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Friday, August 08, 2008

Destiny's Child

It was a Monday forenoon class in college just before the lunch break and my mind was in a state of delirium. Anxiety and confusion filled my mind. It was the Engineering Economics hour and as always, I cared a damn for that poor guy who was screaming at the top of his voice, trying his best to make us understand GDP. I was working on my career prospects - the options avalable, things I’m interested in, things I’m good at, and what not ? I was desperate for something good to happen in my life. To be very frank, I just can’t think of one thing I’ve achieved in life. In my opinion, an achievement is done when one succeeds in something he/she had aspired for. That’s one, but if someone, unlike me, is more interested in pleasing others, then achievement to him is something he has succeeded in, which pleases the rest of the world but not him. On both occasions, accolades pour in but from different quarters.

Now, after reading the first paragraph, you may wonder in what way this is related to the title ‘Destiny’s Child’. I’ll establish the relationship in the paragraphs to come. At the end, I would like you to share your opinion on two things.

1. Have I achieved something ? If so, which of the above two statements define my achievement best ?
2. Am I Destiny’s Child ?

Coming back, it was the 4th hour on Monday when I was wondering whether or not to appear for the recruitment scheduled for the next day. For readers who don’t know my educational qualification, I’m doing final year Mechanical Engineering at SRM University, Chennai. Being a Mechanical Engineer, working in a software company certainly defied logic in my opinion and hence, a few weeks back, I showed no interest in applying for IT biggies like TCS, CTS, i-Flex etc. Also, I was unhappy with the mass recruitment being done year after year and it certainly discredited the very process of recruitment. I felt, being one among a few recruited would better prove my credentials. My disinterest towards IT companies can also be attributed to the fact that I showed the least interest in C language and programming never interested me. All these days, I had been a frog in the well knowing only an M.Tech in Industrial Engineering as a career option. I failed to analyse other options available, my interests and things I was good at. This made me look at the manufacturing sector companies alone for recruitment and even though I detested the work culture there, I forced myself to apply only for those. So superficial and crude was my thinking till the dusk of August 4th 2008. My thought process dawned at dusk and I decided to sit for placements. Majority of my friends opined that I had a very good chance of getting recruited but my basic intention was to get a feel of an HR interview and I wanted it to be a test of my confidence level and communication skills. Later in the evening, I rushed to the nearest browsing center, took print-outs of my RESUME and was all charged up.

After many years, I gave due respect to my timepiece’s alarm bell and got up at sharp 5.30. For the first time in 20 yrs, I dressed up in formals with a maroon striped shirt and a black pant. I looked at the mirror and exclaimed to myself ‘You do look good dude!! : ) ‘. I reached college on time to attend the pre-placement talk of India's sixth largest software exporter Tech Mahindra Pvt. Ltd. As many as 400 + students attended the ppt and I came to know from my placement co-ordinator that they were not going to recruit more than 30 or at the max 50. After looking at the crowd that had gathered I felt it would be really good if I made it to the final interview. The .ppt presentation was impressive and equally impressive was the company's growth over the years. Being a first timer at pre-placement talks, it was a fascinating spectacle to see the gorgeous interiors at their workplaces - totally CHILLAX. After the half-hour presentation, we moved to the computer labs to take the online test. We had to answer 100 questions in one hour with questions of an average dificulty level and I found the ones in the logical reasoning section very interesting. I answered 86 questions successfully and was quite confident of making to the Technical Interview round ( hoping there were no upper cut-offs ) and I did. To my surprise, the interview session started immediately and I was the fourth candidate. The interviewer, a middle-aged person, was impressed with my English fluency and confidence level that I made it to the HR interview directly with no need for a second technical interview. The final announcement of selected candidates came as late as 2000 hrs and I was one among the 29 students recruited.

Accolades poured in from family members, friends and especially from those in my department as I was one among the six Mechanical Engineers recruited. Unlike others who heaved a sigh of relief having seeked a decent job, I was unmoved. Even in the wildest of my dreams, I didn't expect myself to work for an IT company and applying for Tech M was something unexpected 36 hrs back. A few of my friends jumped with joy after the final announcement and even after coming back home; some called me and were full of emotions as it meant so much to them. Am I sounding puffed-up with these recruitments looking an ordinary affair ? No. The truth, I’ve discovered is, all these years I had been a guy with no ambitions, a guy who failed to give a thought about his future, a guy who failed to recognise the skills in him, a guy who blindly followed what people, he respects, had to say, and a guy who was not driven by his thoughts and aspirations. On instances when I complied with what others had to say with no real interest on my part, things ended up on a miserable note - there have been quite a few examples in the past. It took me two hours that night to actually realise that I had done something commendable.

