Showing posts with label Corporate. Show all posts

An Open Letter  

Posted by Navin in , , , ,

To think of it now, it's not like I remember the first day we met in crystal clear HD pictures. But I do vaguely remember the excitement with which I caught my first glimpse of you and I think I also detected a not-so-evident smile on your face on spotting one more possible victim who would most probably succumb to your charms. I queued up along with your numerous suitors, dancing to your tunes and bowing to your whims. In due time, I did not have any other purpose in life but to keep you happy. I realised that I was slowly , but definitely slipping down a path from where there was no escape.

It took me a long time to realise the devious tricks you were playing on my mind. But realise I did, I started deviating from the vows I had made to you. I pursued my other "interests" which made you jealous. And man did you throw tantrums that demanded attention! We worked towards building a relationship that moved like the sine curve, with both of us trying to understand each other and giving enough space for us to have an independent life. You never seemed truly happy after that though.

While I kept giving it my best shot, you were never the same again. You seemed to look forward to the courtship dance from your other suitors. I feared the day you would realise our folly for devoting your time on someone as ordinary as me. As the days moved on, I realised that the best way to prepare myself would be to distance myself from you, to be ready for the day when you eventually broke the news to me. I saw you flirting with others at various points of time, but I never bought it up for I was never sure I wanted to say goodbye. Despite the tumultous relationship we have had, I would forever remember all the wonderful moments we have spent together. The numerous days and nights when it used to be just the 2 of us over just a cup of coffee for hours altogether without realising how time flew in each others company, it seemed like it would never be the case again. I was prepared for the eventuality that loomed near us now.

And on March 31st 2011, we finally bid our long awaited goodbye. On that day, I was ready, to bid farewell, to start off on a different note and look forward to life with someone else. After a 20 year long relationship, we couldnt really break up on a bad note could we ? We broke-up with our tokens of love for each other, with the hope that both of us would find better people than each other to spend our time with.

Dear Education, Now I can gladly bid goodbye to you! After all these years across 6 institutions in 3 different locations, I am well and truly done with Institutionalized Education. Here's a toast to that, and to PGP2009's, f2005's and my schoolmates.

P.S:
Quite late with the timelines and the plan, but the idea for the formal "break-up" always in the pipeline.

P.P.S:
With this, I hope to be returning from a self imposed exile and hope to keep the blog alive. Apologies to any audience I had prior to this exile and hope my new "partner" work life as occupied as the "ex":) .

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The Special One  

Posted by Navin in ,

It is bigger, it is better and it is back. For all those who need introduction , last summer I pursued a Business Development Internship with AKVenture , an IIM A startup. So, as all good things normally do, it is back for the summer of 2009. Interested applicants can download this document . To all those who have any second thoughts , please forget them and this will be one summer which you wont forget. If you need any personal insight from me, I have already blogged enough about the same and feel free to contact my by e-mail or any other mode convenient for you. Please pass on the news to your circle of friends/batchmates/juniors about the same.

Ok, now for googles sake : Summer Internships 2009 , Internships in start-ups
(I am not a techie, and anyone who has suggestions on how I can make this better can educate me about the same) .


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Q and A  

Posted by Navin in , ,

I have been finding it very difficult to introduce myself nowadays. It takes a lot of explaining to convey the fact that I am a Mechanical Engineering student from BITS-Pilani, who is interning with an IT firm, Oracle in Hyderabad and does not belong to the city. When asked about where my roots lie, I have an even longer answer. It has been more than a month since I left Pilani - lock, stock and barrel. Naturally, the next question that props up is about my return to Pilani for the convocation. Now , I have a new answer to give - BITS Pilani does not have a convocation system. Even though none of us who are studying there really seem to mind, we accept it as one more of our "unique and flexible" traditions , it seems to be surprising news to everyone else .

If these are the standard questions , other more specific questions depends on the person at the other end.Bumping into seniors from the college could result in questions about the changing culture in Pilani as a result of BITSAT, SAC or about the departments and clubs of which they were a part of. People from the corporate world unaware about the Practise School program in Pilani want to know how the system works and diverse questions revolving around the same.

Friends have something more personal to ask , Do I miss Pilani ? At present, I am a newcomer to city life and enjoying its benefits,I am not missing the Village. Maybe as time goes on and as the Wise Camel says, I will miss the place. The more important question I ask myself is :What do I really miss - the place or the people ? Sky Lawns, the never-heard-beyond-second-row-plays by EDC ,the SEQC sessions, the "aaha" moment on stage of a quiz finals , BuZZBuzz,BUzz during JAM , interesting truth revealing "sessions" and of course the wildfire spreading along the grapevine are just some of the things I will definitely miss. I would have never enjoyed the place without the people , it is they who I miss . On a visit back to campus , I was happy to see more familiar faces , pleasantries to exchange and jokes to crack. Though at the point of time I was yet to step into work, I am in one of those glass walled buildings today . I have just started to realise how much has really changed and what the future really holds.

