Random Reflections
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
A short trip to Chennai…
Spent about a day with my friends from BITS… Saw one of my friends whom I have known from school and BITS get married… it’s a different kinda feeling when you see one of your girl friends get married! It’s that feeling of letting go of a protected one! :-) Don’t know why I always look at the stage and wonder if they are too young to get married…
We with the lucky ones…
Spent another day explaining to one and all what the new job is about… it was tougher than I expected! When everyone they know is into IT, how do I answer questions like “Why wouldn’t they send you on long term projects to the US?”, “Why do you have to travel in your job?”, “Why do you have to work in Mumbai?”, “Why do you have to work long hours?”…
How do I explain I am not going to work with ICICI Bank but with ICICI Securities!!! How do I explain why I choose I-Sec over Infy!!
How do I stop the world from talking about other’s salaries and just talk about the job?
Read a book ‘For Matrimonial Purposes’ which I had bought on Simran’s recommendation last week… Part One of the book was a great read… I was laughing aloud in the train!! I could relate to Anju in the book so much in the first part alone… My sis read some pages and acknowledged that Anju complains about the same intricate details of Indian Marriages as I do!
Some first steps… Some scary expectations… a rude awakening… Am I different? Need to give myself some time and think!!
Term 8 begins… bunked the first day of classes as I came back yesterday evening… attended my first IT management elective today (need to complete a second major)… hated it as much as I can… dropped it as soon as possible!! So am going to be doing Advanced Corporate Finance, Behavioral Finance, Negotiation Analysis and IT Services Project Management… For a difference, two smart women professors teaching us this term.
Two friends (the only two I interact with outside campus in this city) have left Hyderabad in the past 15 days! Sometimes feel like my mobile seems to have stopped working!!
Author: Raghini » Comments:
A dream... a wish... a hope... a reality!
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Should I describe this week’s mood as exciting or tensed or bustle or a lull… has been a combination of all sorts!
For some, who have reached the stars they aimed for, it’s the most exciting period…
For some who are talented, the right thing hasn’t come their way… some dejected souls but some still with exuberance and confidence!
For some who have reached smaller stars than their dreams, it’s a period of disappointment or compromise…
The mood isn’t great around… offers are flowing in everyday… but the number of satisfied souls isn’t big… reasons aplenty!
On the personal front, I have achieved more than the stars I aimed for!! Have made a successful career change…
At the start of the placement season, I wasn’t really hoping for any shortlists for the first two days… was confident of making it to only Infy and Cognizant shortlists… 6 shortlists flowed my way – Microsoft, Infy, Cognizant and Dell from the IT – and Citibank and ICICI Securities from the Fin.
Started Day 1 with Microsoft and Citi interviews, one of the most tiring days with 5 interviews… performed more than my expectations in all of them… still Citi didn’t take me after second round… I was very happy with the way Microsoft conducted their interviews (had applied for Solution Specialist – Financial Services)… cleared the three rounds on campus and was asked to make a final presentation in Mumbai!
Day 2 – Attended Infy – had applied for Business Analyst at the Banking and Capital Markets division… I was in the same division before joining ISB… so the interview was more of a casual discussion… was one of the easiest / most comfortable interviews I have ever given and before I knew I had got my first offer… decided to withdraw from all other IT companies except Microsoft. An interesting conversation after my interview… I was walking back with my offer and I met the person from Infy who interviewed me… He asked me what other companies I was looking at… I told him about Microsoft and Cognizant and that I was would not be attending Cognizant the next day… He told me that I should speak to the Cognizant people as they seem to be doing something right to be the fastest growing IT Services Organization… I had already made up my mind to withdraw but was just impressed with someone who worked 15 years at Infy praising Cognizant!
Day 3 – ICICI Securities had scheduled for a GD for the 27 people they had shortlisted… it was supposed to be at 17:30 hours so the whole day was left for my preparations… went through everything that I had prepared earlier, slept well and was pretty relaxed… the competition pool had a good number of people with finance experience and I wasn’t really sure this firm would consider me… and I also hated the GD concept when there were just 27 people for them to choose from… the team arrived 1.5 hrs late and CAS successfully convinced them to interview everyone… I was one of the first few to be in and was questioned on all the papers I have written! I wouldn’t say the interview went great, but it was good… answered most of the questions… Also told them that since I didn’t have any relevant experience to this role, I am ready to join in the fresher MBA position… I was told to come back at 12 midnight for the results!
