My First Month as a Saudi Govt Official

When, halfway through a company anti-bribery/corruption talk, the presenter comments that we are all Saudi arabian govt officials, I thought to myself, 'Shit just got serious'. Haha just kidding.

It's my first month in the ITEC program, and i'm getting into the heat of things, taking on project roles e,g, in a Bangalore project (going next month!), knowing the people and culture, and basically learning and growing every single day. I have been really lucky that the progam really delivers on what it promised, with investment in training, meaningful work experiences and more importantly, connecting me to a mentor, a program supervisor, and a assignment leader, all valuable ties to kickstart my developmental journey. Not forgetting, of course, that I had one-to-one chats with managers from IT, Finance, HR, even the ex-CIO.

It turned out that the program was inherited from GE, and I had Rich (from the US and program alumni) share with me about his journey and tips on moving forward. We talked about everything under the sun, from his experiences and advice to Singaporean culture. I like that he's so open about sharing, and manages to communicate everything in a crystal-clear way, be it a tutorial or an opinion - something I'd really need to learn! Right now he's probably lounging on a dreamlike beach resort somewhere with his friends in Phuket, enjoying a well-deserved break :)

Best Bud @ work!!

Work has been fun and stimulating so far, with varied projects across processes, IT infrastructure and project mgmt. I do a lot of self-initiating and planning, thinking about what resources and information I need, who to get it from, and how to leverage my connections... with generous hints from my mentor of course :) Oh and I've already started stressing about making a presentation to a bunch of IT managers next week! Haha.

On a lighter side, I thoroughly enjoy the myriad of org activities we've had, from lunch treats and townhalls down to our paintball teambuilding event today :) It really gets people bonded together and enjoying their work much, much more.

Once I've gotten a better grasp of the company culture, I'll write about it, and share about some of the most interesting moments i've had.

Meanwhile, it looks like being a Saudi govt official... ain't that bad after all :)