Jubilation

[Warning: This post is kind of very long. I just couldn't help myself :-)]

It’s been almost 50 days since I last blogged. I have many stories to tell, like how I never got down to studying, how we never gave the CCNA exams, how I couldn’t clear DE Shaw’s written test, etc. But one story overshadows them all. And that’s the one I’m gonna tell.

Goldman Sachs visited the Thapar Technology Campus on 8th and 9th October (Friday and Saturday). The written test was conducted on Friday morning, by the same company who had conducted the TI preliminary test. There were 35 objective questions (25 aptitude and 10 technical), followed by 2 algorithm writing questions and a short essay. After a minor fiasco (which cannot be detailed here), I managed pretty well with the written test and expected to clear it. The topic for the essay was “A venture capitalist has `4000 crores, propose a business plan”. I proposed that he start a chain of gaming arcades :D.

The PPT was held in the evening. Before the presentation started, each student was handed a booklet about the company. The look and feel of the booklets was amazing, enough to get us keyed up. The team finally walked in at around 5. One of the members of the group was a white man called George, and that was enough to get the audience excited.

After saying what he had to say, George started asking questions.
George: How many of you know how to program in C?
[No hand goes up. The audience probably didn’t catch what he said]
George: Okay, I guess C is obsolete now. How about C++?
[A few hands go up. There’s still doubt among the audience]
George: Java? SQL?
[Finally we catch on, and a lot of hands go up]
George: There you go.

At the end, a 3rd year girl asked a question.
Girl: Sir, what exactly will be our work?
George: [Propping up his fingers as if he’s typing] You’ll code!

---

I’ll be honest. When the notice for Goldman Sachs got put up outside the placement cell, I was unsure of even appearing for the company. I wanted to go into proper technical work, so a financial firm seemed like a bad option. I’m glad I gave my name anyway. The PPT erased all my doubts. If I got selected, I would be creating new things and working with technology, just like I wanted to.

The written test results were announced late in the evening. 24 people had been shortlisted. I got through. The remainder of the process for NAPA (New Associate Programmer Analyst) candidates was to be conducted on the next day, while the interviews for internship applicants started straight away. Like Juniper, I had some time to prepare myself. I chose to start spending that time by watching an episode of Criminal Minds (Do check out the series. Pretty awesome :D). Once again, I made a list of things I wanted to study. And once again, I ended up sleeping even before starting.

I woke up early on Saturday morning. Like 5 AM. That’s really early. I started reading through interview questions from a website (which didn’t help much in the end). My list had impossible things like “Revise Java” and “Review projects”. Before I knew it, it was 8 AM – time to get ready. I put on the same shirt I had for my Juniper interview.
I’ll tell you a secret: I had bought the shirt over a year ago. Ever since I’d set eyes on it, I knew it would be my “placement shirt”. I wore it for my project presentation last year, and that went awesome. I let the “placement shirt” idea slip to Harry once, and he had a good time making fun of me, saying that you can wear only plain shirts for placements. Turns out he was wrong. You can wear any shirt you like :-).

So, the day’s process started with a “group exercise” at 9 AM. There were 2 groups of 12 people each. Just like Juniper, the process started almost on time. But that was to be expected from a company like Goldman Sachs.
Scenario: Seven people are stranded on a lifeboat. You’re given the profiles of 6 of them. You’re the 7th, and you have to nominate a captain and a vice-captain out of the 6. Discuss, and determine who should be nominated.
We were given 15 minutes to read and make notes, and then 30 minutes to discuss. The discussion gave rise to quite a few funny moments. Most of the guys kept referring to a certain Sue as a “he” and one of the guys got stuck on “a process of elimination”. Some of the participants (like Harry) hardly spoke at all. But in the end, we were able to reach a conclusion, and the evaluators seemed happy with that. Later, we learnt that the other group hadn’t been able to reach a consensus. Also, one of the guys there kept referring to Sue as “Sui”. LOL.
Only two people were eliminated after the group exercise. The interviews started shortly afterwards. I’m usually pretty nervous before an interview, but once I enter the room a sense of calm sweeps over me and I somehow manage to think straight.

