Realize your True Potential at Schneider Electric

This audio was created using Microsoft Azure Speech Services

Written by Guest Blogger, Neena Sharma 

Have you ever wondered what is the true purpose of human life? This is one question each of us might have thought about at least once in our life time, or maybe even more than once in a day. So, what is the answer to this age-old question? Is it specifically designed for each of us or is it a shared cause for which we all should thrive?

Ever since I joined Schneider, a phase of self-reflection sped up in my life.  I moved to Raleigh and became an IOT Embedded Development engineer last year on July 15^th. My position on paper says I am a “Senior Hardware Development Engineer,” but I will explain shortly what I prefer to call my position.

Coming back to our original question, I think the Number 1 most commonly assumed purpose of human life is to be “Happy”. The only issue to this assumption is the “how” part of this is little tricky to find. Most people tie their happiness to their goals. Once they achieve a goal, they realize the emptiness still prevailing within, and tie it to a next goal and life becomes an endless pursuit of happiness and never actually attaining true happiness.

But I feel that instead of tying happiness to achieving a goal, you should instead be striving to find the right kind of environment that suits your personality. I’d like to share a small instance from my life where I met a guru from my home country of India (as you might have guessed already). I was lucky enough to ask a question, and the response I received helped me able to answer the above question.

I asked the guru “How much of our life depends on our fate and how much is in our hands?”

The guru replied “It’s really simple. We are all like trees. And what god has pre-determined for us is what kind of tree we are. Weather we are an apple tree or a mango tree or a flower bush.  But what god has left on us is to recognize what kind of tree we are and be the best version of that tree possible.”

Wow it is amazing how that statement resonates with our work environment. After earning an engineering degree, all we get to know is that we are an engineer now on paper. But what we do with that education is totally up to us. So, it becomes important to know what we are good at (what kind of tree we are), and what we enjoy the most, and then pour our hearts into it.

Coming back to the “why” of what my job title is and what I prefer to call it. After joining as a Hardware Development Engineer last year, Schneider provided me with an environment where I got the freedom to rediscover myself and find the work I love. It is amazing how so many different types of engineers sit in the same building and how seamlessly you can switch from hardware to firmware to PDL roles. With this sense of freedom, it was easy for me to try out various roles in such a short span of time.

In addition to that, Schneider also provided time and space for extracurricular activities where I discovered new talents hidden deep inside, only to bear fruits once I was in the right environment. Apart from engineering skills, Schneider helped me to brush up my skills such as public speaking and writing. These skills were somehow buried deep inside me in all my previous jobs, and got a surface to bubble up only after joining Schneider.

So, one way to answer this unsettling question is to find the right environment for your inner tree to grow and flourish.

About the Author:

Neena Sharma has worked as an IoT Embedded Hardware Development Engineer in the Building & IT group at Schneider Electric since July 2016. Her prior experience includes working in the Telecom field for over six years. Apart from Engineering she has a keen interest in public speaking and writing.