mrinal: Thoughts..

Mrinal Kalakrishnan (

mrinal) wrote,
@ 2004-06-06 15:01:00

Current mood:

contemplative

Thoughts..
It's certainly not a happy feeling to "be done with college".

(Post a new comment)

	say_yes04 2004-06-06 04:07 am UTC (link)
	"Life moves on"---Been my mantra for sometime now . And it works for most things that happen in Life. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	fus 2004-06-06 04:36 am UTC (link)
	it does not. it should not. without the old, we are discretized pointless moments. the old is what makes us. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

say_yes04
2004-06-06 10:31 am UTC (link)

>>without the old, we are discretized pointless moments.
True
But i was not talking about dumping everything behind and starting a new life . What i meant was the fun we had in the past should not be a bench mark for things coming up . Because it never measures up ... thats the way we are all built . Thats why i prefer not to take expectations from the past just memories and experiences .

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	yathin 2004-06-06 04:25 am UTC (link)
	Absolutely. :( (Reply to this)

	achitnis 2004-06-06 05:33 am UTC (link)
	Welcome to the real world, dude, where nothing you ever learnt really matters - but your ability to learn and adapt does. This is where the phrase "learn to learn" takes on a new and life-threatening meaning. ;) And while we are there - ready for a mid-career crisis? Get some management fundas, guys, while you still can. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	mrinal 2004-06-06 09:47 am UTC (link)
	Hmm, I don't know, maybe I'll end up being one of those "hard-core techie coders" the article refers to... I don't think I'm cut out for a management career at all.. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

achitnis
2004-06-06 11:51 am UTC (link)

Why do you freshly baked graduates always think that management is a "career option"?

Wake up, smell the roses. Management is an essential part of your engineering career! It isn't just about managing people, but about managing your work (and understanding it better), growth prospects (or you end up moving around horizontally), managing prospects, being able to interface better with your clients/customers, managing your own finances, etc.

That article tells you something taht seems to be a well-kept secret: without something to round out your technical education, you aren't going anywhere.

Now stop arguing - go get those forms and fill them in, sit for CAT, do what you can to get through, do your two years, and make a real life for yourself, instead of resigning yourself to forever be a blue-collar worker.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	seedar 2005-05-27 01:20 pm UTC (link)
	Interests differ, people like Linus, RMS, ESR, .. themeselves never cared about this. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	OT aivalli 2004-06-06 10:52 am UTC (link)
	um .. sorry for this "comment" but your userpic looks like a pop-up ! :)) g,d&r -nerdy (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	Re: OT achitnis 2004-06-06 11:53 am UTC (link)
	Sure beats being one. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	purplehazerads 2004-06-06 06:56 am UTC (link)
	sigh The grass is greener on the other side. I envy you engineering guys who are finally done with college. I still have a year to go! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	mrinal 2004-06-06 09:56 am UTC (link)
	No, no, savour your last year in college! (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	jugga 2004-06-06 09:18 pm UTC (link)
	I second that.... In fact fail a year and hang in there while you can... (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	purplehazerads 2004-06-07 03:02 am UTC (link)
	Fail a year?! Dude, as it is, five years of studying Architecture is a very long time, making it six would push my limits! (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

jugga
2004-06-07 08:20 am UTC (link)

You are studying architecture? And you are complaining.... I have dreamed of studying architecture ever since I read Fountainhead... Never had the mindset to do it, so finally ended up 'studying' computer science.....
Failing is much tougher than passing.... That is why I accomplished it only when in my seventh semester.... when I least expected it..... Enjoy college life while it exists. Only after it is all over will you realize how much you loved college...

(Reply to this) (Parent)

achitnis
2004-06-07 10:28 am UTC (link)

I agree with Mrinal - savour your last year.

If you aren't enjoying college by this time, you are doing something wrong, or are looking at things from the wrong perspective.

I had the (mis)fortune of taking a year's drop after 12th, before I got into Engineering (my percentages were too low, and I had to reject a couple of subs to get anywhere into range). It wasn't the greatest of experiences, but it allowed me to savour the subsequent 4 years of engineering far more than I would have otherwise. That is probably because the one year "non-edu" gave me the perspective I'd have normally lacked.