[Disclaimer: I've included some of the technical details of the interviews. Those not interested, just skim over :P]

---

My first interview was with George.
Excerpts –

G = George [Interviewer]
P = Pulkit
[G is British, imagine the accent yourself]

[P follows G into an interview chamber. They shake hands]
G: Sit down.
P: Thanks, sir! [Puts his certificate folder on the desk]
G: [Pointing to the side of the desk] Not needed!
[P, smiling, puts his folder away]
[G is looking at P’s resume. P is waiting nervously]

G: So, you gave the National Cyber Olympiad. What is that, exactly?
P: Sir, it’s an exam to test a candidate’s awareness about computers. [P has a silver merit certificate in the Cyber Olympiad]
G: Okay, very nice. What about the Maths Olympiad?
P: I did give it, sir, but I didn’t have a very good rank.
G: What was your rank?
P: I don’t remember sir.. maybe around 2000.
G: Okay. That’s not too good. [P smiles sheepishly]

[G is making detailed notes of P’s answers]
G: You had a rank in the IIT-JEE. Why did you choose to come to Thapar?
P: Sir, I had made up my mind that I wanted to study Computer Science. I simply chose the best institute which was offering CS.
G: Very good.

G: Okay, Pulkit. Have you implemented a recursive function to generate a Fibonacci series before?
P: No sir.
G: Okay, then, do it for me.
[P thinks for a while, then starts writing the function. He starts with int fibonacci(int n) ]
G: Very good! You’ve made the right start. Most people don’t even get the prototype right.
[It takes a while and G’s help, but P is eventually able to answer the question]

[G asks P a few other standard questions, which P knows already]

G: Why Goldman Sachs?
P: Sir, I’ve thought about this. My primary concern was being able to do creative work. Initially, I had doubts over working in a financial company, but in your PPT I got to know that you make software for yourself, create synchronization solutions and databases, etc. Goldman will give me a perfect blend of good work and a good work life.

G: Okay. Do you know about Object Oriented Programming?
P: Yes, sir.
G: Assume that there are a number of shapes, and you have to find the total area of all the shapes. How will you proceed?
P: We will take a general class called “Shape”, and specific classes implementing various shapes can inherit from this class.
G: All right. Now how will you calculate area?
P: We will have an area function that can be overridden in the inheriting classes.
G: Write me the prototype to that function.
P: [Starts writing] “float area(___________)” - Now that’s the tricky part, sir. What will the parameters be?
G: You tell me!
P: [Thinks about it] Each of the shapes will have different parameters. Umm.. maybe the perimeter of the figure?
G: Come on! [Unsaid: “You can do better than that”]
P: [Thinks some more. Suddenly it strikes him] Sir, the area function will have no arguments. The specifics required to calculate the area of each shape will be available in the inheriting classes.
G: You got it!

G: All right, Pulkit. I’m impressed! Wait outside, and we’ll call you in again.

First round cracked. Bawa sir had said that we could face up to seven interviews, so I wasn’t too hopeful of getting through, but clearing an interview certainly gave me some confidence. The interview lasted around 40 minutes. When I got out of the room, the crowd had thinned considerably.
“Where’re the others?” I asked Harry. “They’ve been sent back,” he said.

---

My second interview was with Umesh. He seemed pretty impressive during the PPT, and I was looking forward to interacting with him. He lead me to one of the rooms in the Alumni Cell. The interview turned out not to be too pleasant after all. I don’t remember much of this interview.

Excerpts -

U = Umesh [Interviewer]
P = Pulkit

U: Tell me about yourself.
P: [Stupidly] Sir, what would you like to know?
U: Tell me generally.
P: Sir, I’ve been coding since Class 11th, and I really love to create new things. My hobbies are football, quizzing, and I love reading and writing.
[U is expressionless]

[U asks P a few technical questions, which he is able to answer satisfactorily, but not too well]

U: Write a piece of code to print odd numbers.
P: [Confused. The questions seems too easy] That’s it, sir? Simple odd numbers? [Maybe he thinks I’m stupid]
U: Yeah.
[P writes the code correctly]

U: What is your favourite subject?
P: Networks.
U: You’re giving conflicting answers. You say that you wanted to study Computer Science, and you say your favourite subject is networks.
P: [Confused] Yes, sir?
U: Maybe that’s because you have a very good teacher for networks.
P: [Smiling. P actually smiles a lot] Yes, sir.
U: Well, Networks is not Computer Science. Some other subject you like?
[P is at a loss. He hasn’t thought about an alternate answer to this question, and under pressure he is not even able to remember all the subjects he’s studied. LOL]
P: [Finally] Sir, Operating Systems.
U: Okay. What have you studied in operating systems?
P: Scheduling, caching, paging, etc.
U: Okay. What all operating systems have you used?
P: Sir, Windows obviously, and Linux to an extent.
U: What differences did you find between Windows and Linux?
P: [Stupidly] Sir the Windows is much more user friendly. The GUI is much more easy to use..
U: [Cuts him short] Even a kid can tell me that. I’m asking for a technical perspective.
[P is embarrassed. Luckily, U’s phone rings and he steps out for a minute. When he returns, P is able to give a better answer, though it is still not very good]

