First job experience will really be a story to tell for every engineer. Now its my turn. let me start from the beginning i.e the placement drives so it will be more convincing on what i am going to tell later on.
Most of the engineering students dream about their first company and i think first campus placement is the time you see engineering students at their best. Especially the placed ones. They seemed to be the most happiest people of all.
So was I ...
Placed in Three companies ... appreciated by friends and family, I was on cloud nine.
First offer was TCS ... Level zero. I was completely nerves. Being an above average performer with lots of enthusiasm on research and technology, people had lot of faith on me and I have to get this job at any cost. And YES! I have done it !! ... "Mr. Lakshman Shyam Kumar" the TCS officials announced my name and a smile showed up on my face, uncomfortable one though, may be it was because of the immense pressure i was carrying to reach the expectations of my family, friends and faculty. Soon i realized that i am placed and can enjoy just like others around me are. Believe me, that was an Awesome feeling.
Calling my family especially MOM to tell her that I am placed was my biggest achievement till that day. That was a wonderful experience. Mom, Dad and brother were very happy. so are my friends.
I was at my best performance. with full of confidence and strength I was ready to take on any company challenge
and there comes Microsoft ... not even selected in the written test, (face palm !!) ... brought me down to earth.
Second Offer was Oracle Finance ...
It took time for me to recollect myself from the collapsed dream of joining Microsoft. I never really considered any company close to Microsoft. and after missing that great opportunity i started looking the actual world. And Oracle Finance pool drive was one of them. Though my target has changed from Sun to moon, my failure has warned me that Moon is also a great distance to reach if i was not prepared. This consciousness helped me perform very well in Oracle finance. Every round i cleared leaving behind hundreds of fellow members was both surprising and terrifying. It was like climbing a tall building while your friends are dropping down. Anytime it could be my chance!! and the more rounds i qualify the more pain its going to leave me.
And the final round comes at Mid night 1 o clock ... I knew that its too far to loose this job and it cannot happen that it was not my day. Then at that very moment, I found a new person in me while entering into the hr round. Courageous, and straight forward. I spoke to HR as if i was already placed in the job.
HR was impressed with my confidence. But she wanted to check if i was really confident or just acting to be one. She tried really hard. and at last it took her more than one long hour to realize that I am capable of this job.
Nailed it ... and It was my best Performance of my educational career.
Third Offer .....
After Oracle, i simply skipped many companies as they were not on par with the current job. I was pretty sure that i will join Oracle Finance. But then life is full of surprises...
A start up came to our college and asked for some good students who were not yet placed in any company.
My professors asked me to organize the placement drive and that changed everything ....
students were asked to submit resume and I collected resumes from all students and forwarded them to my faculty.
My Professor sent those resumes to the company. But ... along with my resume, Its seems that the company asked my professor that they need few really good resumes and they picked few for themselves from the department.
This is the time when people think really weird. so did I ...
I thought this is Gods blessing and i really need to give it a try, understand the company and then decide what to do.
Guess what .. with TCS and Oracle Finance in hand i joined the start up on Jan 5th 2012.... " A BIG RISK of my life !!"
Startups ....
IT field have many start ups .... just like the middle class families ... they are everywhere .... fighting for their position in Industry ... adjusting with very little investments, but with high expectations of work from employees ... Start ups are one hell of a place to work.
But .. that's the place where miracles happen. that's the true place for developing raw skills ... that's the true place you find excellent mentors. here is my story of my FIRST JOB.
Generally, everything new will look fascinating. May be that was the reason, I loved my first job very much.
My start up was incubated in a university. so, I need to go to university everyday.
you know what ... it is the best thing a student generally don't expect in his first company.
What can be a better learning than being in a company with college atmosphere and work with team leads who are excellent mentors just like your teachers.
Every day I rush to get mmts train ... reach the office, have breakfast in university canteen with all other students.
Along with work, once a while I also attended events, fests, and video conferences with research scientists from abroad.
This really helped me to sustain the interest to learn more new things within me.
My team lead is really a good mentor. He knows how a student mind understands things and he explained every task clearly.
Initial days were great. It was a good learning experience of my life. I was like a child watching cartoons. Both curious and attentive to every detail. Every day i got something new to learn.
let it be how a search engine works, how to install ubuntu packages, how java can do wonders,
also how java can reach its memory limits (this one was shocking for the first time ... i was like ... WHAT !!! ... I never knew that java can go out of memory ... can it really do that !!), working in linux terminal with transparent background just reminded me of all the Sii-Fii Hollywood movies. i loved it ...
