Monday, April 13, 2009

Software roulette

A tiny news item on pg 7 of Economic Times * today declares 'Wipro Tech to honour job offers'.

The gist of it is that Wipro will honour all offers made to all 6000 graduates during 2007-8. These grads would join the company between May and December 2009 and undergo training for 2 months.

Thereafter, 'if they are not engaged in any billable project, they would only be paid a stipend of Rs 6000 per month'. The report adds that Wipro had made offers to 14,000 graduates with 2008-9 joining dates at a salary of Rs 2.75-3.25 lakhs per annum. 40% of this lot is still waiting to be inducted.

I am wondering, if I were this young engineering graduate how would I look at the situation:

a) Option A: Hope and pray for the best - maybe I'll be one of those on a billable project.

If that hope is belied, I will still be grateful for a chance to be in a software company (because that was my dream job). And I'll use this time to learn all that I can - from my seniors, from books, from the internet.

Kabhi to mera number aayega!

b) Option B : Take the Rs 6000 per month and use the time to prepare for CAT. Better than sitting at home and preparing for CAT
... earning nothing.

And well, in any case I joined Wipro only to pass time while I look for something better. Preferably a million miles away from software!

c) Option C: Not join Wipro at all. Because you know... I know this is not the job for me, whether I get billable projects or not.

Sadly I don't really KNOW what I want but one has to start somewhere. And better today, than ten years from now!

Now I have not done a scientific survey but I bet 90% of you would choose option 'b'. In fact this is what the average software employee was thinking anyways, even when the company was paying full salary.

I know many of us think,"One has to be selfish in this world. I've got to put *me* first."

The only trouble is this strategy doesn't necessarily solve anything. You slog it out, make it to a bschool and at the end of it are still left wondering,"Is this it?"

There are no fireworks when you hold your new offer letter in hand.
Heck, it doesn't even have as many zeros as you thought an 'MBA salary' should.

Ab kya?

Kuch nahin. This is the life you have chosen - accept it with all your heart and be the best you can be!

Or, refuse to 'play it safe' and figure out where you would rather be.

There is no third path - except mediocrity.
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16 comments:

  1. You are right Rashmi average janta would go for option B..

    Nice views..

    ReplyDelete

  2. I do think being an Entrepreneur is a great thing and all , still i dont understand whats all the Fuzz surrounding it these days.
    Esp after going entrepreneur is the "in" thing , the thing of the brave.. while i do believe most of it , i also think it is being overdone now.

    Whats wrong in being mediocre if you are satisfied with your life...

    The majority of Junta lacks "Satisfaction" .. i dont think starting something on your own can always grant you that..Just like any other option , this too is a Half chance :)

    ReplyDelete

  3. The fact that an MBA degree doesn't guarantee a hefty package doesn't really come as a surprise. They are prepared for it. I guess, the crux lies in our education and social system. Doing engg and getting into s/w is as logically correct as going for an MBA after a few yrs of your s/w career. These "logically correct" path has masked a person's own choice. But, then who is to be blamed?

    ReplyDelete

  4. Now that IIM Placements have also started going bad! Option (B) also does not seem so good as well

    ReplyDelete

  5. An interesting read Rashmi.

    Somewhere deep down it makes me think whether its all about money honey. Is it that money "meanders" and shapes our career course the way it wants to? Sadly but yes. The famous "bhed chaal" of blindly aping what others are doing just because its the "in" thing and all for the lure of the lucre.Till a few months ago till the dreaded "R" hit US shores to cause a "s/down" in India , the s/w techie sat on an elevated pedestal. Now seems the PSU brat has shoved him off his high ground with the sixth pay commission kicking in added to their job security icing.Such kind of churnings will go on and cause immense heartbreaks and losses to the industry as a whole if we are guided only by the monetary factor in our career decisions without factoring in "What I want." Entreneurship may be an option but hardly for the faint hearted ( which most of us are).I believe the young junta needs to seriously introspect on their career decisions and decide what is it that they want . As somebody rightly said, money is but a means and not an end in itself ; you need to search for the "end" and only "you" can answer what that "end" is.

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  6. So let me get this straight - the engineers who are joining wipro are doing so for satisfying their love of software?

    For each one of these people there are 10+ more doing it for easy money.

    ~brickbats & counter arguments are welcome!

    ReplyDelete

  7. Hi Rashmi,
    This is slightly off-topic but I would really like to get your thoughts on the shady HR practices by Indian IT companies when it comes to handling redundancies/layoffs in the current economic climate. I have heard of numerous stories which indicate that companies are using the flimsiest of excuses to get rid of people. I don't know whether there is any sort of employment legislation in India where people who are unfairly fired can take recourse to.
    Regards,
    jeffrey.
    PS: I am an Indian IT professional based in Europe working for a local company and am an avid reader of your blog.

    ReplyDelete

  8. The energy fades , when you are not reaping what you invest - Education (BTECh or MSc)
    so, mostly people choose option B, to fund them first and think rest as next ..:)
    People who lok for longterm goals suceed in this, but they would be certainly supported by family money ..

    ReplyDelete

  16. So let me get this straight - the engineers who are joining wipro are doing so for satisfying their love of software

    Astaga.com Lifestyle on the Net
    Astaga.com Lifestyle on the Net

    ReplyDelete

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