U: What is your strength?
P: Sir, I like to code. I like to create things.
U: Anyone can take a 2 months course at NIIT and learn how to code. What’s so special about that?
[P stays silent]
U: Okay, what languages do you know?
P: Sir, I know C and C++. Plus I made my project in Java.
[U asks P a few questions, which he’s not able to answer straight away, but he manages to answer them after hints from U]

U: You’ve not been able to give me very good answers.
P: Sir, it’s just that it has been a long time since I’ve studied these things.
U: What long time? It’s been 15 years since I passed out of college.
P: [Bravely] Sir, I assure you. I know my stuff, it just needs some brushing up.

U: Okay, it was nice talking to you.
[P shakes hands with U and leaves]

I took a gamble when I said “I know stuff, just needs brushing up". My interview wasn’t good by any standards, it was mostly bad. I was certain I would be kicked out. It lasted 40 odd minutes, and by the time I came out, the crowd had thinned further. At the end of the second round, only 7 people remained.

I made it.

---

Almost every one of the remaining candidates were called for their third interview before me. I was clearly among the least probable of the remaining candidates.
The third interview was being conducted by a panel of two people. When mine started, only one person was in the room. My fears were confirmed. I was on the verge of being eliminated.

Excerpts -

N = Nataraj [Interviewer]
P = Pulkit

N: Tell me about yourself.
[P gives the same answer he gave to U]
N: So, you like reading and writing, huh.
P: Yes, sir, quite a lot. [P tells N that he is the Editor-in-Chief of the college newsletter, and also about a writing project he has taken up with some friends. N seems impressed]

[N asks P a few puzzle questions, which P answers. It’s obvious that P already knows the answers to these puzzles]

N: How will you make a random number generator?
P: [Harry had been asked the same question, but he had not been able to answer it correctly. He did give P some ideas though] Sir, we could use addresses as they’re pretty random.
[N shakes his head. P himself gives an argument as to why that’s the wrong approach]
N: Okay, I’ll give you a hint. Use the environment.
P: [Thinking] Sir, maybe we could manipulate the CPU utilization at any given instant.
[Once again, N shakes his head, and P gives an argument refuting his own idea]
[Suddenly, something strikes P]
P: Sir, we could use the system clock, as it keeps changing continuously.
[N says nothing, simply moves on to the next question]

N: How will you represent a dictionary in memory?
[P proposes a couple of ideas and discusses them with N. N leaves P with a question to think over. P tries to think, but he’s feeling cold. He wishes he could switch the AC off. N comes back after 5 minutes with another guy, who’s name P couldn’t catch. P is confident again]

A = Second Interviewer
[They discuss the dictionary representation for a while. P proposes a database, the “trie” data structure. The interviewers propose a binary search tree]

[After a while, they discuss complexities. P is not very comfortable with complexities, the interviewers can see that. To check his basics, they ask him to arrange some complexities in descending order, which P manages. Then they discuss the complexities of the various representations of the dictionary, and with their help P is able to answer the questions]

[They ask P about virtual functions. U had asked the same question, P had not been able to answer satisfactorily. Luckily, U had given P the answer, so he managed to answer it here]

A: [Draws a linked list] How will you reverse a linked list?
P: Sir, I once read a recursive function to reverse a linked list. [He tells them about the function]
A: We want you to think afresh. How could you do it in a different way?
[P thinks for a while, and is able to develop an iterative way of solving the problem. The discussion turns to complexities again, P manages somehow]

A: Okay, that’s all from us Pulkit. Do you have any questions for us?
P: Sir, I was wondering about your working hours?
A: [Sarcastically]: We won’t let you sleep.
[P grins]
A: Seriously, we work 9 hours a day including lunch. During project submission deadlines, etc, it may be longer.
P: Of course, sir. And do you have a dress code?
A: Yes. Jeans are not allowed, but we don’t insist on ties and blazers. Our dress code is what we call “business casuals”.
P: Okay. Your setup is in Bangalore, right?
N: Yes. Any issues with relocation to Bangalore?
P: No, sir. In fact, I grew up in Hyderabad, so..
A: Okay, that’s it Pulkit. It was nice talking to you.
[P shakes hands with A and N, and leaves the room]

As soon as I left the room I had a feeling that I’d done well. I was sort of all smiles. But of course, I couldn't be sure.

