Simply Memoirs ...........(previously: memoirs of last 5 semesters at IIT)

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posted by maxi @ 8:13 PM

Digha Trip

It was a prolonging desire in my heart to go to Digha.
When ppl used to ask me-"Have you been to digha?"...I had to say a little ruefully-"No, but i amay go soon".Living in a wing where there is not a lot of enthu for the trips(infact,we have had no trips in last 4 years...can u believe that?)..Only sometimes me and rajiv crib a lot abt these things...other seems to be in their own worlds(call it rooms/pcs)...
Anyways we might go for atleast one trip i.e. to aquatica /calcutta.
I just came back from an absolute awkward exam of real time systems (timings:6-8 pm)and it seemed to me that i just wanna crash on my bed(i slept for 5 hrs the night before)...In pops a gtalk message..."buddy packup! we are going to DIGHA..taxi booking done"...Even though i was tired,but i pounced on the opportunity and at 3 am we headed to DIGHA.
Its abt 130 km from kharagpur..and takes about 3 hrs to reach DIGHA.Through the foggy night me,khadgi,skm,akm,mohit we 5.... did all kind of bhaat and by 6 am early morning we were at new DIGHA beach(Thankfuly we made the right choice..old digha beach is not that great ...as that is not a beach anymore....!)
We had football and cricket gear with us ...also i think DIGHA is one of the most picturesque beach i have ever been to..weather was just ideal ..
After watching the sunrise at 6 am and breakfast ...we played football for arnd 2 hrs....by 8 am we had perhaps tried all the ways to play football..so as to conserve our energy levels.After the footer we headed for a drinks(narial-paani) break and resumed to play cricket till 9:30...By 9:30 we were all sweating and ready to take a plunge(Some chic/aunty group was also in the waters now..reminding us that water is now ideal to take a plunge in).
As i am the only guy in the group who perhaps has had the luxury of most exposure to females/relationships..so barring me everybody wanted to dive in the ocean.I joined the wagon and we played bit of ball throwing,swimming and floating(using tubes) in the water.The greatest thing about the sea is that u have waves...which provide u with the enormous pleasure,whenever they thud against your body.
By 11 am most of the ppl baaring me were shivering..so we came out took a sun bath and by 12 we were again in the water ..this time we identified another grp from kgp and then started a fierce round of water polo..mohit(being the only person who is a decent swimmer,was our ace striker!)...we were totally exhausted by the end of the game(as ppl summoned all their reserve strength gained at kgp sitting idle :D ) and by 1 pm..we were tottering on our lags.
Ate lunch...and slept like babies under trees..cracking jokes etc....
Watched evening sunset and returned ...
By 9 pm we were at kgp..
I was so exhausted that even after a 12 hr sleep.... i can still feel a sweet ache in my body(and i call myself an athelete in my cv!!)..
Anyways it was a trip to remember and memories to cherish....infact that's what life is all about ...isn't it ?

posted by maxi @ 8:05 PM

how open minded am i ?

You Are 64% Open Minded

You are a very open minded person, but you're also well grounded. Tolerant and flexible, you appreciate most lifestyles and viewpoints. But you also know where you stand firm, and you can draw that line. You're open to considering every possibility - but in the end, you stand true to yourself.

posted by maxi @ 12:53 PM

placements!

So what is the thing that fuells a youngster to get in to IIT ...prepare for JEE...burning the midnight oil and making a lot of sacrifices in due course...
The answer is the quest for a secure and bright future.......
I will suggest all the ppl who really care about their first placements....Don't come IIT Kharagpur as it follows a philosophy of not allowing companies with non-India operations to recruit(the rule is better phrased as -'Dedicated to service of nation and damning students to worse!').....
Two rub salt on the wounds ....placements at IITKGP started on 5th december as compared to 1st dec at IITM ,3rd dec at IITB,IITG and 4th dec at IITR.I haven't seen a more student unfriendly approach anywhere.
Anyways this debate can go and on ...but the soul purpose of this post is my experiences of the placement process and some of my first interviews in my life !
First of all i would like to suggest that there is no better show than "The Apprentice" ,if u want to learn the art of selling urself along with all real life education ofcourse!
At IIT kharagpur,we generally send our CVs prior to company visit by mail (about 10-15 days in advance).Then a shortlist is sent by company based on CVs and then in-campus selection process of shortlisted candidates begins on D-date.
Fortunately,During the horrendus 9th semester i poured whole 2 days to get my CV up-to-date and appealing......... i tried to compress info as much as i can in 2 pages . I even prepared a 1-page version of my CV.I must say that i have done a lot of work in last 4 years and that is clearly evident from my CV (i didn't realise this before and was even wondering ..what to write in my CV?Will I be able to even fill 1-page?)....though fortunatley,i have kept myself away from all posts and politics but i have managed to participate and win a lot of events in my life.
The result was that,i was shortlisted for almost every comapany,i applied for ....(barring Fair Issac) for on-campus selection process.
Generally at IIT it is the norm that good companies try to come as early as possible ...so by the 5th day if u aren't lucky to end up with a job ...then in high probability u have mised ur dream job(though i agree some exceptions are there!)
So on 0th day(5th dec) i was shortlisted for two firms-HLL(FMCG firm) and a leadingInvestment bank.....now i knew beforehand that i have very slim chance of making it to HLL but a fair chance at other.Here are the descriptions of the selection process with both the firms:

