City of Dreams - Episode Zwei!
The realms of software...
I stole a glance at the guy sitting next to me. At first, he appeared to be writing something on his notepad. I wondered what he could be noting down. We already had handouts of all the ‘information’. A closer look appeased my doubting mind. He was in another world. A peaceful look spread across his countenance as he shifted to a more comfortable position. After all it isn’t easy to sleep sitting on a straight-backed chair! His pen was etching aimless tracks on the paper. Occasionally his eyes opened, and he tried to focus on the man droning away up front. Seeing the instructor look his way he nodded to indicate that he had grasped what was being taught in its entirety. He hoped there wouldn’t be a test on this. The façade didn’t last very long. Soon his head drooped and his eyelids lost the battle to stay open. He was back in his world. I envied him! Looking around the whole room seemed to be in a state of suspended animation. This state of existence only changed when the session was over or when the break was announced.
That was one of the typical scenes at the training sessions we underwent. They lasted for more than two months. The non-technical training was quite entertaining and resulted in the group bonding very well and having some memorable times, be it dumbcharades in the training room or a trip to the beach. However the technical trainings were almost always as described above, with a few exceptions. And those were usually the moments when someone muttered something funny and we had to somehow maintain a straight face. It surprises me as to how in such situations, even little things make you want to burst out laughing.
The first paycheck evokes a plethora of different emotions. It brings about a feeling of financial independence and the realization of the fact that for the first time in life one doesn’t have to look homewards the moment the pockets are empty. No wonder we checked our online accounts each time they logged on to the net to see whether the deposit had been made. In their minds many were already indulging in their long suppressed passions.
Even though we had been together for just a short span of two months we had shared a lot of firsts with each other; first job, first pay… the list goes on. Each person’s birthday was celebrated in style and it felt like family. The fact that not one person in the group was from Mumbai probably helped things towards this end. However, all good things come to an end. This was no exception. Towards the end of the training session, the group was split unevenly into 10 and 6. The larger part would go into Java at SEEPZ. The rest of us would end up at ‘Haria Center’ to work on Siebel. I can safely vouch for the rest of the group in saying that we didn’t have the least idea about either!
All in all, it was a very happening time. We were getting accustomed to a new city and a new lifestyle. Terrorists added to the happenings with a few bomb blasts on buses. On the 19th day of September 2003 we shifted from the modern Vile Parle building to Haria Center (very few know of its existence!). And thus began our tryst with software.
I stole a glance at the guy sitting next to me. At first, he appeared to be writing something on his notepad. I wondered what he could be noting down. We already had handouts of all the ‘information’. A closer look appeased my doubting mind. He was in another world. A peaceful look spread across his countenance as he shifted to a more comfortable position. After all it isn’t easy to sleep sitting on a straight-backed chair! His pen was etching aimless tracks on the paper. Occasionally his eyes opened, and he tried to focus on the man droning away up front. Seeing the instructor look his way he nodded to indicate that he had grasped what was being taught in its entirety. He hoped there wouldn’t be a test on this. The façade didn’t last very long. Soon his head drooped and his eyelids lost the battle to stay open. He was back in his world. I envied him! Looking around the whole room seemed to be in a state of suspended animation. This state of existence only changed when the session was over or when the break was announced.
That was one of the typical scenes at the training sessions we underwent. They lasted for more than two months. The non-technical training was quite entertaining and resulted in the group bonding very well and having some memorable times, be it dumbcharades in the training room or a trip to the beach. However the technical trainings were almost always as described above, with a few exceptions. And those were usually the moments when someone muttered something funny and we had to somehow maintain a straight face. It surprises me as to how in such situations, even little things make you want to burst out laughing.
The first paycheck evokes a plethora of different emotions. It brings about a feeling of financial independence and the realization of the fact that for the first time in life one doesn’t have to look homewards the moment the pockets are empty. No wonder we checked our online accounts each time they logged on to the net to see whether the deposit had been made. In their minds many were already indulging in their long suppressed passions.
Even though we had been together for just a short span of two months we had shared a lot of firsts with each other; first job, first pay… the list goes on. Each person’s birthday was celebrated in style and it felt like family. The fact that not one person in the group was from Mumbai probably helped things towards this end. However, all good things come to an end. This was no exception. Towards the end of the training session, the group was split unevenly into 10 and 6. The larger part would go into Java at SEEPZ. The rest of us would end up at ‘Haria Center’ to work on Siebel. I can safely vouch for the rest of the group in saying that we didn’t have the least idea about either!
All in all, it was a very happening time. We were getting accustomed to a new city and a new lifestyle. Terrorists added to the happenings with a few bomb blasts on buses. On the 19th day of September 2003 we shifted from the modern Vile Parle building to Haria Center (very few know of its existence!). And thus began our tryst with software.
launched by EQUINOX at 2:26 pm
2 Comments:
Brought back old memories .. its so strange that of all the months we spent coding for a pay , those two months of training seems priceless. "Life": is it ?
yep dude... strange.. but true..
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