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.
Showing posts with label Infosys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Infosys. Show all posts
Monday, April 13, 2009
Monday, February 04, 2008
The party ends?
ET reports: This may literally be a bolt from Big Blue! IBM is learnt to have delivered the pink slip to a sizeable chunk of its entry-level trainee programmers (ELTPs) across major offices in India.
Most of these ELTPs, who were engineering graduates, had put in nearly a year and were working in numerous technology practice groups under IBM India’s global delivery business.
Wonder whether this news is sending a chill down the spines of engineering students about to graduate. I've also heard of TCS showing the door to trainees who failed to clear the test after the training period.
IT companies are still recruiting in large numbers from engineering campuses. In the top end colleges like NITs they don't even have interviews, just a written test to clear. A significant number of people who join are doing so because:
a) I need one job in hand... but will keep looking for something better
b) Need a place to park for 2 years as I prepare for CAT/ GRE
c) No interest in core branch, would rather join software where work is white-collar and jahaan foreign jaane ka chance hai.
Which is all fine but now these folks will have to make more efforts to better acquaint themselves with coding and what not. Because companies are getting more stringent on the performance criteria.
What's intriguing is that companies get stringent only when times get slightly tough. With software margins being affected by the strengthening rupee, they are looking for ways to shave costs. In any time, good or bad, it's hardly advisable to keep people who don't meet your standards after training. But when there's a boom, you just sigh 'shortage of talent' and look the other way.
As far as students go, I think this is a positive thing. At least a few will think twice before taking jobs they don't want in the first place. And if they do join they will have a little less attitude and possibly learn more in whatever time they spend in IT.
As techie MS Vivek Chaitanya commented on the Jobokplease blog:
Due to competition, companies are campus recruiting students in 3rd year, 2nd sem itself. This is inducing recklessness in the students and slowing down their studies for in their final year. So there is no guarantee that the potential of the student at the time of campus recruitment is same as the potential once he finally comes out of his/her studies.
What say you, engineering junta?
Most of these ELTPs, who were engineering graduates, had put in nearly a year and were working in numerous technology practice groups under IBM India’s global delivery business.
Wonder whether this news is sending a chill down the spines of engineering students about to graduate. I've also heard of TCS showing the door to trainees who failed to clear the test after the training period.
IT companies are still recruiting in large numbers from engineering campuses. In the top end colleges like NITs they don't even have interviews, just a written test to clear. A significant number of people who join are doing so because:
a) I need one job in hand... but will keep looking for something better
b) Need a place to park for 2 years as I prepare for CAT/ GRE
c) No interest in core branch, would rather join software where work is white-collar and jahaan foreign jaane ka chance hai.
Which is all fine but now these folks will have to make more efforts to better acquaint themselves with coding and what not. Because companies are getting more stringent on the performance criteria.
What's intriguing is that companies get stringent only when times get slightly tough. With software margins being affected by the strengthening rupee, they are looking for ways to shave costs. In any time, good or bad, it's hardly advisable to keep people who don't meet your standards after training. But when there's a boom, you just sigh 'shortage of talent' and look the other way.
As far as students go, I think this is a positive thing. At least a few will think twice before taking jobs they don't want in the first place. And if they do join they will have a little less attitude and possibly learn more in whatever time they spend in IT.
As techie MS Vivek Chaitanya commented on the Jobokplease blog:
Due to competition, companies are campus recruiting students in 3rd year, 2nd sem itself. This is inducing recklessness in the students and slowing down their studies for in their final year. So there is no guarantee that the potential of the student at the time of campus recruitment is same as the potential once he finally comes out of his/her studies.
What say you, engineering junta?
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