In the west, it is normal to take a 6-12 month break while doing some internship somewhere, or just plain old working. It avoids burnout, and allows people to focus better on their stuff when they get back to college.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

purplehazerads
2004-06-07 12:41 pm UTC (link)

Reply to atchitnis and jugga:

Architecture is all I've ever dreamed of doing since I was maybe 8 years old. I can’t imagine myself as anything else; I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. I just feel that the VTU system is such that it burns you out much too early. In all other universities, training happens in the 7th Sem., so when you come back you're all fresh with new ideas and new ways of thinking and you automatically apply what you’ve learned, in the thesis project. And it’s a good break from the normal routine. In the VTU system, training happens in the 10th Sem., after you’ve burned yourself out over the thesis and other things. There’s only so much you can bunk class and go into the ‘real world’ to train, while you’re still in college. I’m dying to get this over with and start working with architects, and not just for 3-4 hours a day like I have done in the past.

I guess I’m just stressed right now!

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	ravi 2004-06-06 08:50 am UTC (link)
	Why not? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ashwinb 2004-06-06 09:34 am UTC (link)
	I'd like to hear the answer to this question too. (Reply to this) (Parent)

mrinal
2004-06-06 09:45 am UTC (link)

Things are going to be so different if I enter the corporate world. Life will be so different compared to how it's been so far. I don't think it'll ever be as much fun as college was. It's all about the money, and who's getting paid more, etc, it kind of gives me the shudders.

Of course, I'm just assuming things and thinking out loud. It may not be that bad after all...

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

ravi
2004-06-11 05:40 pm UTC (link)

Life will be so different compared to how it's been so far.

That isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I don't think it'll ever be as much fun as college was.

Don't be so sure, until you've savored it yourself. </my unasked for 2 cents' worth>

It's all about the money, and who's getting paid more, etc,

Hardly. You live the life you choose to lead. You can gripe about the marks, and who's getting more marks, etc. even while at school. See what I mean?

Think of work life as school life + money. Now, isn't that a lot nicer than school life (without the money) ?

It may not be that bad after all...

Exactly.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	1pi00te005 2004-06-06 09:19 am UTC (link)
	Ya why? Does Shruthi have anything to do with this? ;-) Ok seriously why? I'm neither happy nor sad about it. Read achitnis' link? What do you and JD have to say to that? Management dudes rule! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	mrinal 2004-06-06 09:52 am UTC (link)
	Read my replies to achitnis and ravi above. About management - some people have it in them and some don't. I think I tend much more towards tech than management. Maybe I can still get through a management course and get a degree, but will I really be happy doing such a job, or will I just be able to make more money? (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

achitnis
2004-06-06 12:07 pm UTC (link)

A management degree has two values:

1. It allows you to do things that you will otherwise take 20 years to learn

2. It will tell others that you are capable of managing your work, projects, etc.

A welcome side-benefit is that you will certainly earn more money, but that isn't the reason why you should do this.

It's just two years (added bonus - probably the most fun years of your life) - take the plunge.

In terms you can probably understand - at this point in life, you know all about chords, but you have no sense of beat.

Fix that.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

hmmm

1pi00te005
2004-06-07 10:13 am UTC (link)

Look there are many aspects to this.
One is managerial skills are worth having and will be needed in whichever field you are. But of course you need not do an M.B.A. for this, though it will help.
Another thing is if you are going to work within a company, without the management degree you probably won't get into top management. But for how long will you be happy doing the coding and staying at the lowest levels. Don't you want to decide what your company is gonna make/do? Don't you want to decide on the course of the company? etc etc etc
So of course the first question is: do you see yourself working for someone's company for the rest of your life? What kind of career are you looking at?

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	Re: hmmm mrinal 2004-06-07 10:49 am UTC (link)
	What kind of career are you looking at? Frankly, after all this discussion, I don't know. I'm just going to continue with my decisions, and see where it goes. For me, currently, doing an MS has higher priority than doing an MBA, so once I'm there (if I get there at all), let me see what happens. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	jugga 2004-06-06 09:31 am UTC (link)
	What exactly is 'done with college'? Finally I find somebody in my own batch who feels the same way I feel if 'done with college' means nothing more complicated than what it reads..... Life may go on.... But you always take a part of your past with you.... Thats what defines your future.... Learning is in understanding what you have got from college... (Reply to this) (Thread)

	mrinal 2004-06-06 09:36 am UTC (link)
	"Done with college" - I was referring to the general term, you know, when people say, "Phew! We're finally done with college!" (Reply to this) (Parent)

	sharat 2004-06-06 09:37 am UTC (link)
	I still have an year to go and am desperately waiting to get out of college :( (Reply to this)

louiswu
2004-06-06 11:59 am UTC (link)

I'm glad, and I hate my college. I guess you had it a lot better. Still, life goes on, and always will. Stuff like this will keep happening. You just gotta live with it, and all sorts of things like that.

And big-time hallelujah on the management thing. Unfortunately, I *know*

achitnis is right, so we're screwed. Oh well, I'd rather take a chance with that than formally be "management material".

