BE – ECE – 2004 Pass out. Fresher.
8 months of severe job-hunting in the IT field. Finally, joined for apprenticeship in Bharat Electronics. Returned from the induction programme. Another interview call from yet another IT company. Last hope. If I get this job, it would be great. Else, 1 yr of apprenticeship with Rs 1800 pm stifend .
Took up the interview. “We’ll get back to you later”. (English-la enakku pudikaadha 6 vaarthai) I told them that I had another offer with me and I had only one day time to join the other company. (Didn’t tell them it was non-IT though) Reached home with the assurance that I would know the result by next day. Sitting near the phone next day – eagerly waiting for the call. Finally the call came. Didn’t want to sound very desperate. So picked up the phone in the second ring only.
“Hello”
“Yaaru ma pesardhu? Kicha ponna? Ennama kondhe sowkiyama?”
“Adacha…..amma unakku yaaro phone” (seekiram pesittu vai)
Finally the HR called. “Can you come for the next round of interview by 4:30 in our Tidel Park office?” I see the time, it was 3:30. I analysed the possibility. Oops, I had to take bath also. I told him I will be there by 5. My father took me to Tidel Park. Tidel Park – the then BIG DREAM of all freshers. Took up my second round also and was told to wait in the reception. I was gathering all the will power left to hear the same “We’ll get back to you later” and join the apprenticeship the next day. The HR again called me inside. (Y can’t he say tht dialogue in the reception itself?)
“Good job! You came up so confidently (Yeah?) Here is ur offer letter. Pls read and sign both the copies”
BOOM! I got a heart attack. I was not at all prepared for this. Though I was most eager to get a job, the prospect of getting an offer letter so unexpectedly was more than I could take. I was literally blabbering and went to the reception to show the offer letter to my waiting father. His reaction was priceless.
First Day in my first job: I wear my new dress (the autograph dress in white salwar and maroon dupatta) and was waiting in the reception. While I was waiting I watch everyone entering the office using swipe cards. Will they give such a card to new joinees also? Or should I expect someone to open the door for me everytime I need to move from one section to another? No, logically speaking, they must be giving one card to the new joinees also. So, I will also get one, I think. Oh My GOD! If they give me one, what would I do? I don’t know how to use it. Wouldn’t I look stupid if I ask them how to use this? What if they de-grade me based on my stupid question? No, I shouldn’t ask this to anyone. So, I watch everyone to understand the working of these cards. Should I show the front side of the card to the detector or the back side? How will I know which one is front and which one is back? Should I show the ID card first or should I show the white color card first? Oh God, what am I going to do? First day itself so many problems. But I understood one point. Whenever the light in the detector turns green, the people were able to open the door.
As I was pondering over these, my TL came and took me inside. (Again, I watched how he was swiping his card) He made me sit in a place and asked me if I’m comfortable with that place. “Very much” I told him. (If I had known any better, I would have told him No at that time itself. It was placed in the highway. Everyone who was moving from anywhere to anywhere had to cross my place only and so, everyone can see what I’m doing or what I’m browsing.)
The admin people came to my desk and fixed my computer. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I was expecting someone else also to share my computer. ( I was never used to one-to-one computers. Courtesy – college labs) And when the support guy told me that he has fixed my system and gave me the user name and password, I was literally blinking at him. And then I had one phone with zero dialing all for myself. I was not even given time to adjust to these when the admin called my desk number. I was not sure if the call was for me. After looking around so many times and since there was no one else to pick up the phone, I picked it up and said “hello”, “Hi, this is ur ext number. The bank people have come to open ur account”. Me? Having an extension number? Tht too with zero dialing? Aiyoo, ennala thaanga mudiyaliye….
After finishing the bank formalities, the bank guy gave me one pouch saying “This is ur new account kit madam. It contains ur cheque book, debit card and…” bla bla bla… After the cheque book and debit card, I didn’t hear anything. It was all too good to be true. Pudhu vela….pudhu account…pudhu debit card-u…kalakara gayathri…..tht too all in one day was more than I could digest.
Now after serving 5 + years in the same field, all these old memories brings back a smile to my lips and I cant’ stop thinking about myself “Naa ivlo appaviya irundhirukenaa??” (Ok, ok, I can hear you guys saying “nee ivlo periya alpama-nu”, but still that’s the way I am and I love myself for what I am)
No comments:
Post a Comment