The company was very small with just 25 people including CEO. So we always have lunch together with CEO, discussing new things, and having fun together.
My co employees were very friendly.
All of us went out for resorts for outings ...
every employee's birthday was celebrated in office by CEO ...
we had movie parities now and then ....
we used to play chess in lunch time. fighting for place in caroms was really fun.
At one point of time I thought this is my life.
All this is good for FUN ... and here comes the responsibility.
slowly i was into serious work. Tasks were getting bigger and bigger.
I was happy that I am doing good but also worried that few things were going over my head as I am a slow learner and at one point of time i was worried that i cant catch up with others pace.
My lead understood my problem helped me with more time and didn't let me fall behind.
as days passed on, work became tough and important. and one day my lead told my team that he has to be away for 10 days to deal with one of our clients projects and we (his team) need to handle the project without him.
My team was very small. other than lead, it was me and my friend working on this project. and we are very carefully handling the project.
At this point of time our CEO came to me and asked me whether some functionality was possible in the project. I replied with the best answer I knew about the feature. Then he sat with me and asked me to ................ code ...
Writing a program in front of CEO of your company who is also a research scientist, an expert in that domain is not that easy.
It was like sitting on the hot seat of KBC for the last question. I was dam alert. Starting from the posture I sit, the way I type, the pace with which I type, the standards I follow in the code ... every thing has to be perfect. Not that he was strict, but then he should not notice and think that I am careless or am not capable of doing that work.
Once in the same situation, i was not framing a method correctly and my CEO realized that. he generally don't like the modern standards and gets very serious. he gently moved me away and jumped into my keyboard. My heart just skipped a beat ... both horrified and surprised, i immediately recovered and started studying how is he doing the same thing differently.
And you know what .... gaining knowledge from his experience was worth missing a heart beat :)
after 10 days my lead returned and saw our work. that night my friend and i got mails for my lead telling that we had done a great job and he was really impressed with our work, the way we took the responsibility and worked perfectly.
It was a great complement I can never forget it. ... but my lead left the Company and many things changed from then.
many experiences in the office were good ... great in fact. but there were also some sad...
I had to work on my own for some days. and my CEO and other teams thought they need me. So I was shifted to another project. Away from the research work which i loved. I started to be part of more organised team with less believe in me as i am the least experienced guy.
Completely new atmosphere changed my working style. I warned myself that this is the right time to work independently and prove my skills and not to get depressed.
Day by day seriousness in office increased as the team was ready to launch its first product in market.
Difficult times and misunderstandings among the team grew with the team strength.
And one single mistake changed everything. I totally lost my confidence. My new team lead though encouraged me to be normal, internally he was also doubting my skills. So did I .....
That was the beginning of my down fall. 6 months of disastrous days.
The office which was once paradise ... turned out to be hell.
I didn't like going to office anymore.
Later on, one day i went to my lead and asked him to give me a chance to set things right.
I promised him that within one month, I will build a system which will over come all the existing drawbacks.
Second innings ...
I started working again... with all difficulties i tried to get back my style of work and problem solving skills back on track.
The journey was not easy... it took more than 3 months to get the project to working product. and another 3 months to gain confidence and deploy.
Though i completed the project ... I didn't achieve my teams confidence. But i learned many new things. How to manage a project, how to divide the modules, how to avoid big bang approach.
I expected someone to understand me and have believe in me ... but soon i realized that its not going to work as team work in IT field is to help the team but not expecting anything from the team.
Everyone around me were busy with their work. Still trying to have more work so that they can more than their co employees.
Now even hell turned into chaos ... It all started with my mistake. So I should blame myself.
with all FUN, care and experience added to my learning... I had many great days in my first Job.
but there comes a day when you have to face the reality.
So friends I say only one thing ... if you are really interested to learn and can fight back at all odds,
Start ups are the best places for you to grow.
At one point of time things will change and its your choice to stay or leave. ...
In my case .... If I stay I might waste more time in pursuit of my lost identity.
and If I leave ....
.... new challenges, new lessons, more knowledge, more fun and a new Beginning might be waiting for me ...