To be very frank, the decision to apply for Tech Mahindra was instinctive and something
I feel, was destined to happen. Now I've decided to work at Tech M if I goof-up my CAT and other B school exams this year. Also I've realised the need for flexiblility and hence, I'm game to learning C programming with interest if the situation demands. With a job on hand, I'm able to look at better options ahead and it has certainly exuded the confidence in me to move ahead in life with a positive frame of mind. I'm bubbling with optimism and really looking forward to an exciting life ahead. I’m very firm in doing only things that interest me because I’m sure I’ll give my best and work to my potential to achieve the same. I feel, being more passionate about things one is good at, is a permanent ticket to success. Hence, I've turned a solitary thinker (in the last 1 month ) working on ways to develop my character and shape my attitude in the right direction.


Scroll up. Read the first paragraph again and post your comments if you feel I’ve achieved something and if so, does my achievement support the definitions? All these years, things have just fallen in place and I had been a guy with no real aspirations or dreams. I had been Destiny’s child.

28 comments:

The Solitary Writer said...

hey congrats to u
even i was selected in techm

but i am good in programming languages

so dude u r requierd to scrub ur ass at tech m as they r not gonna make it that easy for no IT /CS students man,so better join so something.infact in my college only 7 of us were selected as 73 were selected in infosys....
good that ur one in 29

am proud of u

see u in pune

good luck

hope to see u at tech m

and we had an online test too

i attempted 87 questions in 1 hr and i got 82 questions right ...thats my best record till now and i hope to clear CAT with same interest .... good luck

123 said...

Dude first of all congrats... eppo machan treatu???

Secondly, think abt this... even if this was only the opinion of others that made u go for it but there was some part of u that must have felt right to do this otherwise u wudnt have done this in the first place... (dont tell me u were not eager abt the selection, i saw in the lunch that day... i cud see in ur face how anxious u were abt it..) had u really been the person who got swayed by ppl's views BELEIVE ME u wud have gone for those IT companies in the first place esp with that rule that u can have a core+IT company etc...

probably u were destined to go there as some ppl mite term it... but just realize that u were the one who destined it in the first place!

Anonymous said...

CONGRATS RAJESH!!!
can we have the party now..??

1.Have I achieved something ? If so, which of the two statements define my achievement best?

yes,u have achieved something..according to me u fit in the the first definition..

2. Am I Destiny’s Child ?
yes,u r a destiny child..

Anonymous said...

Hello mate!

It’s an obsolete foolishness thinking that you haven’t achieved anything. Just if you feel that you have a nice heart, that itself is a nice achievement in life. Achievement is not about job or business or career progression; it’s about how you model your life day by day to be a better person to you, your family and the society that knows you. You are young and you have time to move forward. In fact, I started working after an year after graduation, I was able to climb the ladder of management game in a very short span of time, when I was 26. But remember the more ambition you have to move on, the more problems you will face; the more difficult job challenges you will have to face; the journey is difficult but you will feel the pleasure once you get the grip and confidence on your progressions.

Engineering economics is a nice subject. Economy governs life. If there’s no economy, no food for our future kids, no employment, no industry, no car, no train etc… so no life for anyone. It’s a gift of God for us to work for a stable economy in a company or a state or a country or in the globe to live a beautiful life.

Ok now, http://www.gecareers.com/GECAREERS/jsp/omlp.jsp , try this. Also explore similar graduate programmes in this site.

http://www.gecareers.com/GECAREERS/jsp/index.jsp search for entry level jobs in India in Mechanical Engineering.

This was the company that was established by Thomas Alva Edison, lol, I admire at this corporate. It was the company run be the world’s most admired CEO Jack Welch and now being run by Jeff Immelt. These two people are the people I wanted to be friend with. Ha ha. It’s my dream to lead a corporate like this.

Try for graduate opportunities in birla groups. http://www.adityabirla.com/careers/engineeringgraduates.asp

You will get what you want!

Matangi Mawley said...

i hav nt read the article yet.. would read when the "sun shines".. (now: 2.50 am!)

ve tagged u..

