as an opportunity for personal growth and self-discovery, not just a leisure activity.
The author's decision to quit their job and pursue a more focused career path in data engineering reflects a commitment to personal development and career satisfaction.
They suggest that maintaining a routine, including work and self-care, is crucial even when traveling to ensure that one's lifestyle is not compromised.
The author's reflections on the trip underscore the importance of seizing opportunities to connect with others and create lasting memories, especially in light of unforeseen circumstances like the coronavirus lockdown.

First Solo Trip as a Perfect Revisit

New hobby: Travel

I was taking photos, creating memories, filling bucket lists. I live for this stuff. And after this new year season, first chance I got was Holi.

And this college trip was also planned. In three days, the way I relived the four years of college memories, the flashbacks were so intense they were calling out to me.

I started my travel journal from there and had some plans for the coming months.

Little did I know that all domestic flights will shut down from 25 March. Damn you, coronavirus!

Why travel? And why, college?

Architecture Is Taking a Hit. Photo by Author

Explore places, new adventures or old memories, whatever it is that drives you to appreciate nature and build secure human connections. Do it. I had such a chance to relive my college life, and I exploited it till last thread.

Important human connections matter in the long run, and the more you know about a person, the more you want to spend time with them. And distancing is hard, we all get that now. It is the only day 3 of lockdown and boredom for some people is at an all-time high.

During college life, we build connections with our batchmates, juniors, seniors, professors and active campus groups. After graduation, it is hard to keep track of everyone. We desperately want to hang out with each other, but a busy schedule is different for different people.

When I ended 2019 by quitting my job (exactly 31 December, LOL), I started the new year with a fresh idea of who I want to become and narrowed down career choices to more niche areas in data engineering.

January and February went in socialising and self-discovery. 1 March half was all travel, and before I could miss the chance to hang out with college mates again, I travelled to Delhi and then made a campus visit to IIT Roorkee.

I went there because I had the time, and I wanted to revisit the college that taught me life, gave me connections for life.

I planned those three days.

I reached college on 13 March and lived there for almost three days before I had to leave for my already booked flight. Nostalgia hit me so hard that it was difficult to depart. But after all, I scheduled my trip for a purpose. I captured all the memories in three days.

Task management

Many friends asked me:

“What are you doing in college? Don’t you have work to do?”

I do have work. But this is the advantage of freelancing. Independence to work any time I want, from anywhere I want. And I know full-time has its perks, but I will do it when I want to.

It is the freedom that everyone wants, but it doesn’t come if you only have one source of income, i.e., full-time work. Be multi-talented; explore the different artistic side of yours.

If you pay attention, you can monetise any talent you want. You need the right tribe to guide you, right platform to showcase your skills, the right audience to appreciate your expertise. And remember this, “The right people (or organisations) are always looking out for you.”

As usual, this trip also did not interfere with my work schedule. Have a contingency plan whenever you go out on trips. It can be to maintain work (or off), workout, diet plans or even just maintaining sleep schedule to conserve energy levels. If you put these together, you won’t feel your routine is compromised.

Why did I go there?

I had multiple reasons. I will share the most genuine ones.

I respect art. And a new friend of mine made a face-sketch that was so close to the live one. He floored me. I wanted to meet this cool artist in person. This sketch is so much better than I expected.

I have some terrific juniors. I wanted to meet them before they all graduate and reunion becomes a lost plan.

I had time to spare. I went home for Holi and had around one week to get back to Bangalore and start my job search. Full-time has its perks, and I want to explore this city more, it has a lot to offer for the tech-savvy minds.

What did I learn from my first solo trip?

Since this was the first solo trip, I wanted to capture everything and here are some glimpses. It will be nostalgia river for IITR 2019 batch.

This post belongs to a series of articles I am publishing in this 21-day streak. See the first one here. It is the third one in the line-up — 18 more to go.

To read the remaining ones, navigate to the end of the first article where there is a reference list ordered by day number.

~ Sanjeev