Still I am happy for what I learned in my FIRST JOB and I loved the experience.
Most of the engineering students dream about their first company and i think first campus placement is the time you see engineering students at their best. Especially the placed ones. They seemed to be the most happiest people of all.
So was I ...
Placed in Three companies ... appreciated by friends and family, I was on cloud nine.
First offer was TCS ... Level zero. I was completely nerves. Being an above average performer with lots of enthusiasm on research and technology, people had lot of faith on me and I have to get this job at any cost. And YES! I have done it !! ... "Mr. Lakshman Shyam Kumar" the TCS officials announced my name and a smile showed up on my face, uncomfortable one though, may be it was because of the immense pressure i was carrying to reach the expectations of my family, friends and faculty. Soon i realized that i am placed and can enjoy just like others around me are. Believe me, that was an Awesome feeling.
Calling my family especially MOM to tell her that I am placed was my biggest achievement till that day. That was a wonderful experience. Mom, Dad and brother were very happy. so are my friends.
I was at my best performance. with full of confidence and strength I was ready to take on any company challenge
and there comes Microsoft ... not even selected in the written test, (face palm !!) ... brought me down to earth.
Second Offer was Oracle Finance ...
It took time for me to recollect myself from the collapsed dream of joining Microsoft. I never really considered any company close to Microsoft. and after missing that great opportunity i started looking the actual world. And Oracle Finance pool drive was one of them. Though my target has changed from Sun to moon, my failure has warned me that Moon is also a great distance to reach if i was not prepared. This consciousness helped me perform very well in Oracle finance. Every round i cleared leaving behind hundreds of fellow members was both surprising and terrifying. It was like climbing a tall building while your friends are dropping down. Anytime it could be my chance!! and the more rounds i qualify the more pain its going to leave me.
And the final round comes at Mid night 1 o clock ... I knew that its too far to loose this job and it cannot happen that it was not my day. Then at that very moment, I found a new person in me while entering into the hr round. Courageous, and straight forward. I spoke to HR as if i was already placed in the job.
HR was impressed with my confidence. But she wanted to check if i was really confident or just acting to be one. She tried really hard. and at last it took her more than one long hour to realize that I am capable of this job.
Nailed it ... and It was my best Performance of my educational career.
Third Offer .....
After Oracle, i simply skipped many companies as they were not on par with the current job. I was pretty sure that i will join Oracle Finance. But then life is full of surprises...
A start up came to our college and asked for some good students who were not yet placed in any company.
My professors asked me to organize the placement drive and that changed everything ....
students were asked to submit resume and I collected resumes from all students and forwarded them to my faculty.
My Professor sent those resumes to the company. But ... along with my resume, Its seems that the company asked my professor that they need few really good resumes and they picked few for themselves from the department.
This is the time when people think really weird. so did I ...
I thought this is Gods blessing and i really need to give it a try, understand the company and then decide what to do.
Guess what .. with TCS and Oracle Finance in hand i joined the start up on Jan 5th 2012.... " A BIG RISK of my life !!"
Startups ....
IT field have many start ups .... just like the middle class families ... they are everywhere .... fighting for their position in Industry ... adjusting with very little investments, but with high expectations of work from employees ... Start ups are one hell of a place to work.
But .. that's the place where miracles happen. that's the true place for developing raw skills ... that's the true place you find excellent mentors. here is my story of my FIRST JOB.
Generally, everything new will look fascinating. May be that was the reason, I loved my first job very much.
My start up was incubated in a university. so, I need to go to university everyday.
you know what ... it is the best thing a student generally don't expect in his first company.
What can be a better learning than being in a company with college atmosphere and work with team leads who are excellent mentors just like your teachers.
Every day I rush to get mmts train ... reach the office, have breakfast in university canteen with all other students.
Along with work, once a while I also attended events, fests, and video conferences with research scientists from abroad.
This really helped me to sustain the interest to learn more new things within me.
My team lead is really a good mentor. He knows how a student mind understands things and he explained every task clearly.
Initial days were great. It was a good learning experience of my life. I was like a child watching cartoons. Both curious and attentive to every detail. Every day i got something new to learn.
let it be how a search engine works, how to install ubuntu packages, how java can do wonders,
also how java can reach its memory limits (this one was shocking for the first time ... i was like ... WHAT !!! ... I never knew that java can go out of memory ... can it really do that !!), working in linux terminal with transparent background just reminded me of all the Sii-Fii Hollywood movies. i loved it ...