Rajesh said...

@ Solitary
Yeah...hoping to meet u there but I personally would prefer a posting at Bangalore or Hyderabad if at all I join the company.

@ Jagadish
Dude...I was happy that I cleared aptitude (CAT is jus a few months away) and certainly not all that excited abt Tech M to be frank

@ Soniya
If u read the article, you'll get a feeling that this so-called achievement of mine flouts both the definitions.

@ Awesome
Ha...ha...had I known u earlier, you cud have guided my career better...I'll surel;y visit thiose sites...Thanks dude...

@ Matangi
Good night...see you soon...do read it...I'll do the tag sometime next week

The Solitary Writer said...

man yeah it wud be better for u to get posted in south india as it wud be tough for u at north

man my hr told me that he will pack me all the way to chandigarh or kolkatta

i wanna be in mumbai ....:p

so praying that i get posted in mumbai

and treat eppom, kudupaa

Shruti said...

first of all..CONGRATS...
and second of all.. YES!! You have achieved something..

"Am I sounding puffed-up with these recruitments looking an ordinary affair ? No. The truth, I’ve discovered is, all these years I had been a guy with no ambitions, a guy who failed to give a thought about his future, a guy who failed to recognise the skills in him, a guy who blindly followed what people, he respects, had to say, and a guy who was not driven by his thoughts and aspirations."

these lines show that you have come out of the shell you had confined yourself into...accepting changes is not easy..and thats ur achievement..
Not many people are ready to change even for good..So..for me..this is ur achievement..And I cannot tell u more..but I am sure ou must've achieved a lot more than this...Cannot tell u cz I haven't achieved anything myself..

But A Huge Hug for u..
You're Destiny's Own Child..And An Achiever...

:) Cheers

Mona said...

hmm... first of all a big big congrats to u!!! m really really proud of u...

so... now for ur questions n my answers to them... have u achieved achieved anything??... look at yourself dude.. u seem to be the happiest person on earth right now.. and to me, that is an achievement!!!... n m sure u have made your family and friends proud.. and to me, that is an achievement too!!... so i don't know which definition is fit for you... but as long as you are proud of yourself and others are proud of you, you certainly have achieved a lot!!!!

n now for your second question... are you destiny's child... sure enough... each one is... but only after he or she starts shaping their destiny... your destiny was lying in the lines on you palms since ages... and you have finally caught hold of it... so enjoy the moment and the achievement!!!!

stay happy always and make others happy too!!!.. wish you all the luck in the world.. may you touch the pinnacle of glory!!!!... cheers!!!

Rajesh said...

@ Solitary
I just hope I get one down south... Calcutta will be my last option

@Shruti
Thanks...Accepting change...yeah I agree..U've rightly pointed...please don say u haven't achieved jus like me...if u can point out my achievements, i can do the same 4 u as well :)

@ Mona
Thanks a lot..Not the happiest person on Earth but what I'm trying to say is that I didn't react so much after getting selected...n now when I look back, I've realised that it's quite commendable to be one among the 29...thanks 4 reading..

Jahnabi Roy said...

its true...sometimes we are just too good at things which dont interest us much... (coz since u qualified u must've been good!!)... and for ppl like me (and mayb you...since u decided to stick with th job) its the challenge at succeeding at somen like this...is a major turn on...

Rajesh said...

@ Everything
Yeah...you're right...I agree

Anonymous said...

wov! congrats...
i do not quite understand ur stand on instincts though, i like to take things as they come,and work for them to come my way...
all intutions are based,one way or the other,on logic :)
But be warned...some 'feels' can screw one up!

Tara said...

Beautiful article! There's something about your writing...it keeps the interest alive and your forced to read on. I seriously think you shud write a book a la Chetan Bhagat. About all your experiences. May be each post of yours is like a chapter from your life. Yes, I think you are destiny's child (BTW, I have a poem by that name. I've posted it. Do check it out.Temme if you like it!)

Congratulations!! Where's the treat? May be you cud give us a virtual treat! LOL!!

Rajesh said...

@ Ayushi
Thanks and as u said some instincts may screw but then I'm an eternal optimist and so I hope things end up on a good note

@ Tara
Thanks a lot...A la Chetan Bhagat is it? Well...thats a biggggg compliment..its an honor but I'm unsure if i deserve so much..

