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.

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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.

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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.

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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!