---

The team conferred among themselves for a while. George came out at some point, asking for the chaiwala.

We were waiting outside the placement cell for around half an hour before the results were announced. Mohit(he got through DE Shaw) was waiting with us. He made a deal with us. He said, “You’ll get through. Just promise me that you’ll give me half of whatever gifts they give you”. I made the deal. So did Aseem. We were the only ones who got through.

When I heard my name I felt jubilation, a sense of pure joy, and a certain pride. This had to be the biggest achievement of my life so far. I felt like pointing and the world and saying, “Look! I did it!”.

They called us in for a few minutes. “Guys, don’t look so tense, this is not a practical joke! You really got through,” said Anuj (He was the HR person). We smiled a little. Everyone congratulated us, gave us some feedback, and wished us luck. Umesh said, “This is the only time in your lives you can study basics. Don’t miss this chance.” Anuj said we would receive email communication very soon, and goodie bags would be sent to us. He gave us his card, which is awesome btw. They decided that they wanted to take us, the placement coordinators, and the interns out to dinner! Awesome guys, nay?

As I called home to give them the good news, George and Anuj requested those who weren’t selected not to be disheartened, saying that they all had amazing careers in front of them.

After many congratulations, endless kicks to the behind, and everyone insisting on calling me “Goldman”, we made it to dinner. It was an awesome experience, interacting informally with my future employers. They insisted that we ordered for everyone. I had a mug of beer with George and Umesh. They told us many stories (which I’m not going to discuss here). We got to know more about them, and they about us. We had a fun time guessing their ages :D. Umesh raised a toast to us new recruits. The evening was capped off with a group photograph.

When I finally returned to my room, I was really tired. It had been a LONG day, but also probably the happiest day of my life. I felt.. satisfied. I slept like a log that night.

And that, friends, is the story of how I got a job.

Awesomeness

I always used to think that a placement must be a paradigm-shifting experience, an event which would totally change the outlook of a person. Mine is not really a placement, maybe that’s why I don’t feel radically different. But one thing is for sure: my self-belief has returned. I have started dreaming again.

The Juniper induced high continued through the weekend. I (sub)consciously dropped all my immediate study plans. A natural consequence of securing the internship, perhaps.

Time seemed to slow down. I had a tremendous positive energy within me. After a long time I wanted to do things. I felt awesome! But of course, I am a lazy guy. I knew it would be some time before I would actually do anything, so I just relaxed and lazed around, trying to retain the positivity.

I had dinner with some of my closest friends at The Baradari Palace, a heritage hotel in Patiala. It was awesome. We got quite late while returning, so the hostel’s main entrance was closed. We could either jump over a railing and enter, or walk around the hostel and use the side entrance. Of course, we chose to jump. This led to one of the funniest moments in recent memory.

Kishore: Yaar, guard aa jayega.. [The guard will spot us]
Nitin: Arey, toh kya ho gaya? Guard se darrta hai kya? [So what? Are you afraid of the guard or what?]
Nitin: [shouting at the top of his voice] GUARD! HUM TAAP RAHE HAIN! [Guard, we’re jumping over the railing]

All of us burst out laughing. It took us quite a while to stop. And no, the guard didn’t come :P.

---

The week was passing in a lazy and mundane manner. I was attending as many classes as I could (without taking in a word the teachers said). I spent most of my free time trying to decide what to do, or lying on my bed.

On Monday evening, we had a pizza party in celebration of Lovneet’s placement. Placing the order with Dominos was an interesting exercise. We broke up the order into three parts to ensure that we would be eligible for the 30 minute guarantee, but alas the delivery was on time :P.

On Tuesday, a few friends and I decided that we would give the CCNA Module 3 exams two days later. Of course, we didn’t LOL. But yeah, that’s one thing on my to-do list which I’ll get to quite soon.

Finally things got exciting on Wednesday. It was Pertesh’s birthday, and he came to Patiala to give us a treat (how nice of him)! He had an eye infection, so his right eye was covered with medical cotton and he wore dark sunglasses. Everyone kept looking at him funnily. He was asked “What happened?!” at least 20 times in front of me. Despite his best efforts, he hadn’t able to find a pirate style eye-patch anywhere. LOL.