Results – I was one of the two who was offered the ‘Investment Banking Associate’ role by the firm! – Did I ever think an I-Bank was gonna give me a job? – With 1.5 years of non-fin experience and a CGPA that I can’t boast about, I never dreamt I would be given this job – But I have done it! Have accepted the offer! (have rejected Infy and infomed Microsoft that I would not be attending the final round) I am too excited that I haven’t slept for 4 hours in the past 48 hours!!
This is just the first step in the change – Don’t know how the new industry, new job, new place is gonna be – but long time to go before I experience it and find for myself!
For today, it was just a peaceful mind – Simran (McKinsey Consultant :-)) and I lazed around in the city, watched a movie, window shopped for our apartment at Mumbai and just had a good time.
Author: Raghini » Comments:
One more shot down!
Monday, February 13, 2006
Term 7 began and ended without calling for any attention… actually good courses and good profs… but wrong term… none of us (at least most of us) had the enthusiasm or the inclination to take our eyes off the laptop during the class hours (this is incase we are awake during the day)… pity those profs who look desperately for an eye contact during those two hour lectures!
Past 24 hours… two exams, 5 applications, 1 reject, a couple of hours sleep and a good cricket match :)
Author: Raghini » Comments:
(Still) a long way to go…
Sunday, February 12, 2006
With due respect to the elderly couple.
Today I was asked a question which left me stupefied! Well, I was not in an interview, but was talking to one of my good friend’s parents. Suddenly, out of the blue, I was asked “Are you Iyer or Iyengar?”
For a minute, I didn’t know what to answer! First thing that stuck me – “why should I be one among the two?”
I had to decide soon if I wanted more questions on this or should I stop it then n there… just said, I am not a Tamilian but actually a Teluguite (I really don’t know if the same thing exists in Telugu families!)…
Next question followed… “so what in Telugu?”… All I know is that I am a Naidu… so just said that and wish I had asked for something else… just kept quiet and so more questions followed…
I was given a list of Naidu sub-castes and asked which one was mine!!! I didn’t know if I should be stunned or should I laugh it off!! Sometime in my life – yeah – my mom did mention to me where I belong! – but these things are so inconsequential to me that it never stays in my mind – I had to tell them I don’t know about these things and then I felt much more comfortable.
One other good friend insists that I know completely about the system before I hate it… and I still stand by my view that this is one subject I never want to explore!
Author: Raghini » Comments:
The unquestioned answer :-)
Every time I talk, the question pops in my mind… Every time I am silent, there is nothing that is missed…
Is there a question? Is there an answer?
Do I need to find or would I let it emerge?
Author: Raghini » Comments:
Oranges and lazy me
Saturday, February 11, 2006
A couple of days back, a dear friend messaged me saying she was reminded of me as she was eating oranges :-) I couldn’t help smiling at myself!
At home, I am the eldest of three sisters… but just when I step out of my home, the elderliness(!) in me suddenly disappears :-)
Who doesn’t love to be pampered? During my undergrad, we used to get fruits during lunch / dinner for which we need to sign depending on how many each of us want to take… Apples and Oranges used to be available the most often… though I like oranges, I never used to sign for them coz’ I need someone to peel them for me!! ;-)
And this dear friend of mine took the privilege to do this for me :-) and she remembers me for that nearly four years after she last did it for me!!
Thanks to my roommate in Bangalore, I started eating papayas… she used to cut them in small pieces :-)
Thanks to my mom, I eat apples if she slices each into at least 16-20 pieces :-)
Author: Raghini » Comments:
Rang De Basanti
If I need to summarize this post in a single line it is ‘A much needed break!’
Just a week to go for the d-days… still, most of the junta were in Prasads today to watch Rang De Basanti… the afternoon show was reserved for ISBians… good fun and good spirit shown by the crowd… to be true, everyone needed a break… could see around after the movie that no one wanted to return to the prison… felt like those Friday evenings during school days when I used to feel that lil bit of joy even though Monday was just two days away :-)
Author: Raghini » Comments:
Changes over terms!
