As We Go On

“It’s kinda funny how life can change. Can flip 180 in a matter of days...” -BLUE

Our life is a journey, and it is what we make it to be. We draw up a course for ourselves; deciding, planning, contemplating, and taking determined steps into the future. But sometimes, life chooses to make changes on its own. Once in a while, it alters its course from the usual, and decides to take an unexpected turn. These changes break our mundane routines, and come as pleasant or unpleasant surprises. Either way, an unexpected challenge or change thrown at us by life causes us some excitement, urges us to be creative, and teaches us to think on our feet. Sometimes these changes are welcoming, but sometimes we don’t know what it has in store for us.

Such was my opportunity to be associated with a multinational IT company. I was a student from a humanist stream of study, and I strongly believed against the IT industry. I disliked everything I knew about this industry; the centralised air-conditioning and the high energy consumption that led to global warming, the idea of Indians succumbing to become cheap labour for rich foreign countries, the Indian education being wasted away on thousands of youngsters who made no direct contribution to the welfare of their own country.

However, life, it seemed, had other plans for me. And so, there was an unexpected turn of events, and I spent two years at an IT company as a Technical Writer. The experience wasn’t completely as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, a lot of things were very different from what I had imagined them to be. Maybe this was what life wanted to show me.

Recorded below are two of my diary entries (written at a point when I tried to keep a diary). These entries are from way back in November 2010. I chanced upon them yesterday; more than two years after they were written, on the very day after I left my job at this company.  To say the least, I was amused at reading these after such a long time. So I decided to share them here, even though it is a page out of my personal diary.

21/11/2010 23:50 pm

Sleepy. Annoyed. Been lazy all day. Tomorrow, in college, Cognizant Technology Solutions is coming for campus recruitment. Post of Technical Writer – now I have no idea what that is. Not many from class are interested, but our HOD wants us to take it up for ''exposure's sake"! Grr..

I don't mind taking the exam, but the interview! I don't think I am ready for that. I still haven't prepared my Resume. I’m sitting in front of my computer for that now. And I soooooooo want to just sleep! I know this is last minute work, but I'm just blaming others for it. GOD, please forgive me... I know I say it all the time. I always decide to behave myself and be the best I can be, but I seem to be losing my trials. I can't give up. I know I'm close to winning, I'm trying hard. That is a good sign, but I don't know for how long my mortal being can stand the test. With God's help, I know I'll run my race, win my crown...but I need to hurry up! Help...

22/11/2010 evening

HA ha ha!!!!!!!!! I can't believe this! I got the Cognizant job!

Went without a resume or any preparation. I took the first exam with the whole class because our HOD forced us to. It was an aptitude test and there were 55 analytical questions to solve in an hour's time. It was a tough paper, considering that as students of English we were not used to such questions. But it turned out that most of us cleared that level. After much thought, I decided to take up the four consecutive tests that followed (my friends abandoned me here), JUST FOR KICKS, to see if I’ll get through. Each one of those tests was 20 minutes long. On the basis of our performance in these four tests, 20 of us were chosen to face an interview. Prior to the interview, an orientation programme was conducted on the nature of our jobs. I sat with Pooh through this session, and so I could manage without falling asleep on my chair! By the way, Pooh and a few of her classmates from the Vis.com department were there after having written a selection test for the post of Graphic Designer. Yea, so the whole session was too much for me to take; my head was whirring after all that hurried thinking for test after test that we had to take, and my hands were limp with all that writing. But I somehow managed through the session as the guy heading it (a certain Ram, married to an ex-WCCiite) was not so boring. We were given a short lunch break after this orientation, and then the interviews commenced. Surprising my own self, I remained calm and free from nerves before, through, and after the interview. It went like a breeze (the interview) and in the end, in another of God's amazing miracles, I ended up with the job, offer letter in hand!”

I’m sorry I didn’t make an entry to record how I decided to take up the job, or how I spent my first day at work. I guess I had thrown away the habit by then. But oh, well! That’s life, isn’t it? ;)