Coffee Break

During a coffee break,  discussion between a Fresher who joined the company and a Veteran Engineer.

Veteran Engineer: I'm not happy. Company's not hiked my salary this time.

Fresher: How much money do you need?

Veteran Engineer: Equally experienced folks in our company  get paid more than I do.

Fresher: But how does that affect you?

Veteran Engineer: Other companies pay even better :(

Fresher: Then why don't you make a move?

Veteran Engineer: The non work benefits are awesome here. Life won't be so cool at other places

Fresher: Sounds a good reason to stay back :)

Veteran Engineer: But costs are increasing. Fuel, rent, loans everything's gone up. How can I manage?

Fresher: But our company don't pay so poorly. You'll  also have several years of savings.

Veteran Engineer: I still don't have any money left...

Fresher: Even after being on overseas assignments for years?

Veteran Engineer: What's the use? My kid's school charge 1 lakh rupees. If they charge so much, what can I do?

Fresher: Your kid's in Engineering?!!! I paid far less for my engineering.

Veteran Engineer: Damn you, I'm not so old. Kid's in Kindergarten  only. But its an International school.

Fresher: Why in the world you'd put your kid in such an expensive school? Did ur studies cost so much?

Veteran Engineer: I studied in good convent. 

Fresher:  You're in a good position aren't u?

Veteran Engineer: They teach well, Teach very good English. Teachers are also extremely educated. Know, the school is awesome.

Fresher: OK, then what you pay is what you get. What's the problem?

Veteran Engineer: I pay so much already, the fees will increase from next month!!! So company must hike my salary.

Fresher: Why should the company hike the salary if you decide to spend more?

Veteran Engineer: I also have to invest in real estate.

Fresher: U already live in a villa. Anyways, If you don't have enough money, why  do you want to invest.

Veteran Engineer: I've invested already in few ventures. The property value have appreciated. So I want to invest in more ventures.

Fresher: Now I know what you do with all your money.

Veteran Engineer: Do you also want to invest?

Fresher: Dude, I just got started. Moreover, we have property at our hometown. I want to learn in the initial stages of my career.

Veteran Engineer: I'm telling you, other companies pay more. You must think of shifting.

Fresher: Whatever!!!!

Veteran: Hey. Meeting time, lets go

After a few weeks, the young engineer  left his job for a new one. The Veteran Engineer found an overseas assignment for himself.

Ultimately, the question was never answered "How much money do u need"

My Nose!!! I ran into a glass door

My anecdote may appear extremely silly or funny for those who read it,  but it was a painful few days for me.

A few years ago, I was part of a team that had traveled down to Bangalore for a cricket match. Our team were staying in the corporate guest house. Actually, guest house was more of a resort. Lush green lawn, European style rooms, garden, corporate lounge and a great restaurant. I was wowed at the luxury we were provided for just an intra-company match. I wished that I could make  my home like the guest house.

We had made it to the finals. It was the evening before the big match. I was in great spirits before the finals. The guest house made my evening even more beautiful. It was dinner time, someone yelled out my name from the restaurant. So much energy and excitement, I was sprinting towards the person.

The unexpected happened, I ran into an almost invisible glass door in the lobby. Nose First!!!! I had hurt my nose very badly. My eyes were filled with tears almost instantly due to the impact. I lost balance,  my head was spinning. For a few moments, didn't  realized what hit me. All I could feel was my nose was aching. For the first time, I felt bad for having a Big nose :) 

So much for a great guest house, there was a nearly invisible glass door(no handles, can u imagine?) right in the middle of the lobby. 

Adding insult to injury, my whole team was around me rolling in laughter looking at my plight. A few of them sympathized though. But the pain was totally mine to experience :( I still played the final next day.

I can see it as the  stupidity of the designers (to put a near spotless glass pane trap right in the middle of the lobby without any sort of marking) or my own carelessness not to see invisible obstacle in my way.

Ultimately I ended up hurting my nose. And the next few days were misery even to breathe :) 

Just thinking of the day I ran to the glass door, or seeing a Saint-Gobain Glass advertisements hurts my nose. 

In hindsight, I should've been more careful.

Damn!!  

(Nostalgic,  I written this post at the exact time I ran into the glass door - 10:30PM ) 

Pink Slip

The story is about what had happened just before and after an Engineer was given the pink slip.

Once upon a time, in a workplace not so far far away, there was an engineer who joined a tech firm. He was smart, enterprising and a bright individual. To many it appeared that his only passion was to do his work with unflinching dedication. 

Few months passed. Naturally, he was a top performer and earned his place in the team. Few of his team members admired him for his work ethics; few others for his charm. However most of them liked his brilliance at work.

Many a times, he went a great distance to get things done. Along the way knowingly or unknowingly, he stepped on others’ feet, called ‘Spade a Spade’, ticked off the wrong people in the organization chain and even ended up being stonewalled on a few occasions. 

Though he produced great results, the perception was that he was a tough guy to work with. His immediate bossed kept warning him about the perceptions that built around him. He believed that he was correct most times. He also knew that his behavior was less than appreciated on some occasions. 

However, he was barely successful in changing the perception around him. Life became miserable for him and also the folks he worked with. The most unfortunate situation was that his admirers were also among his detractors.

Amidst all this workplace politics, his well-wishers and the admirers he earned stayed true to him. Warned him of impending danger, tried there best to help him.

Over the course of time, his detractors decided to put an end to the misery. They were waiting for one failure to make their move. One bad day at work, he missed an engineering deadline and snapped at one of the colleagues from the management chain. The knives were out. Allegations flowed; he was crucified in front of the HR. It was like his detractors were waiting for a chance to fix things. 

Fired!!! 

He was devastated. It was like his career had come crumbling down. For his admirers, the management’s move came as a rude shock. By the time they realized what had happened, he was gone. The HR had already escorted him out of the building.

Professional conduct and bad performances were sighted as reasons for the pink slip. Some employees believed the reasons the management provided them for this termination. Others did not. The same colleagues who recommended his termination were also among the folks who felt sad for the poor engineer.

The day was gone, weeks passed. The organization had moved on. People forgot what had happened.

One fine day, a few of his colleagues found out that he was working in one the biggest firms in the tech industry. He was leading a happy life. 

Looking back at the management decision to show the door, no doubt it was a bitter episode. They made a choice and there was bad blood. It was never a question of who was right or wrong. A hard decision had to be taken, and someone made it.

In the end, life moved on for everyone.

Laptop Buying Guide for Beginners

I have written a new post on 'Laptop - Quick Buying Guide'. I hope it will be helpful for people who want to have quick reference to buying a new laptop.

Here's the link - Laptop Buying Guide

- kaushik