HLL : At 8:30 pm sharp they wanted to have a GD at VGSOM.I didn't sleep properly the night before with anxiety and anticipation.
Also i was preparing for ibank till 3 am...but as soon as i wore my formals for the first time in morning ...i felt confident and energitic.I had zero expectations from HLL(as i am computer science graduate)...so i decided to follow a zero pressure approach....Pleasently,i found MSR Swati is also there for interview(i wouldn't say that i have crush on this girl...but she is considered among the best beauties on-campus :) )....So i asked HLL rep to put me in the same panel as her ...we were given a topic for GD 'Organic vs Inorganic'.....It was hilarious ......i was applauding each and every point made by miss swati and HLL guy was looking at me unbelievingly that this guy is flirting with a gal in the first GD of his life !!
Anyways ....HLL only took 2 ppl finally (as is their history!)....and i was kinda happy that i have removed the first obstacle between me and ibank.......

Ibank:There were three profiles for which that ibank came to our campus.
Fixed income analytics--involves soft skills
Exotic derivatives--didn't have an iota of idea..what's this all about!!
Real estate--(they didn't even tell in their notice that this kinda profile exists!So the lucky ppl who forgot to fill the profile ...got this !!)

Anyways given my track record,i decided to go with FIA...which was my best bet (as of lot of other computer science students)!!The competition was fierce in this profile as compared other profiles..due to two simple reasons....First,this was a well defined profile with its head of operations also coming in for interviews...Secondly,Lot of talented,high cg ppl from comp sc,mathematics and exceptional soft skills were shortlisted here !The ratio of the number of ppl appearing to finally selected was lowest in this profile eventually .....and I think this was the profile where really the cream ppl were shortlisted as compared to other profiles where recruitment process was not very convincing ....i thnk i had the lowest cgpa among the all candidates shortlisted....but i knew it doesn't matter anymore ...it all boils down to who performs best during the interviews.I was confident that i will fare well during interviews ....as i like to think that i have good knowledge of OOP and prog lang like C++ and Java and more importantly, i was prepared.
I sailed through first interview with the head and controlled the interview for most part!The interview lasted mere 8 minutes to be precise !We were told this is going to be the last inetrview ....so i was kinda relaxed thinking that i got thru but life always spring surprises and that's where its charm lies......after half an hr ....phone rang ...we(me and dhali) were at cheddis eating maggi confident that we got thru....they called us for another round of interview called HR interview !
So finally 8 ppl were shortlisted among arnd 30 ppl for second round of interviews with 5 cs ppl,3 maths and one aerospace.....ibank has a philosophy of diversity ...
So my probability was 1/5 of getting selected finally
The 2nd interview was kinda unexpected and Dhali went first inside unexpectedly ...he came out of the interview room ...visually ruffled and hassled ....he told me---'I don't know an iota about finance and neither do u......i think this is a wasted opprtunity!'....My heart sank ..but my best friend helped me yet again ....he told me the uncomfortable questions he was asked and suggested me to atleast get those answers before embarking on HR interview process.........
Fortunately ,i had phone number of Ashish Gupta who is working at ibank and was my btech batchmate(I am a dual that means i will get a btech and mtech both at the end of 5 years !)....I rang him at 1 am....got him out of bed and asked all about his job......put all the data in the ram of my brain and went in ........................
I did OK during the interview(I will post interview details some day later)....and by the time i came out i was about 90% sure that i have made it !
My batteries by the end of day were all worn put and at 3 am i was feeling like a zombie in formals ! I came back to my room and slept anxiosuly.....At 6 am my phone rings....i picked up phone after only one ring despite in deep sleep(i was anticipating that ibank might give a call to me!!),but it was Mithun.....he asked me whether i would like to go to see the final results ..I was too tired to get up...as there were two other firms on 6th december .....so following my philosphy of zero expectations,maximum happiness....i told him-"umm......i am feeling sleepy...i have another company at 8:30 am ...for god's sake lemme sleep else i am gonna die today".....
At 6:30 am my phone rang again and i heard angelic voice of my best friend-"i am in front of notice board .....U have been SELECTED!!!!"
My joy knew no bounds ....i asked him-"what about u ?".....his reply came a terse negative ...so i felt a bout of disappointment ....we have been together for 5 years now ....and now we will have to get seperated....anyways He got placed in MIcrosoft a day later ......and i wish him very best knowing very well that he deserves absolutely best in this world !!He is someone i really admire (and i admit myself ....i think i admire perhaps noone else in this world !)......
So I landed a job of my dream...investment banking ...finance...software.....bombay(my fav city)....in front of IITB(the greatest hub of pirated entertainement in the world :D )......and absoultely minimum stress during placements ofcourse (I was lucky enough to get placed on 1st day afterall ! )
I take this opportunity to thank the almighty who couldn't have written the script of my life any better ....my family for their unflagging support and faith during tough times,when i was doubting my own abilities...and finally to my best friend Mithun for these wonderful 5 years and his inputs and teachings(which he has unknowingly imparted to me :D )......

