Dichotomy

Early 2010, I was changing jobs. It was just after recession. The economy was picking up, many companies had started hiring again. Recession was by no means over, but the situation was far better. After a couple of years without a hike(and paycuts), the idea of changing jobs looked to be the best option.

I had prepared myself fairly well for the interviews. Confidence level was high. As soon as I had started circulating my resume, the interview calls started pouring in. I got 2 job offers. One from Nokia(The phone company) and the other from a small startup. Nokia made a better offer which was significently higher than the startup. 

Most of the people with whom I discussed the offer suggested me to take up the Nokia offer. After all, it was the one of the most respected and renowned brands on earth. The decision to reject the startup offer seemed the right decision.

The phone market was however going through a tipping point. Android was gaining market share rapidly. Apple had already carved out its market space with the stellar iPhone. However, Nokia was still the market leader in smartphones with  over 30% market share.  Joining Nokia seemed a no brainer.

But there was one crucial variable to the whole scenario. If other phone manufacturers were catching up so rapidly on Nokia, there must be something which I was missing. I was also hired to worked on a slightly older version of the OS. I was not convinced it was the right decision. 

To the disappointment of many, I went ahead and took up the offer from the startup. People were fairly certain I made a bad decision.

Its been two years since the time I made the decision. Looking back, It appears I have made the right decision. Apple and Google have bulldozed their way into the smartphone market. The CEO of Nokia sends the 'Burning Platform Memo'. Symbian is shutdown. Had I been part of the turmoil, I'm not sure I would have retained my job. 

On the other hand, things could have been different too. Had Nokia turned their business around, I would have looked like an idiot to have let go of a golded opportunity. Luckily, my foresight proved correct. 

This was just one example. A seemingly bad decision at one point of time, may turn out to be the best decision of our lives and vice-versa. Most decisions taken are based on one's  assessment of the situation. Ultimately, one has to take a decision. Only in hindsight one can  tell  whether the decision made was good or bad. It may take months or years to understand whether one made the right decision. 

However, its of utmost importance  to back oneself after making a decision.

Bangalore Traffic

As much as I like Bangalore, I hate the traffic management and the traffic. Today was one such day, I had to put up with messy traffic on the way. This is the story of many folks who follow road rules and end up furious when they reach back home.

It was 5PM, the time when I usually head back home. It's also the time when the traffic cops lose their plot, thousands of retarded lunatics start driving on the road. Their only goal, reach home at any cost with total disregard for traffic rules. The cab drivers try compete with one another, usually in the game of 'who drives worse when using the phone'. The next is the great buses which hog 2 lanes of the 3 lane road. The grand party is supervised by the trainee cops who are mostly engaged in cell phone talks. So much for training. And the icing on the cake is the underpass construction. The great mess plays out day in and day out at the outer ring road.

It was in this grand scheme of things I set out to head back home. The very first signal, waiting for the traffic to clear up. Bang!!! A retard software engineer stops his bike after colliding with the back of my bike. The reason, he's speaking to another biker to this right. And used my bike as brakes.... I was furious. Luckily he was little far away, otherwise I would have displaced his jaw. Finally the idiot realised he goofed up and disappeared from the scene. The signal turned green. I moved on.

Barely few metres away from the signal, bus stop!!! The bus never stops there but right in the middle of 3 lane road. Horde of people rush in and out of the bus. There's absolute disregard for the rest of the traffic. Finally, manage to work my way around the bus.

Moving on, more traffic, more morons along the way. Worked my way through the traffic. Just a little more distance to reach home, and there jumps a cow on to the road. Screech!!! Thought only humans didn't have disregard for traffic....

After all this nonsense, finally made it home.

Realised that everyone is only concerned about reaching their destination. There's total disregard for the people around. If I have to make it back, it's solely my responsibility. I'll have to make up for others' mistakes on road, adjust accordingly. There's no point picking up a quarrel along the way. The most important objective is to reach my destination.