As preparations for my Personal Interview move ahead , I am faced with more questions from others and within myself . For Many of these I have well prepared answers to convince the person sitting oppposite me, but to others which really stump me I just give a puzzled look.I hope that on D-Day (Feb 23rd) there does not come a Question for which I do not have an answer . As always, anyone who believes they have the favour of Lady Luck and do not really need are requested to guide her to me.

P.S:

I did not see the Titanic Clash between His Royal Highness Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and I am happy that I did not have to see the champion break down in despair. I hope that back in the lush green courts of his backyard, Wimbledon, he deservedly matches Pistol Pete's record of Grand Slam titles.

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Stay Hungry , Stay Foolish  

Posted by Navin in , ,

The above words were made extremely popular by Steve Jobs in his commencement address to the Stanford University students delivered on June 12 2005 , you may find the full text here . I had the opportunity of reading a book with the same title about the story of 25 entrepreneurs from IIM Ahmedabad  and their now successful ventures (the book is yet to be released in the consumer market) .


The book portrays the most important essence of the speech - "Find something that you love to do". For me and I believe that many others of my age it is not exactly something easy. I am yet to figure out what I would enjoy doing with my life. A few ambitions that I have been carrying around for a long time with certain beliefs about how my life should be is all that I have. As things stand now, after 3 years of doing something which I am more or less sure I would not enjoy doing - Mechanical Engineering, I might be getting back to something that I used to like sometime back through the job offer in hand. The fact that it might be of great assistance in what I dream to be my next stop - the MBA dream only drives me further to take it up. 

Something that I have realised is that a lot of things which we attach a lot of importance matters the least bit. Most things evolve best when you think, ponder and when you do so make no mistakes, always Think BIG. The most important lessons that I have learnt where at Lootstreet from the daily experiences and more importantly from  Arun and Kaushik, my first "bosses" in the real sense of the word. A lot of things from there will stick with me for a long time. Without a doubt, I loved what I did in the 2 months there. Whether it will be the same case with my next job from July 2009, I am not sure , but then I guess that what is life for - to find what you "love" most. 

To end with, one of my favourite quotes from Arun Balakrishnan "Sochne ke Liye tax nahi lagta hain , tho bada socho" ( I suck at Hindi ! ) translated it means "There are no taxes levied for your thoughts and dreams, always think big". 
 
P.S:

To many of my friends who are giving their CAT , do read this , an account by Kaushik of all his IIM Interviews in a very interesting fashion, to say the least.

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Placement Update  

Posted by Navin in , ,

Eventually,the search did end soon. I have been offered a job as an IT Analyst at Morgan Stanley, Technology division, Mumbai. The first interview that I did sit for and the end of a comprehensive interview process did have good results for me, thankfully. I am one out off the 11 students from BITS Pilani given the offer to join the firm. The elimination went down from   115 in the resume to 33 after the test to 19 after the first technical interview. Somehow, I seem to have survived everything. 

The first interview that I sat for, I have made the job and my happiness cannot be described. Lady luck smiled on at the right time I guess. Nothing more to say. 

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The Search Begins  

Posted by Navin in , , ,

It was a wonderful summer which included a great experience at lootstreet, getting to meet Harsha Bhogle, the slightly more consequential fact being that I got thrashed by 2 cricket "pundoos" ( nerds to those unfamiliar ) from Anna University who are now my good friends, catching up with long lost friends who have suddenly become scousers  ( Praveen ) and getting introduced to more interesting things , like the Hyderabadi Biriyani for one. I am back in Pilani and the usual laziness attached to college accounts for the lack of activity and the uncanny similarity to a Sloth as explained by Kutts last year at a similar stage. 


Being a psenti-semite , the BITSian final year student has its own pros and cons. Slowly, you realise that the number of people who you actually know on campus has reduced all of a sudden. The big pro being the fact that you are now an engineer and supposed to be ready to step into the corporate world, showcase yourselves to everyone who has been invited to the campus and try to "sell" yourself. You realise that you have the "appropriate" skill set to apply to anyone who is ready to "compensate" well for the work that you might be doing for the next few years. I do match their requirements , I convince myself before applying to companies who strictly say knowledge of Data Structure, Operation Systems and Algorithms is a must in bold and have a proven track record of choosing only B.E(Hons) Computer Science.  I have realised my folly and that my trust has been misplaced. 

Without the slightest clue as to how campus interviews work , I have my own plans for the interview and how to impress the panel I am facing. I am just banking on the fact they stick to my script and not theirs !! So, am I searching for the "Right" offer or is the corporate searching for the "Right" person ? Do I want to take up a job which compensates me well or one that matches my expectations in terms of work ? Will I start applying madly to companies on the list if it comes down to that ? Would I rest at a good job or continue in my pursuits of the IIM MBA,that I dream of ? I have no answers to any of the above questions at the moment. 

For now , I know what to expect and understand that I have to bide my time patiently till the "Right" people come in search of me. 

Lest I forget, anyone who believes that they have excess luck with them and is not being put to good use, please ( pretty please I would add ) be gracious enough to pass it onto me. Thanks to you in advance.

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