posted by maxi @ 10:49 PM

So what's next in life?

hmm i was waiting for this from the time, i set first foot at this dreaded place !

I came here with zero knowledge about computers and leaving perhaps with my knowledge bag a touch more than full....i also learnt a lot about myself ...my limitations and the strategies which work best for me in the game of life ...personally on emotional level,i think i haven't changed much.
I am still a cold-hearted guy thanks to refusal to my first proposal 15 years(This means i was 8 at that time !) back in life and "true love" in my heart has died.....may be it will rise like phoenix some day ...u never know ...and i never bet against surprises in life :D !!
Well i had a lot of things going on,in my mind some months back !
I was torn between being a software engineeer then a manager and finally an enterpreneur and the other choice an IAS....I think i have arrived at a decision......

I have dropped idea of being an IAS... primarily because i like to believe that i am a honest men specially with money meant for poor ppl....and in my lifetime its difficult for me to see Indian beuraucracy undergoing seachange....and i don't see a way i am goiing to fit-in(ofcourse...i am assuming i have capability to clear UPSC :D)...What this will do that i will be transferred from one place to other all my lifetime...These observations are based on meeting with two DMs...
and I think i will not be happy to be in their seats!

I will like to be in field of finance for the rest of my life ....I have even started to think about a long term plan...I would like to do an MBA within 5 years from now(preferably ISB or thru GMAT)..though i am not against CAT as well...but somehow i feel i will be wasting my time studying in India for two years.
I am looking forward to join ibank and prior to that i will have a fair understanding of their derivatives market working ..thanks to the risk management course and financial mgmt this sem.I am also planning to get NCFM certification prior to joining them in 4-5 modules atleast.
I have a plan that while working for ibank, i will be in great position to prepare for CFA.....In three years i should be able to landup with CFA certifiaction....(but that will require some smart time management!).....by the end of 2-3 years from now i would like to get admission in a very good B-School and i want to study finance/investment banking ....So in 5-6 years time from now if i plan correctly and play all my moves correctly....I should be having the most sought after qualifiactions in the world.......I know these are mere dreams ...but are very feasible ....After all if u don't dare to dream ...u won't be able to realise them ...
finally after 5-6 years after that ....i would like to start-up a new firm(hopefully by then i might have lot of networking and ample amount of experience,robustness to fuel that start-up to life !!)...So conclusively, by investing 10-12 years of my life,I am just increasing my odds of succeeding ..by investing time to collect the relevant tools (btw i am 23 now)!
Don't u think my dreams are nothing but larger than life??But i sincerely believe if u dare to dream and put hardwork along with zeal and enthusiasm....You can get the most precious pearl from the deepest depth of the ocean-- called world !
The ultimate aim of my life is to bring a seachange to masses of ppl in India ...I really want to do something for them and i think in this way i should be able to bring change to ppl lives and make a difference....I see a lot of selfish corporate houses in India presently ....they might be giving employment and wages, but that's their need as well ...so i don't see that they are doing some generous work .....Basically that's generosity produced from corporate selfishness....
I am not saying that i won't be selfish ....but i will care for those ppl as well ,who might not be my employees....I want to change the face of india at its grass-root levels i.e villages...but it all boils down finally to population control...Definitely will be doing something positive to tackle this problem in future(may be a massive campaign.....bombarding all forms of media.....helping to pass a law....anything anything .....stop this population from rising!!)
I think my ultimate motive is as noble as can be thought.I am willing to do hardwork.I am willing to remain humble.I am willing to do all what it takes.Oh Lord!Give me the strength and fate to realise these seemingly impossible dreams !

posted by maxi @ 6:44 PM