Hmmm..well...treat...lemme know ur mail id.. I shall do it...

Anyways the write-up to follow should be a more interesting one...I hope so..its abt a memorable walk last sunday evening..

man in painting said...

i was just wondering about your disappearance and i now I know why.
Congrats!dear...
always keep writing.
when job pressure and other lies become true,don't make excuses..do continue your good work..
Best wishes for a great future..
i see 'rajesh owning an IT firm'
what MIP see i will always become true..

hmm..why are you not showing everybody your Award-Arte-Y-Pico?
MIP

Fantasies of a Lifetime said...

hello...congrats :D . . & well done (both for the post and for the placement:D)

Rajesh said...

@ MIP
Thanks a lot...definitely no compromise on blogging..I'll blog as long as it remains my passion
Well...forgot to put that award. And I've done it right away. Thanks a lot for your award

@Fantasies
Thanks a lot..Hope u liked reading

Nikkita mathur said...

hey...
really sorry havnt read it as yet..
i told u abt wat i was doin these dayz...

um jus not getting any time...im really really sorry...

will read it as soon as possibl possibly after 15th...
until then..plz...keep up wid me!!

cheerz!!
luv:nickku

Anu said...

Congratulations...

As to the question.. yes , you have acheived and I think everyperson is destiny's child

When I was 17 I had my life planned out right to the college and career I wanted.. but after 10 years, nothing has gone according to my plan.. but I consider everything I have an acheivement, because it took effort and hard work to get there and I am happy with where i finally reached

Acheivement is not only about defining a path and getting their successfully, it also means taking a path and making it your own..

best of luck again, on the path you choose

Uma said...

best of luck'
follow ur intuition
u ll be happy

Unknown said...

Thanks for visitng my blog:-)
Going through ur post, u gush of memories came flying towards me...the recruitment procedure, makinng it to the top few, friends calling with full emotions...it was a part of my past too and i just loved it.
It sure is real achievemnt dude, getting into a brand company is no cheese cake.So believe in urself AND give it ur best shot!

And i do believe it was destined coz otherwise u would nt have given it a shot....or mite not have learnt that alarm....or it mite have turned a day when u were not at ur intellectual best!

Good Luk!

Blogrolled u!

Rajesh said...

@ Anu
Ya...I partly accept wit ur definition...I stil need yrs to experience things...anyways thanks for reading

@ Uma
Ya...its better to be intuitive on most occasions

@ Akanksha
Welcome Infy girl...ya it was destined but m happy that things ended fine...Thanks to God

Unknown said...

congrats dear..

so sorry not checking out the blogs much.. just a bit hectic with my studies..

so congrats again.. so when's the treat.. and yup u r the destiny's child.. :)
all the best for your future ..am sure you will succeed.. do take care..

Pooja said...

hey..congrats!!!

dont undermine nethng(not even an IT job) coz "even a stoppd clock s rght twice a day)...:)

Rajesh said...

@ Anu
Ya...thanks a lot...lots to achieve in life

@ Pooja
Hey that's a very good saying 'a stopped clock...'...love it
thanks for dropping by

Matangi Mawley said...

i felt that this write up had echoed every single thought of mine before my own placements! i had been extremely unsure about myself! i was good in programing n stuff- bt i had this feel abt "is IT cut for me"? I didn't have my resume ready, until the evening before march 19, 2007(i was in my 3 rd yr, ECE, SASTRA)! TCS was the first company.. i was least interested in TCS.. I would ve been happy with Infy.. bt tht was going to b the 3rd comp.. so, i wanted to "get a feel".. and i was through each phase as though it were some- cake walk! My MR was FAB and the person who interviewed me called me separately and assured me tht i m in- even b4 the results were announced the next day! "Destiny's Child" as u say- INDEED!
i feel tht ne "achievement" is a stepping stone into something bigger and better.. now that i know wht i m capable of, i can have my mind cleared up for deciding on wht i "want" and wht i "need"..
think- i ve answered u..

Miracle said...

Destiny's Child..yes you sure are... All d best on yur new found job...know wat!!?? nothing really matters as long as you are happy with whatevers happening...it does happen at times when we feel we are not doing anything that WE as persons would have done rather we are jus doing things that everyone else is doing or urging us to do... anyways...Que Sera Sera...So be happy and do your thing with all d good spirits... :)
All D Best.. :)