Madcap Pages

Just a week ago I was at the better side of 21. Or so I thought.

While in college one thinks of the future as if it were at a distance. Close to its end, the future is round the corner. The other side of one’s birthday in second decade, they are planning the future for parents, their own and whoever might accompany them in the long run.

The transition which I am being assured everyone has experienced is of foreign nature. I am to be a learner whilst I am an expert. I am asked to abandon what I have spent years on, just to plunge into something equally uncertain. There is no trace of stability or security and all that is measured is change. Its all for good they say. I am not sure how far it is true.

There is a greater sense of purpose though. An awareness, an independence which was craved in teenage years. Except, now it is hard earned and not exactly the same but even better. There are people to meet, stories to get inspired from, missions to accomplish, friendships to be forged, relationships to be cherish and it all boils down to one thing - a life to live.

There is no lack of awesomeness out here, at work. The giddy feeling when you say, “sorry. can’t talk. In office. Working now”. The guilt when frustration stops you from narrating the day to your parents. The fear that they are also elder to you in years and of responsibilities creeping in. Close friends get new identities and become unrecognizable. New friends seem like guiding lines and family. One thing for certain is that the mind is whirring and the only word echoing is A-D-J-U-S-T.

‘They’ have also given sound advice. To take it one step at a time. And that’s what I will be doing. Or so I think :P

I’m 21 now and 31 seems far away. Maybe the grass is greener this side. Let’s wait it out :)

Discombobulated,

The pretentious Madcap.

There was once a time I pondered over the word “Abeyance” and couldn’t fathom where and how to use it. Nowadays, not a sentence departs my mind without this word. 

The pretentious madcap

Its been a long time I have blogged and pardon me if my writings are a lil rusty.

I have in the past two months been on a roller coaster ride and I think the ride has come to a temporary stop, allowing me to write this memoir.

Mid-august my life picked up pace from its dull decadence for placement season started in my college. Suddenly I had to go dusting off shelves searching for books on subjects long forgotten. What was previously my weakest had to now become my strongest and my stronger ones had to be unquestionably without any loopholes. As I came to learn later, these loopholes were based on luck and your misfortune at the time of interview. I came to realize my own expertise (or the lack of) in programming languages and spent the nights poring over databases and networking. General consensus had to be obtained regarding areas of interest taking caution as to which will be grilled more and which ones less. Project reports were examined with a magnifying glasses and traces obtained for each and every area related to well…each and everything. For instance, my project in networking based on linux platform may lead to a question why Linux is better than windows and further to the disadvantages of using windows thus, effectively turning the area of questioning into Operating system.
The first company Global Scholar was a wake up call as to what was needed from us as freshers into the industry. I had only two days to prepare myself to meet the criteria for Capital IQ.
They came. I conquered :P Well, at least till the first round out of college. I got dropped like hot potato in the final round but two others from my coll got selected so congratulations to them!
It was almost a too good to believe experience for my interview was just a friendly chat covering my areas of interest, my project, my inspiration and further little questioning of the post I was applying for - Database Administrator.
The moment following the announcement were my happiest but were soon followed by dread of the weeks to be spent brushing up Databases. Trust me, the weeks that followed I was a person related each and everything to DB. A table would be translated as row and column. Food would be translated as column name with domain as dinner, breakfast and lunch. It was exhilarating as well as exhausting, weird combo but I guess every engineer before placement has experienced it.
The final interview conducted in the HQ in Hyderabad was test in patience for after finishing my interview I had to wait for 7 hours for my results which were negative. I learnt that day that candidates expression of the interview differs greatly from the interviewer’s point of view.
I took the loss in a stride adapting to what was needed of me again. I had my hopes high for TCS, a mass recruiter for my college. That would be an experience shared in the next post when my mom is not busy berating me with the classic tirade,
“Don’t get cocky just because you are placed”
What will ever satisfy the parents?
Exasperated,
The pretentious madcap