November 7th, 2011 / No Comments » / by Kartik Mandaville
Disclaimer: Another random musing. Proceed with extreme caution.
I am sure that all of us have heard this. What does it actually mean ?
Does it mean that we should enjoy and party ? Does it mean that we should study hard towards a successful career ? Or Does it mean that we should be happy with whatever we are doing ?
Each one of us interprets the phrase differently though there are some who don’t realise that life is actually short and they end up regretting at some point of their life. Life has become a rat race, everyone is competing for the best, no one settles for less. The ones who reach the top realize that they lost precious time because they were too “busy” in winning the race. What’s the whole point of winning the race if you haven’t enjoyed the journey ?
Its the journey, not the destination
So, what would you do if you had just one more day to live ?
PS: Even I am part of this rat race.
Posted in: Experiences
September 24th, 2011 / 1 Comment » / by Kartik Mandaville
What ? Me and confused ? These were the questions that came to my mind when I first realized that I’m confused 
I always had a clear path once I wrote my first program in class 9th when the love for Computers was born 
Then, I took CS in 11th and it developed from a hobby to a more serious passion. Finally, CS engineering happened when I made computers my career.
Now, I am in the final year and have many options but all of them are related to Computers. What to do 
? Earlier, I would just choose follow my heart which always said Computers, Computers and Computers.
So, as the picture on the right rightly denotes :
The More I Think, The More Confused I Get
When I was a kid, I wanted to :
- Open a Toy shop and sell GI Joe, Hot Wheels and what not ?
- Become a politician and improve the society ( After watching Nayak for ~20 times)
- IAS officer. Well, I met a uncle who had all types of facilities
- Beat Bill Gates. I didn’t know that Linux existed back then
- Work in the army and destroy Pakistan for once and all ( BORDER )
- Eradicate poverty by some weird idea
- Teacher and change the way students think.
- The next Mark Zuckerberg ( pre final year)
- Just another Software professional with a fat package ( Read cisco)
So many things ? Yes, my dreams changed almost every year. Back then, it was so easy to dream You could just keep on dreaming and change the world.
Now, I am a confused mind with loads of advices floating around from teachers, parents, friends, professionals and virtual friends.Why so much confusion ? Why can’t I be like other and just take any job ? Why ? Was it the same way for our parents or we have too many options ? Do the decisions you take now really matter after say 20 years ? Will you regret them ?
Final year is so much with all friends getting placed and TREATS. ( Well, who doesn’t like free food ? ) So, amidst all my placed or soon to be placed friends who perhaps are very clear about what they want, I am here with just options but no decisions.
You can’t undo your decisions but you can redo them
Posted in: Experiences
August 25th, 2011 / 5 Comments » / by Kartik Mandaville
Well, the title clearly describes what the post is about. This is yet another confusion going in my mind currently.
I am in my fourth year right now and am faced with three dissimilar choices. Most of my batchmates must be contemplating between MS and a job in a MNC but as usual I create problems for myself so, I have another choice : Startup/ Work in a startup
Let me start by listing the choices and their properties to say. I won’t classify them as advantages or disadvantages.
- MS
- Very popular
- Gateway to USA
- Jump/Kickstart for career
- Exposure to a new culture etc
- Opportunity to discover your interests. Research or Job, Area of interest
- Fun for another 2 years All hollywood college movies ( Read American Pie )have corrupted the minds of young Indian graduates
- Startup
- Chance to innovate
- Direct contact with CEO
- Amazing growth
- Almost nil perks
- Competitive to Medium salaries depending upon the company
- Low brand name
- Resistance from parents and relatives
- MNC
- Great salary to start with
- Amazing perks ( I experienced this in cisco)
- Healthcare benefits
- Less growth compared to startups
- Less scope for innovation
- Job satisfaction levels are not high
- Limited scope for follow own interest ( unless its Google )
I have listed whatever came to my mind and will try to refine it in the upcoming days. If you feel something is missing/ incorrect, let me know
Posted in: Experiences
August 3rd, 2011 / 2 Comments » / by Kartik Mandaville
Recently, I had my Pre Placement Interviews for cisco after my internship.
There were four rounds :
- Written round – 50 questions, 1 hour – 1 mark each, no negative marking. Aptitude, C, Electronics, Micro processors and Networking. Easy to score, cutoff was around 25
- Technical interview- around 1 hour, questions from CV, OS, networking, databases, algorithms basics
- Managerial Interview – questions about projects, explain everything, easy tech questions like calculate 2^n
- HR Round – Why in cisco ? Have you given GRE ? Can you relocate ? Other companies ? etc
Will post some questions soon.
I am still awaiting the result. So, lets hope
Posted in: Experiences
August 3rd, 2011 / No Comments » / by Kartik Mandaville
I watched a lot of movies ( 17 AFAIK) in June-Jul, perhaps more than any single year. Well, I had a nice theatre nearby and some great friends.
- X Men- First Class
- Ready
- Always Kabhi Kabhi
- Pyaar ka Punchnama
- Harry Potter
- Green Lantern
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Transformers 3
- Murder 2
- Chillar Party
- Singham
- Shaitan
- Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
- Cowboys and Aliens
- BBuddah Hoga Tera Baap
- Delhi Belly
- Can’t seem to recall more
Posted in: Experiences
