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BEING 'ON THE BENCH' FOR A SOFTWARE ENGINEER

     “Are you on the bench?” Shush, don’t say those words for they’re like dark-tainted-phase of a programmer’s life when his ego and self-respect have already fallen to an all-time low and he has no idea what to do. Don’t you get it? The guy is on the bench! And he has nothing to learn or do because he’s not working in a project.

But wait, isn’t that just stupid?

If you’re on the bench, it also means you are software engineer who:

●        Doesn't have to work hard, developing lines and lines of geeky software code.

●        Doesn't have to rush to work, not worry about status calls, delivery pressure etc.

●        Is paid for playing games and sleeping at work.

●        Fills up the day forwarding interesting messages.

●        Has got nothing to do but sit and wait for the closing time.

Seriously, play computer games all day long, read novels, sleep for all you want, maybe even start an affair with the pretty lady on bench with you! It's a wonderful world.

It gives you an opportunity to do more than just coding. It gives you the time to learn things you always wanted to and to strike out items on both, your professional and personal TO-DO lists of life.

Being on bench is equivalent to being a reserve soldier waiting in barracks for his turn to come to perform his national duties (only in this case duties being corporate). His importance cannot be undermined; for the want of a soldier a battle can be lost. He’s got to realize his training is not all in vain and he’s an important cog in the wheel.

Some common misinterpretations about being on bench are:

v  You’re on the bench means you don’t have enough opportunity to learn new technologies, so you should move on.

v  You’re on the bench means your company isn’t doing well and is going to shut down, so you should move on.

v  And last, but not the least, you’re on the bench means you’re not important and there’s nothing you have to offer to the company, so you should move on.

To cut a long story short a lot of software engineers feel that being on the Bench means you’re literally “on-the-bench”. In other words, being on the bench is like:

  

            Yes, after a certain time you do start feeling frustrated. You've made it through the incredibly competitive and rigorous recruiting process, bagged the offer, maybe even just come back from training and you’re all groomed and excited to start working on something challenging. Only one problem…No requirements in any project currently. But will you quit just now? After everything you have gone through?

Here’s a list of stuff you must do when you’re on bench:

Ø  Start sharpening your skills

Are there some areas you feel less than confident?  Presentation skills, excel, industry information and technology?  Figure out your biggest knowledge gaps and polish your skills in a low-pressure environment.

Ø  Draft your CV/Resume or update it

There’s nothing worse than rushing to pull this together in a jam.

Ø  Make time to reconnect with friends

    Time at home is precious – make the most of it.

Ø  Improve your networking skills

Even if it’s just over email or coffee, every connection you make is a valuable networking opportunity and one more resource to help you with staffing, or well you never know when and how.

Ø  Be optimistic

Perhaps the most important of all don’t lose hope.

Consider what is going to bring you the greatest benefit. Tackling just 2 or 3 of the above might make all the difference in the world when you start your next project.