That evening everyone else was busy with something else, so it was just me and Pertesh. Conversation –

Pertesh: Lets go play Xbox.
Pulkit: [excited] What? Where?
Pertesh: What, you don’t know? There’s an arcade on the Tagore road.
Pulkit: How could I not know this?
Pertesh: Haan, nalayak [Yes, idiot]. Tujhe 3 saal ho gaye yahan, aur itna nahi pata? Humne toh first year me hi dhoond liya tha [You’ve been here for 3 years, and you don’t know about the arcade? We found it in our first year itself!].
Pulkit: [really excited now]Let’s go! Let’s go!

So, we went. At first, we weren’t able to find it. “It may have closed down,” Pertesh said. But eventually, we did find it. Three years I’d been in Patiala, and never before had I been so excited about something. How could I not know about this place?! The place was basically a small room with around 15 screens and consoles somehow crammed into it, along with a fridge full of cokes. We played FIFA Street 3 for an hour. It was AWESOME! When we left, I vowed to come back again. Gunjeet and Karan joined us for dinner, which was awesome too.

Whenever I go out with Pertesh, we take a walk through the campus and visit the Peer Baba shrine on the road behind the girls’ hostels. It was very nice doing that again after such a long time.

That night we watched ‘The School of Rock’, the first episode of ‘Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’, and the most awesome ‘How I Met Your Mother’ of all time, ‘The Playbook’. It was almost 4 AM by the time I finally slept. Awesome day. (I noticed that I use ‘awesome’ a lot. Can’t help it, after all, I’m awesome :P)

This was the first of three nights in a row when I had something with alcohol in it, but more on that later. Ciao!

Placement Updates

Texas Instruments (TI) visited the Thapar Technology Campus on 24th August (Tuesday). A preliminary online test was conducted on Monday by people from Hire Pro Solutions. The level of the test was much below what you would expect from a highly reputed company like TI. I had no interest in the company after securing the Juniper internship, so I scrapped the test. I actually solved most of the questions and deliberately marked the wrong options. LOL.

The PPT was held on Tuesday. I didn’t attend it, but I heard it was not as awesome as expected. They kept talking about some product of theirs. After conducting interviews the whole day, they selected 3 students from ECE. None from CS/EIC. The rumour mill was abuzz with questions being raised about the genuineness of the selections. I tend to stay away from all that.

---

Nagarro visited the campus on 26th August (Thursday). Once again, I had submitted my name before Juniper so I had to sit for it. Once more, I made my way to the auditorium at 9 am in the morning, but without any enthusiasm whatsoever. Luckily, Bawa sir announced right at the start that those uninterested could withdraw, as the number of candidates was too high. And luckily, I decided not to stay for the PPT because apparently ‘the’ Nagarro, headquartered in ‘the Atlantica’, provides ‘the’ fun work environment. I will say no more.

---

Lovneet and Shruti got placed at Grail Research. It was sort of a job they really wanted, so I’m really happy for them!

Delight

Juniper Networks visited the Thapar Technology Campus on 19^th August (Thursday).

The PPT and written test had been rescheduled from the 20^th. I’d spent most of Wednesday busy with MMT’s ‘rigorous’ process. I sort of wanted a break, so I spent Thursday morning watching an episode of Sherlock (new series, worth checking out) and constantly checking my phone for any news of the result. A part of me was expecting (hoping) to get through MMT. I wasn’t really looking forward to Juniper. I was perhaps not too keen on a networks company, or maybe I just thought that because in truth I was not prepared enough.

Anyhow, Harry (who was very very very keen on Juniper) and I made our way to the college. The PPT was delayed by a couple of hours because of some miscommunication, so we waited around. By the time it finally began, I had my customary headache. I expected it to be another dull affair, but was pleasantly surprised by the professionalism of the team from Juniper. The presentation was brief yet informative, and the people who spoke were crisp yet friendly (and they made no English mistakes :P). It was a very nice experience.

Next, the written test began. 50 (15 aptitude and 35 technical) questions in 1 hour. The aptitude questions were of a good level, but solvable. The technical part (apart from C) was on another level altogether. At the end of it, I thought I’d done pretty well and might get through. That’s when the confusion started. MMT’s result had still not been declared, and I could not afford to take two non-dream placements (Even though Juniper was only offering an internship program, rumour had it that it would still count as a placement). What to do? Gunjeet and I reached the conclusion that throwing the interview (if we got selected) would be the only viable option. I talked to my dad, trying to decide what to do, and the conversation ended with us discussing how to throw an interview. LOL. The result, as usual, took a little longer than expected. All that while, the uncertainty within us grew. Screw MMT – we thought. We almost wished that we wouldn’t get selected, as that would save us the trouble of deciding what to do. Harry, meanwhile, was almost ready to put on his formals. He was raring to go.