Monday, February 06, 2006
Term 1: Wake up at 7 am, read the newspaper, get ready, have breakfast and then attend class at 8.30 wide awake!
Term 3: Wake up at 7.45 am, get ready, sometimes breakfast and attend class at 8.30 am kinda awake!
Term 5: Wake up at 8.15 am, record-breaking time to get ready, attend class at 8.30 am completely asleep!
Term 7: Haven’t figured out how to wake up on time for 11 am class!!!
Term 1: Used to wonder why I need alarms on the landlines when I have one on my mobile… used to like my ring tone which wakes me up!
Term 3: Occasionally started using landline alarm along with my mobile alarm… the alarm message on my mobile to switch off or snooze started seeming like Greek n Latin when it rings!
Term 5: Constantly used both alarms… hated the ring tone that woke me up… never understood what language the alarm message was in!
Term 7: A mobile alarm which I snooze every 10 mins at least 5-10 times every morning! A landline alarm that I switch off even before the first ring ends, without opening my eyes!… an alarm on my laptop that plays a mp3 at a specified time, laptop muted even before the first line of the song ends!... a timer on the air conditioner to switch off at the specified hour, who cares about comfort when all that’s needed is sleep!!!
Author: Raghini » Comments:
The week that was...
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Too many things happening at too short at a time & need to be involved in everything and anything!! Still fighting to live with just 24 hours in a day!
Been some time since I posted… PPTs came to an end… not all companies that come for placements give their ppts… so the final few days saw Patni Computers, Genpact, Morgan Stanley, Hero Honda, Essar Group, Chatterjee Group, TCS, Gati, AT Kearney, ITC, Fractal Analytics, JP Morgan, TVS Motors, Frigoglass, ITpreneur, Castrol, eBay, Sierra Atlantic, Accenture Consulting, Godrej, HLL, Atos Origin, ECS, Nokia, Tata Motors, Rabo India Finance, Citigroup, Ambit, ICICI Securities, Sanofi-Aventis, UTI Venture Fund, SUN Group & Covansys.
The last few days saw a flurry of ppts and given that we have mandatory attendance to make sure a minimum number attend each ppt, Proxy request mails were spamming in every nook and corner!! By the end of it, I got bored with quite a few ppts where they talk a lot about the same ol’ things… sometimes ISB alumni are part of the group which presents the ppt and still they give the same ol’ value of integrity, vision & mission!! Hope they learn what the target segment is looking for!
Lots of applications have been posted this week… everyday we have at least a couple of deadlines which are only gonna increase in the coming days… Expression of Interest (EOI) and Resume need to be submitted for each application and these take up considerable amount of time everyday. We had bid for the companies to decide the day in which the companies should be coming to campus, the results for the first 8 days came out today… Most of the day 1 and 2 were from the expected list, but one big exception was Infosys on day-2!! Kinda hard to believe it is tiered according to student’s preference… could be true… it is too hard to think thro’ ISBians brains!!
Even before placements end, we have been reminded by the ISB administration that we need to ‘evacuate’ this place by April 9th 14:00 hrs (!!) to make way for the new batch! With the graduation ceremony on 8th evening, I would be packing my bags from Hyderabad on 9th afternoon… Today I booked tickets for my parents n sisters to come here for graduation and leave with me on the 9th… saw the Air Deccan charges rise from 500 to 1829 within a span of 5 minutes at 8.30 am!! (Same scenario in a different flight as experienced by Big B… ISBians never sleep!)
More cheerful things… Professor Krishna Kumar who taught us Global Economics has been voted by the Class of 2006 as the Best Professor for Core Terms for the second consecutive year. Though I loved the teaching of Anjani Jain, Mark Finn & Robert Stine, I was pretty sure Krishna Kumar was my choice for this award… I don’t think I would have fallen in love with this course if it was for anyone else!! If I ever get to teach an MBA class, he would be my role model.
Coming back to the placement fever… I had a 45 min mock interview session yesterday… Given my bad history with interviews, I was happy with my performance… but there is always a world of room to improve… & the preparation continues…
Author: Raghini » Comments:
