January, 2003:
It was my engineering final year, campus was abuzz and everybody was hopeful and anxious since its placement time. CSE people have more opportunities naturally and we kept hearing about the companies that might visit the campus this year.
Finally the first company was announced. India’s largest software services company it is. We were running idhar udhar figuring out about the aptitude test and psychometric test. Some enterprising souls got hold of yester year papers and circulated xerox copies among the batch mates. I dug out my ANSI-C and RDBMS books and started revising them. For a while all we could think of was “what is polymorphism?”, “differences between structures and classes” etc.
The agonizing wait was over and finally the D-day arrived. After initial screening and some confusion with “who-got-short-listed-and-who-didn’t” my sweetheart and I sat for the aptitude test. The test was over even before we could vomit all that we have learnt in the last 21 or so years. Hoping for the best we came out and waited in the classroom along with others.
The results came, and they were disastrous. I got short listed for the interview, she didn’t. But the part happiness was short lived as I couldn’t clear the next round. All the hopes of working together after college and dreams of MNC pampered treatment were shattered to say the least. Especially this company had been one of the most wanted for both of us. But…
It was a different story that we both ended up working together albeit for a startup in Vizag for a year before I left to do my MBA from IIM Indore later in 2004.
Now:
Life can be mysterious; sometimes understanding it can be so futile and meaningless thing to do. I ended up joining the same company I dreamt of joining as a young engineer after my MBA as an analyst. While on the other end, she has finished 3 years with that start up and waiting to relocate to Chennai at the earliest so that we can plan for the marriage.
And then, one fine Sunday she arrived in Chennai in the hopes of attending an interview with Accenture. But since the interview center is far from city, I asked her to attend a walk-in happening in my office instead, soon we were inside the campus and she started clearing a round after another.
Yesterday, she received the offer letter from the company. Even though we both knew that she already made it, the offer letter spelt huge joy for both of us. Realizing a three and half year old dream, Aaah… What a joy!
Here is to you, the love of my life:
Congratulations