Finally, the results were announced. My name was on the list, but my interview was the next morning. I breathed a sigh of relief. More time to decide! Those who had their interviews on the same night (like Ujjawal) rushed to get ready. Me and Harry (who also had his interview in the morning) decided to do some scouting. I wanted talk to Bawa sir (he’s the placement coordinator) and clear up my situation. I managed to find him, and asked what would happen if I got through both MMT and Juniper. “Ab woh toh aap khud dekho,” he said, and walked off [You have to analyze that for yourself]. I was nervous and confused, asking everyone for advice and getting nothing useful. I managed to corner him again after a few minutes and asked a more specific question. “Sir, will Juniper count as a training or a placement?”
“It’ll count as a training,” he said.
“So that means I can still sit for dream companies, even if I get through MMT?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said, much to my delight. The problem had been solved. Like most problems, it had never existed in the first place.

I started to gear up for my interview, which involved bugging everyone who came out of the interview room what questions he/she had been asked. After I got a fair idea of what all I needed to revise (and solved a certain question which no one else seemed to be able to), I made my way back to the hostel. People (including me) had made elaborate study plans, with sleep nowhere in the picture. But I always value sleep and freshness more, so I sort of slept pretty soon after I got back :P.

I got up slightly early in the morning and studied for a couple of hours. I managed to cover pretty much everything I wanted to, and was feeling pretty confident. I dressed up in my neat formal clothes, and made my way to the interview with my folder. I was quite nervous by the time I left the hostel, luckily I found a few people to talk to along the way and managed to keep myself distracted. Somehow, I had a feeling that something very bad would happen.

When I walked into the placement cell (after borrowing a guy’s tie), I was pleasantly surprised to find that the proceedings were pretty much on schedule. Unusual. These people are really professional – I thought. After a few minutes, the PR on duty asked me to step into cabin 2. Here are excerpts from the interview –

V = Vineet (Interviewer 1, Technical)
A = Ashwin(Interviewer 2, HR)
P = Pulkit

[P walks in through the door]
P: Good afternoon, sir. [It’s 10 AM in the morning. LOL]
V: Hello, I’m Vineet. [Shakes hands]
A: Ashwin. [Shakes hands]
[P hands resume to V and puts folder on the desk. A walks out on some errand. A peon brings tea for A and V]
V: [Pointing at the tea] Err.. would you like some? I’m feeling weird having it without asking you.
P: No sir!
V: Ok. So, how did you find the test, Pulkit?
P: [A little nervous] It was... good, sir. The aptitude questions were challenging, and the technical paper was of a nice level. Quite difficult, actually.
V: Is it so? What do other companies normally do?
P: Just before you Make My Trip came. They had a 45 question aptitude test and a 15 question C based technical test.
V: Okay.

[V asks P a few technical questions, which P answers satisfactorily. P grows in confidence. A walks back in at some point, and starts intently observing P. V is reading P’s resume]

V: So, have you applied to Georgia Tech?
P: [A little confused] What... for MS?
V: Yeah, why else would you apply there for?
P: [smiles sheepishly] Sir, I do have higher education plans, but not in the immediate future. Maybe after a few years.
V: Why does everybody say that?
P: I consulted with my father, he’s an IT professional, and decided to wait. Right now, I don’t know in which area I really want to work. Perhaps after a few years of experience I can do my masters in a specific field.
[V seems satisfied with the answer]
A: What does your father do?
P: Sir, there’s a company called XYZ in Noida, he works there.

[A little while, some more questions and answers later]

V: Okay, Pulkit, let’s take up another problem.
P: Sure, sir.
V: I need you to draw three nodes of a linked list.
P: Does it have only three nodes?
V: No, it may have any number of nodes before and after these three.
P: Okay. [Draws the nodes]
V: Now suppose you’re given a pointer to the middle node, how would you delete it?
P: A pointer just to the middle node?
V: Okay, take that you’re given the head of the list too.
P: Then it would be easy, sir. We could traverse the list to the point where we reach the node in question, and delete it.
V: Yes. What would be the complexity?
P: [Thinks for a while] n, sir.
V: What if I asked you to do it in complexity 1?
[P is in a fix. He’s staring at the paper, trying to figure out what to do. He makes random mutterings once in a while. His mind wanders a couple of times. A is intently observing him. Almost 5 minutes pass]
V: Okay, I’ll give you a hint. Imagine what the list would look like after the node is deleted.
P: [Thinks for around 10 seconds. Has a look of triumph on his face] If we could just shift the next node sir!
V: Perfect! [The delight is apparent on his face].
[P is all smiles]
V: Okay, that’s it from my side, Pulkit. [To A] Do you have any questions?

