Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Much ado about ...placements???

Since the semester has come to an end,we don't have internet in the hostels anymore.Am rt now posting from our beloved C center.The next one month might see me posting from the cybercafe nearest to my home or 'wherever I may roam'!!

Jokes apart,here's a serious post.Read on...

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Much ado about.... placements...
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The outright outspoken person I am, I thought why not be a little outwritten.(that's one thing about us neonate 'writers'!, if you can't find an appropriate word to describe something,you either coin one yourself or use 'quotes'!!,how clever!)

In my previous post I mentioned as to how people change(their behaviour,their attitude,'the sudden increase in their fundooness'..et al). I have seen people change after reading books. Have people here who say their live have changed after reading Ayn Rand,Paulo Coelho.My way of looking at things did change after watching "The Shawshank Redemption" .Can't explain why, but that somehow got the best out of me in my fifth semester where I actually ended up being among the top ten?? of my class.For the 'hopeless' person that people think I am,that's something of more than a personal achievement for me.People do change after meeting new people or visiting new places.

During the placement frenzy at our college, the budding psychologist in me observed how people change during this whole 'horrible' phase.Either ways it is the end of the road for many.Here's how:

* You get a job, it's the culmination of all the 'hardwork' you did throughout one's life(dammit,it's only 20 odd years..still a long way to go..) and there's else left to achieve.

*You don't get a job, peer pressure gets on to you and you start losing confidence in yourself and I believe that's the worst thing that can happen to a person.People who are placed suddenly find a spring in their feet and start professing people on how to face interviews and how one has to be bold and confident. What irks me and irritates me at the same time is that more 'capable
and able' people long for such advice from people who are already placed.Encouragement on its part is ok, but somehow being placed doesn't suddenly make one a 'new' person so that you start needlessly professing people around.Whatever it is, somehow din't like this aspect and so am venting
it all out here.And a collective 'BALLS' to all those show-offs.

It is really sad to see 'real good' people (I know that cannot be defined, but the psychologist(screw him!) in me is a decent enough judge) wilting under this horrible pressure called 'peer pressure'. It's not the parental pressure, but it is peer pressure that is worst of all.One of my real good friends is yet to placed.He has faced three interviews and I guess the fact that he's not been able to make it as yet has shaken his confidence so much that he even spoke once of not taking up a job at all.Even I am in a predicament,talking to him and cheering him up is ok..but then when he gives that wry smile and says..."yeah yeah ..agle(company) mein ho jaayega"...I'm totally lost for words and have serious doubts on the whole process,atleast in his case man,c'mon he's more deserving than most people around.Just because the A/C in the room was not working or that interviewer was not served the cold-drink just before he came in or that the interviewer got a call from his office that supremely pissed him off, my friend doesn't have to go through this trauma.

Thankfully(ah,how wishful),I have a job.While most people around me are gloating about it...(basking in the glory to put it more appropriately for them), I'm left with no sense of achievement(Am I too numb?) .I don't know what's going to become of this idiot in future,but my aims,ambitions or dreams don't include working my ass off in a software company 9-5 in front of the comp(yeah yeah..they did show us dreams of 5 day week,informal work culture,shift of streams and the pay of course..but I guess the reality is much harsher).One of my secret dreams though is to make a movie,a hinglish one probably...may be by the time I'm 35-40. Here's a person who's actually on the verge of realising such a dream.
DO VISIT .Now that would probably give me more 'kick' than anything else.

So, sorry for throwing water on all the excitement about placements.It's plain LUCK and nothing else.This is me not being at my 'outwritten' best, otherwise would have vented out many 'inside stuff'.Atleast Ellie and Anubhav would come to know of it once they come here and for the rest after all this our Placement Officer(one helluva enthu person,will put any of us youngsters to shame) would proudly say that this year saw almost 100% placements(which is almost sure) and still,everybody will not live happily ever after.!

Chances thrown,nothing's free
Longing for what,used to be.
Still it's hard
Hard to see
Fragile lives,shattered dreams.

- The Kids Aren't Right.
OFFSPRING.

P.S. I had one of the most uneventful interviews,the only high point being him asking about my TV appearance on BBC WORLD!! at University Challenge.WTF,he didn't go deeper about my quizzing.

Anyways, that's not something that I'd wish to enthral my grand-children with.I'd rather enthral them like the rest of you with the tale of us gate-crashing at MEGA Gujju weddings and how we had the best food of our lives there.

8 comments:

Sudipta Chatterjee said...

Hey, nice post! I think that as long as you have a desire to get placed, it keeps being elusive. I can assure you that in my case I actually was not looking to get placed initially, and therefore could dare to screw up my own interview with ***** company, and then I guess peer pressure caught on.

For your friend who is yet to be placed I have a piece of advice (which I have for alomst anybody on any matter). Tell him that as long as he thinks that the people are doing a favour to him by giving him a job, he is going to find it difficult to get placed. As soon as he begins to think that he too is at an equal footing and has more to offer through his mettle than get from the company in green bucks,... as soon as he thinks that it is he who is the giver and the interviewers are the receivers, he is going to get placed. Ask him to realise his own value, which is more than all the riches of the world put together. Ask him to be confident of himself, and to shake off the delusion that he is sheep! Let the lion in him roar... and there is no looking back!

Chalo congrats for you
Sudipta

anubhav said...

I quite agree with the peer pressure thing...probably because people in our college think PLacement to be the most ultimate achievement and anyone who is placed automatically becomes smart,capable and superhero...

Ellie said...

It takes a lot of courage to first realise your dream and then follow it. There are so many times I find myself trapped in the 'system', sick and tired of justifying to myself when my GPA jus wont increase despite putting in more effort than I ever put in school, wallowing dispiritedly as 'lesser mortals' of the school days now flaunt 8-9 point GPA's in sad colleges their parents paid truckloads to get them into.

But, I still cannot imagine myself chucking this up to pursue writing (the only half way decent thing I know to do!). And I guess it would be better if I post the rest as a post in my blog, something which I promise would be an interesting read, if not inspiring.

Really good post, Nikhil. :)

Kroopa Shah (Kr00pz) said...

Not sure if its luck completely. Luck does play a part but you've got to play your role of bull$#!tting your way through it.
About your friend- this is what I beleive in. If he hasn't been offerred a position yet, its probably because something better is in store for him. So I wish him good luck and congratulations to you.

Nikhil said...

Ok people, though formal it may seem,thanks for all the 'congrats'.
We are actually creating fodder for gossip for the whole of next year so that our juniors are regaled with the tales of our 'placements'.

and a formal 'hi' to kroopa,I guess you were the only one whom i din't know 'personally'(Whatever that means!)Know most people who visit my blog 'personally'.
As far as the group blog,

1.Suggest a name...2.Narrow down ( or expand??) the areas which the group blog would encompass

Might sound too far-fetched,but am thinking of modelling it on the lines of THIS

3.Reply fast!! We shall get going soon!

Also check out
AMIT VERMA

Seems like I've taken blogging a bit too seriously, but what the heck,I enjoy writing.So you guys will have to bear with me!!

Abhi said...

placements is lotta luck man.i went thru sum 5 hellish days b4 i fooled a company to pick me up.n was ready to drown myself in a bathtub if it dint.

Anonymous said...

hi nikhil...gr8 post agreed with all the nikhilistic sarcasm flowing:)dunno wt u were actually targetting at in ur write-up..but then jus tell me wt is to differentiate"encouragement" and showing off..wht u mite not like mite jus be smthin the other person is luking for..sm mere encouraging words..n frankly;its not all who flaunt the "i've got placed thing"...!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

the last post was frm me