The company was very small with just 25 people including CEO. So we always have lunch together with CEO, discussing new things, and having fun together.
My co employees were very friendly.
All of us went out for resorts for outings ...
every employee's birthday was celebrated in office by CEO ...
we had movie parities now and then ....
we used to play chess in lunch time. fighting for place in caroms was really fun.
At one point of time I thought this is my life.
All this is good for FUN ... and here comes the responsibility.
slowly i was into serious work. Tasks were getting bigger and bigger.
I was happy that I am doing good but also worried that few things were going over my head as I am a slow learner and at one point of time i was worried that i cant catch up with others pace.
My lead understood my problem helped me with more time and didn't let me fall behind.
as days passed on, work became tough and important. and one day my lead told my team that he has to be away for 10 days to deal with one of our clients projects and we (his team) need to handle the project without him.
My team was very small. other than lead, it was me and my friend working on this project. and we are very carefully handling the project.
At this point of time our CEO came to me and asked me whether some functionality was possible in the project. I replied with the best answer I knew about the feature. Then he sat with me and asked me to ................ code ...
Writing a program in front of CEO of your company who is also a research scientist, an expert in that domain is not that easy.
It was like sitting on the hot seat of KBC for the last question. I was dam alert. Starting from the posture I sit, the way I type, the pace with which I type, the standards I follow in the code ... every thing has to be perfect. Not that he was strict, but then he should not notice and think that I am careless or am not capable of doing that work.
Once in the same situation, i was not framing a method correctly and my CEO realized that. he generally don't like the modern standards and gets very serious. he gently moved me away and jumped into my keyboard. My heart just skipped a beat ... both horrified and surprised, i immediately recovered and started studying how is he doing the same thing differently.
And you know what .... gaining knowledge from his experience was worth missing a heart beat :)
after 10 days my lead returned and saw our work. that night my friend and i got mails for my lead telling that we had done a great job and he was really impressed with our work, the way we took the responsibility and worked perfectly.
It was a great complement I can never forget it. ... but my lead left the Company and many things changed from then.
many experiences in the office were good ... great in fact. but there were also some sad...
I had to work on my own for some days. and my CEO and other teams thought they need me. So I was shifted to another project. Away from the research work which i loved. I started to be part of more organised team with less believe in me as i am the least experienced guy.
Completely new atmosphere changed my working style. I warned myself that this is the right time to work independently and prove my skills and not to get depressed.
Day by day seriousness in office increased as the team was ready to launch its first product in market.
Difficult times and misunderstandings among the team grew with the team strength.
And one single mistake changed everything. I totally lost my confidence. My new team lead though encouraged me to be normal, internally he was also doubting my skills. So did I .....
That was the beginning of my down fall. 6 months of disastrous days.
The office which was once paradise ... turned out to be hell.
I didn't like going to office anymore.
Later on, one day i went to my lead and asked him to give me a chance to set things right.
I promised him that within one month, I will build a system which will over come all the existing drawbacks.
Second innings ...
I started working again... with all difficulties i tried to get back my style of work and problem solving skills back on track.
The journey was not easy... it took more than 3 months to get the project to working product. and another 3 months to gain confidence and deploy.
Though i completed the project ... I didn't achieve my teams confidence. But i learned many new things. How to manage a project, how to divide the modules, how to avoid big bang approach.
I expected someone to understand me and have believe in me ... but soon i realized that its not going to work as team work in IT field is to help the team but not expecting anything from the team.
Everyone around me were busy with their work. Still trying to have more work so that they can more than their co employees.
Now even hell turned into chaos ... It all started with my mistake. So I should blame myself.
with all FUN, care and experience added to my learning... I had many great days in my first Job.
but there comes a day when you have to face the reality.
So friends I say only one thing ... if you are really interested to learn and can fight back at all odds,
Start ups are the best places for you to grow.
At one point of time things will change and its your choice to stay or leave. ...
In my case .... If I stay I might waste more time in pursuit of my lost identity.
and If I leave ....
.... new challenges, new lessons, more knowledge, more fun and a new Beginning might be waiting for me ...
Still I am happy for what I learned in my FIRST JOB and I loved the experience.