[A asks P a few questions. P tells them about a writing project he has taken up with friends, and they seem to like it. A suggests P a book to read]

[The interview is almost over]

P: Your setup is in Bangalore, right?
V: Yes.
A: You comfortable with relocating to Bangalore?
P: Totally, sir! In fact, I’m looking forward to returning to the south. I grew up in Hyderabad.
A: Oh! Which school did you go to?
P: Chinmaya Vidyalaya.
A: Okay.
V: Well, that’s it, Pulkit.
A: You have no problem with relocating to Bangalore, right?
P: Not at all, sir.
[A hands P a Juniper tee shirt]
V: In fact, Ashwin, do you have another one? He answered my question yaar, give him two!
A: [Rummaging through a box] Yes, but it’s a girls’ one.
V: Give it to him, for his girlfriend.
[Everyone is all smiles]
V: Do you have a girlfriend?
P: [smiling sheepishly] I had one, a long time ago.
[P accepts the two tee shirts, shakes hands and walks out. He is smiling widely]

I attended a couple of classes in my formals, it was good fun. I was quite happy and expecting a positive result, but as usual I got nervous and started doubting myself within a few minutes.

The results were announced in a couple of hours. They collected the interview candidates in the CILP auditorium, and Vineet first gave a brief talk on the importance of academics, and urged those not selected not to be disheartened. Finally, Ashwin announced the results. A total of 10 people were selected, and mine was the first name on the list!

This was followed by high-fives and congratulations, smiling faces and photo sessions. I felt like I was flying and the world was at my feet. I felt like I could accomplish anything. It was pure joy. I almost stayed high throughout the day.

I’d never heard of “Juniper Networks” before the day their notice was put up. Much like I hadn’t heard of Thapar before I decided to come here. Now I’m glad I did hear of them, and how!

The Trip

Make My Trip (MMT), India visited the Thapar Technology Campus on 18th August.

Once again, eager and excited, the Computer Science students made their way to the campus. The PPT (Pre Placement Talk) was scheduled for 9 AM in the Convention Hall. I entered the refurbished hall and made my way to the back row with my friends (Making strategies to cheat is the 'in' thing during placement season, regardless of whether the plans succeed or not). There was something unusual that morning, but I couldn't quite make out what.

After a few minutes, someone from the row in front of us asked "Final year?".
"Haan,"[Yes] one of my friends replied.
"Kya ho raha hai idhar?"[What's happening here?]
"Yaar placement ke liye company aa rahi hai"[A company is coming for placements]

That seemed to get them excited. It turned out that they were first year students who were waiting for a class. A class in the C -Hall? - we thought - Who's that important? And in walked our very own Director, with a few underlings in tow. By this time there was a lot of confusion in the hall, but the Director was unfazed. He went ahead and set up his laptop, and one of the underlings started distributing attendance sheets. He probably didn't even notice that his class was fuller than usual. The PR (Placement Representative) went up to the Director and tried to explain the situation to him. Finally, the director took the mic and said, "I know many of you are here for Make My Trip or something, but all you're going to get is an hour of engineering mechanics. If that sounds good enough, stay, else..." And then the great exodus. LOL.

The PPT was finally held in the auditorium, delayed by a couple of hours. An HR person and a South Indian looking guy (it was discovered later that his last name was 'Singh') who said 'right' more than any other word bored us for a couple of hours. I actually tried to listen for a while, but not for too long.

At last, the time for the written test came. There had been rumors flying around about the pattern of the test (from a certain NSIT) and questions being disclosed, but I was unfazed. I was almost shivering with excitement. They had two rounds: A 25 minute aptitude test (which was child's play) and a 45 minute technical test (which was sort of child's play too). Results were to be declared in around half an hour, and the interviews were to start almost instantly after that. I had an idea that I might get through, so I rushed back to the hostel with a friend. We made a brilliant plan where we would have lunch, get ready (i.e put on the crisp new interview formals) and study for a while, all within that small span of time (of course it didn't work :P).

