If you say 'Is this even a question? The obvious anser is ...'. Well, you are one of the few folks that will put their bench time to some use. And there are many others who will not have that advantage.
If you are in Software Services Industry, you either have already been on Bench in past OR will be sometime in future. It's just part of being in this industry. In any case, knowing the answer to above question is important. And that answer will vary from individual to individual.
If being on bench is a "problem", start acting now so that you reamin on bench for as little time as possible. I have heard people say that there is hardly anything one can do about it ... it's a direct function of project pipeline (and hence your "fate" lies in the hands of sales / business development teams in your companies). I think it's only half truth. It's as much a function of your "skill set" as it's a function of sales pipeline. If your skills are deep and broad at the same time, you are more marketable. But anyways, that's not what I wanted to write this blog about.
There is another important aspect that influences the mindset towards bench-time and what you do on bench: It's the company you are working for. More than what you think of bench ... you should find out what your company thinks of you being on bench. If your company only thinks "problem", believe me, it's just not the right company. Start looking elsewhere.
Luckily I work for ThoughtWorks. Our term for 'bench' is 'beach'. And it's not just another name for same old thing; it's how you look at it and what you do of the opportunity. More about the 'opportunity' in the next blog. Meanwhile, if you want to know how you can be in the company that offers opportunities everyday, you should stop working and start amazing. Ok, I know it sounds very salesy ... but the time to do that thinking is not when you will be on bench, it's before bench happens to you.
