My Life at Nokia: Jagreeti Hazarika
Hello again! Back in 2018, I had published a piece in my first year at Nokia. Found out later that people enjoyed reading it as a window into the “Nokia way”. Since then, I have had some exciting events within the company. So, I bring to you a new version of “Life in Nokia” post-2018!
I wrote my last blog when I was still in Nokia Transformation. After two amazing years, I decided it was time to challenge myself further. Coincidentally, at the same time, a new team was forming in the Nokia Cloud and Network Services Business Group, tasked with a huge responsibility of transforming the Core Services business unit on various fronts. I grabbed the opportunity and the years that followed were nothing short of a roller coaster ride. Anyone close to me knows that I live for excitement and new learning opportunities. And this role as a Business Operations Manager was just perfect for that! I was able to improve my skills in financial understanding, project management, problem-solving, stakeholder relationships and a lot more.
In 2021, a new opportunity knocked on my door. Having an academic background in Strategy, I always hoped to return to it and grow my career in that area. There was an open position in the Product & Business strategy team of the Cloud and Network Services Business Group, which I happily applied to. My learning curve has been nothing but steep since I joined the new role in August 2021. Now, I can’t wait for what the next years have in store!
Besides moving across teams within Nokia, I also moved from Finland to the Netherlands in 2019 because of personal reasons. Although I miss the bigger campus and snowfall in Finland, I do love the stroopwafels and bike rides in the beautiful Netherlands. And learning Dutch has been easier than learning Finnish (perhaps speaks more about my language skills than the language itself :D).
Although my responsibilities and location have changed in the last 3 years, my feelings for the company remain the same as they were in 2018. My experience while working in three different teams has only strengthened my beliefs of Nokia’s culture.
Till now, I have worked closely with colleagues from various teams such as research, finance, sales, procurement and others and also from most geographies of the world. So many that I honestly have lost count! But every single person shares the trait of being exceptionally helpful with an incredible sense of teamwork. They have enabled me to grow from a simple college graduate to an experienced professional. This still surprises me, as I had assumed it would be quite difficult to maintain such great working relationships in bigger organizations, and even more difficult to move forward with a common goal.
Nokia’s culture encourages us to be Open, Fearless, and Empowered. And I do see this being reflected in my daily work. I am always encouraged to ask questions and voice my opinion in meetings even with senior-most leaders. Remaining quiet and disinterested is not an option!
Having our own space to do our job without any micromanagement, also means that we hold complete accountability. This might sound terrifying at first, but in the end, does miracles to your confidence and you feel empowered to take on the next big challenge.
The key motto of my life has always been to never stop learning. If you ask me why I am so close to completing 5 years in the same company, this will answer your question. Plus, there is the work-life balance that has helped me to lead a healthy lifestyle and raise a cute husky (a lifelong dream!).
I hope my story was able to shed some light on what Nokia has to offer. Thank you for reading and who knows, there might be more stories to tell soon :)