When the result was declared, it turned out that we were in fact shortlisted for the interview round, so we hurriedly put on our formals and rushed to college. By the time we got our resumes printed (yes, we do all things at the last possible moment) and reached the placement cell (that mysterious corner of the college where people get jobs) we were dripping with sweat. That's when I discovered that my interview wasn't scheduled for another hour (according to Indian Standard Time, that means I still had 2-3 hours to go). So I waited with the masses (around 35 people were shortlisted). At last my turn came. A friendly looking surd took my interview. He asked me a couple of technical questions, a logic puzzle, and something about my project. Shortly after, I was called for the second round. The South Indian looking guy took it, he asked me 4 algorithms/programs. I thought I'd answered pretty well (later I discovered that my answers were not that awesome after all).

Till then, one guy had been called for an HR interview after the two technical rounds. The word going around was that he would almost certainly be selected. I started waiting nervously for a HR interview call. I stood there for a long time, not even daring to go take a leak, in case my name was called. But it wasn't (eventually I did take the leak :P). A couple of hours, almost the entire MMT team walked out of the placement cell and headed towards the guest house. We started looking at each other in confusion. "Perhaps they're going for dinner," someone said. We waited. After a while, the PR on duty came and announced that those who'd not been given any status were neither rejected nor accepted, and the list (of selected candidates) would be put up in the morning. What the fuck - we thought (and discussed) - nahi lena tha toh na lete, bata toh dete! [At least they should have told us the result!]. All those who had not given even one interview yet were asked to stay(Yes, they were still waiting. In fact, one guy had actually been in the waiting room for more than 3 hours), and others were told to leave (of course most of us stayed anyway, looking to catch the latest).

Eventually I did return. I was so exhausted that my eyelids were getting heavy with sleep (formal shoes are a bitch. I wonder how professionals wear them all day long, day after day LOL). I had a good night's sleep and woke up early next morning, eagerly awaiting the results. Even though I hadn't been called for the HR interview, I was hopeful that I'd get through. I kept checking my phone, asked everyone I knew to check if the list had been put up, but nothing. It was later revealed that the group from MMT had already left, without any updates. The list was to be put up by night. It's been two days, and still no status. They just packed their bags, and left without a word! LOL. Perhaps this is why they're the second best employers of the country.

Placement Season Begins

Campus recruitment for BE Computer Science students at Thapar University began on 16th August.

It all started 5 years ago. May, 2005 (Class 10). Those were the days when life was as simple as English, Science, Maths and Social Studies. Back then, the word "engineering" was nothing more than a distant speck. Life was simple. But then things started getting complicated.

I decided that I wanted to be an engineer. The question of how I made that decision is pretty much unanswerable. Perhaps I was fascinated by science. Or perhaps I had no clue what I wanted to do in life (apart from the astronaut dreams that everyone seems to have), and just chose the most visible option. Not to say that I regret the decision, so far it has turned out to be a good one.

So that brings us to 3 years ago. June, 2007 (Class 12). Admission time. After rigorous (yeah, right) preparation and many exams, I had secured admission to many reputed colleges in the country. I chose to come to Thapar. Again, a choice I don't regret.

Which brings us to the present day. And the first thing that pops into your mind when you hear the words 'engineering college' - placements. Many heavy words could be seen strewn across the Facebook walls and the Google Groups - 'The end has begun', 'Judgement Day', etc. People were studying - some secretly, some openly. Everyone was telling everyone else 'arey teri toh ho hi jayegi yaar, bas meri karva do kahin' [You will most certainly get placed, I just hope I do too]. In such an atmosphere of nervousness and excitement, the first company for the BE CS 2007-2011 batch arrived - Winshuttle India, on 16th August 2010.

I was nervous, excited, and hopeful at the same time. I guess I wanted to see what I could accomplish without much effort. The answer was - nothing! The written test had 5 aptitude questions and 20 technical questions (I think), the level of the test was good. But I didn't get through. I was disappointed beyond reason. What did I expect? That I would get through without even an iota (I'm exaggerating a little) of preparation? Perhaps I did. That day I bought Yashavant Kanetkar's "Test Your C Skills" with all intention of completing it within 2 days (I still haven't opened it :P).

Anyhow, so that's how placement season started for me. With rejection.

And so, I blog!

Finally, after spending almost 4 hours over two days, I managed to find a blog name that is catchy enough to be remembered. This was two days ago.

I'm a final year BE student. Placement season has begun. The next few months are supposed to be pivotal in shaping my life ahead. I intend to keep a record of my mental states at various points during this period. Hence, this blog.

PS: I just discovered that Blogger allows you to change the URL of a blog any time, subject to availability. So, dear readers (numbering 0 at the time of this writing), it'll be awesome if you can suggest a better name!