The Last Days

The new year dawned with a lot of hope...our lives were being transformed...we were on the verge of getting into the it industry and everyone’s hopes were high...those who had cleared the magic figure had the comfort of being there...those on the verge where confident of making it...but those who were way below were having a hard time...a time similar to what I had during my second month...and people were breaking down here and there....and I could tell them from what I experienced, that they needed to have the courage, the faith that would see them through....
We also had to get our projects ready...fortunately for me, I was put into a team with an exceptional lady...Ramya chechi, who later went on to become our batch topper, with a mark which has not been bettered, i hear. She already had some good ideas...we discussed it and developed it into a fine concept and then presented it to Rajagopal sir. Ours was one of the very few projects which got approved the first day...we were happy and started work in earnest...or should I say Ramya started...we just sat around and gave her moral support...and finally when everything was ready I ran around getting the PowerPoint slides in place, getting all the documents ready and then finally printing them...

Our last evaluation day arrived. We were scheduled to have the project evaluation and the viva, along with a lab exam and then retests for those who still did not clear 70%. Our project was slotted for some time in the afternoon. By the time I went in to face the music, all of my project mates had finished theirs and were sitting in the room.

Jey (the evaluator from UST) : Hello Aravind, these people tell me you have done all this documentation...and SRS and all that stuff...so you are an expert on SRS preparation?
Me: No sir, I am not, I just happen to be good in word.
I dunno if it was that funny, but my project mates, and to my embarrassment Jey, started laughing on this...and I like a buffoon joined in as well.
Jey (in between giggles): So, tell me wht this project is about..
Me: well, it is an...(I blah blahed a lot of things, when Jey cut me in between)
Jey: Ok, so I've got a customer in Delhi. I want to send this to him...So what would you do?
Me: I wud send it to him, Sir..(my mates had started giggling again..Jey might have thought this guy is the batch clown, and cheekiness is his trademark...but I had answered this question in all sincerity.)
Jey: Yes, but how?
Me: In a CD sir...(and my gosh, I melted away to oblivion when I saw Jey and my mates laughing their heads off...I did not realize what the funny thing was...and I obviously had to join in as well...)
Jey: My friend, I wanted to know what u will be sending to him...(Ohh yea, then u gotta ask it that way)
Me: Oh sir, the source code...the (BLAH BLAH continues)
Jey: So will u be sending VB6.0 also along with this(the project was done in VB6.0...)
Me: of course
Jey (his eyes wide open): for a product of 50$, you would send him VB6.0 which would cost 1000$?
Me: Well, he ordered it sir ...so he has to pay up.
Jey: My my...ok friends...you might leave now...thank you...

And there ended my nightmare. I later learnt that all my answers were blunders ...and big ones at that...and then I had that awful sinking feeling...I am not gonna pass....When the marks came out, our project team scored the best marks, with me being second..of course, first was you know who...I was dumbfounded...I came to know later that the evaluators from UST had given rajagopal sir the task of putting the marks...and since he wasn’t there to hear my answers, he gave me a good score based on what I had demonstrated for two months....which really made me feel very happy....Why? two counts...one, I got an approval of my hardwork from rajagopal sir, and two, yipeeeeeeeee...I had crossed the magic figure........now no more retests needed...I was finally gonna see what UST looks like to an employee....I had transformed...from a mere college student to a trainee, and finally to a professional...and IT industry, I had arrived!!!