(Reply to this)

Re: Sisterly revenge?

derherr
2004-06-07 10:22 am UTC (link)

I think this is blown completely out of proportion ... true you miss college ... but if you look carefully, you miss the people at college, not 'college' itself ... and you have the people you were with from college (more often than not) for as long as you want them to be around you ... may not be physically around (and that can't be helped) but you can keep in touch is what i meant ... and joining work is not all about making money, it might be to a large extent but is not all ... and don't stop the many other sides to your life in college that existed like the music et all ... joining work DOES NOT mean end of everything else !

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: Sisterly revenge? mrinal 2004-06-07 10:30 am UTC (link)
	What does "sisterly revenge" have to do with this? (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	derherr 2004-06-07 10:33 am UTC (link)
	some default thing that is in my subject box everytime i hit reply i think ... realised only now ... nothing to do with what i said ! (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	mrinal 2004-06-07 10:42 am UTC (link)
	I've become paranoid - I started to think that there must be some other prank brewing somewhere... :-) (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	say_yes04 2004-06-07 09:04 pm UTC (link)
	Hehehehe ... i was starting to think on the same lines.... (Reply to this) (Parent)

achitnis
2004-06-07 01:16 pm UTC (link)

Sadly, I suspect you are going to find that "keeping in touch" isn't quite as easy as you think it is.

Mrinal has every reason to be concerned about how things will work out. College had one major function - it brought people together and *kept* them together. Without the college environment to bind people, you will find that, unless you make an extra-ordinary effort, keeping in touch is going to be a difficult thing to do.

True, things like journals and email do exist, but the loss of "togetherness" will over time erode things. In addition, work-related pressures (especially at the outset, when you are in your "proving stage") can mean that some of you will not see each other for a long time. In fact, if you look closely, that has already started to happen!

Don't want to be a wet blanket, but if you want to "keep in touch", you need to make a conscious effort to meet regularly, talk, interact, etc. Try scheduling a weekend coffee meet or jam session on a regular basis, and *then* things will work.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

(Anonymous)
2004-07-04 07:53 am UTC (link)

hey i did find that true

Being an NRI having joined in india 4 engineering, i did find lot of difficulties in "keeping ... in touch". It was the impossible. I sat late night earlier just to chat with those pals out in US and UK , but recently that doesnt seem to work with lots of pressure from all sides.Their times n mine never seem to match. I guess it will be worse when i leave my college, will miss these pals here like hell. Damn it world is still a larger place, and time the barrier.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	First Month Recap achitnis 2004-07-11 09:16 am UTC (link)
	It's been a month since I wrote the above - how have things been? (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	Re: First Month Recap mrinal 2004-07-11 12:16 pm UTC (link)
	About meeting with old friends - it's been happening often, and about work - I'm having fun right now! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	achitnis 2005-04-01 06:11 am UTC (link)
	It is 9 months since I wrote this. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	jd_knight 2005-04-01 07:21 am UTC (link)
	Well. Work has become more like the thing to do everyday :-p we manage to meet our college gang preety often. Having fun on that aspect still generally as far as life is concerned. 2 out of 10 plans have been materialising on an average (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	achitnis 2006-03-03 07:17 am UTC (link)
	About a year later - how're you doing, guys? :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

1pi00te005
2004-06-07 09:19 pm UTC (link)

Ok I don't want to repeat myself too much but,
The primary reason one joins an engineering college is to become a good engineer. The V.T.U. is so shitty that it is impossible for anyone to become a good engineer because of the system. The few who do become good engineers are those that do so DESPITE the system rather than because of it. So basically college has been one big waste of time in this regard. NO doubt there have been good times and we have learnt things in other ways but, personally, I will never forgive PESIT nor the VTU. Nor will I help them by telling people (like your poor cousin, Mrinal) that "it's not that bad" and "you'll have fun with your friends" etc. That is not the point. Despite the friends, despite the fun, despite the learning (not engineering related) college did not fulfil its primary function and for that reason i won't miss it. I don't want to waste my life doing nothing.

(Reply to this)

	nirvana4ol 2004-07-02 11:44 am UTC (link)
	hey man that comment has started to daunt me from now itself. (Reply to this)

	:-( nirvana4ol 2004-07-04 07:28 am UTC (link)
	hey, it hurts men who were hostelites much more than the ones who are day scholars.It means a much more to them. No more late night card games, no more night jokes, no more fun,.. phew i cant even imagine myself to be done with hostel and college (Reply to this)

	balaji 2004-11-27 08:17 am UTC (link)
	Happy B'day (Reply to this)

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