Wednesday 22 October 2014

MY STORY WHEN I PASSED OUT AS AN ENGNEER AND WHEN I GOT SELECTED AS A BANK EMPLOYEE




Doesn’t seem to be synonymous right? What does an Engineer do in the Bank Industry? Well to be frank I was a person who lived on the flow. I didn’t try to steer my life at any point till I completed my graduation. You may find me in yourself. I was less of a reader and didn’t had any aim or dream in my life. My father was an Engineer, in fact a Civil Engg. So as usual he wanted one of his son’s to be an engineer. My brother pursued academics in Political Sciences (An Arts subject). So the only hope for him was me. He asked me you wanted to be an Engineer. I said yes. May be because I doesn’t know what is engineering? I don’t know whether it will suit my tastes. If at all I would have said No, I don’t know what else suits my tastes. 

I presume that this happened because during my school days learning was like mugging up some theories and passing in the exam. Most of the students didn’t bother of the subject after the exams nor do they try to find their interests and learn more about it. Our learning was confined to the textbooks and the syllabus. I’m not trying to be philosophical or trying to bore the readers, but it is a truth. We need to seriously think about the education system that exists.

Coming back to my story, I wrote the state entrance examination and got in the list of students who qualified. But the rank that I got is not worth to be mentioned. My father understood that, given my rank I’m not going to get a seat in the Government Quota. He came with a bunch of broachers from various private engineering colleges; the next question is “What course do you want to pursue”. I went through the broacher, went across the pictures of the labs and all and said “Electronics and Communication”. It was decision made in minutes. May be I wanted to learn it because I was slightly comfortable with Physics or may be some other unknown reasons. I joined the course in a private college in the suburbs of the city.

There the same system continued. Mugging up some theory and clearing the exams. Although I was better than many others in the number of supplementary exams that I wrote, I had 7 papers due when I passed out in April 2011. I cleared those papers in the next special supplementary held in November 2011.

During my engineering I haven’t researched or thought of where to pursue a job and how. It’s when I passed out the question came to my mind “Where to pursue a job and how?” I consulted my cousin who was working in an IT company. She suggested doing a course in software. I was quiet poor in Programming. Still I took the decision to do a course in Java from one of the leading Software training institute in India. I completed the course in 5 months. Did the project work and somehow finished the course. But all through the course one question haunted me “Is this your cup of tea”. My inner heart said a “BIG NO”. But still I was stuck in a Dilemma. If at all you drop out this path “where is the alternate path?”

On one day I broke out and said to my mother that I cannot pursue this path. She stood by my side and said “Don’t worry if you can’t. Leave it we will find other ways.”

I asked to myself what should be the other path. Where should I pursue a job? Which way suits me. In fact I started thinking. I became more mature. When I scanned through my life from the beginning I understood that the biggest problem with me was I didn’t think at all. Not thinking is as bad as Thinking too much. There should be a balance.

I recollected that when I passed out I wrote various competitive exams. One among them was the IBPS CLERK I. Without any effort or preparation I managed to qualify and acquire a Score Card. Although the score was too low to be called for interview, I understood that if I can give a little more effort I can crack the exams next time.

I took a considered decision to join a coaching institute in the City to start the preparations. During my preparations, almost at the time when the IBPS exams where approaching I got an offer for a Job in the Gulf. But I didn’t give up. I gave up that offer for the sake of the IBPS exam. This might be because I had the confidence of clearing the exam.

I appeared for the IBPS CLERK and SBT CLERK exams and cleared it. But my marks were just above cutoff marks for attending the interview. I was quiet excited and prepared for the interviews day and night. But the fact was that merely getting the cutoff mark has very feeble chance to get the final selection no matter how good you score in the interview. But I was not aware of it.

I attended the interview for SBT Clerk and scored 34/35 and the IBPS Clerk and scored 15/20. In fact I went through a lot of trauma when I was attending the SBT Clerk interview. My grandfather was hospitalized and was suffering serious ailments. Still I performed well in the interview which showed in my marks.

Still you would wonder I didn’t get selected in either of the posts. I was totally shattered. Still I was hoping for getting IBPS CLERK in the second list. In the meanwhile I got a call from an Electronics manufacturing firm under the State Government for apprentice trainee post. But the post was actually a Marketing Job. Again I was in Dilemma. I took a bold decision not to pursue it and continue preparing for the IBPS exams.

In the meanwhile many of my close relative and so called ‘WELL WISHERS’ asked me “You are an Engineer, why are you trying for a job in the banking sector, Why don’t you look for a job in the IT sector or in your core field, Why are you wasting time in preparing for these exams”. I kept smilingJ. 

Well in my mind I asked “Will you give me the Job. I’m not here to satisfy or please others. I’m for myself and I will choose my path. Not You.”



HERE COMES THE TURNING POINT.

May be these questions rang on my mind periodically. The trauma that the society gives to a young graduate looking for a job is far bigger than his/her family.  But a very few overcome these trauma.

“I must prove myself to the society that I’m right”.

I started preparing for the IBPS PO and CLERK III rigorously. I changed my coaching institute to some other in the same city not because the former was bad but because I need a change so that I do not loose the seriousness. I continued the hard work. Practiced as many questions I can and cleared the IBPS PO exams with mark which I can’t even imagine as compared to my past record.

The result of the IBPS PO exam came on just before the day when my IBPS CLERK exams were scheduled. But I didn’t check the marks for the PO exams as I was worried. I attended the IBPS CLERK exam which was quite difficult and may be due to the issue of time management I wasn’t able to attend enough questions. I was shattered. I literally cried in front of my family when I came home. My mother said “Leave it and check your IBPS PO marks. You might be getting better marks there.”

I checked my marks in IBPS PO III, I was shocked. I got 87/200, were the cutoff marks were 61/200. I jumped in joy. Took a printout of the mark sheet and went to my family.  In fact later I also came to know that I cleared the IBPS Clerk exams although the marks where not that bright.

THE BIGGEST TEST OF MY LIFE WAS YET TO HAPPEN

My IBPS PO Interview. I was happy and prepared for the interviews in advance with my friends who qualified for the interview. The Interview dates were approaching. Just a week before the interview date I was diagnosed with Chicken Pox. By the time the interview came my body was full of boils and scars. My mind went blank. Will all the preparations that I made in advance become useless? Still my family members stood by my side and said we will face it together. They gave me the confidence that nothing will happen and you should face the interview no matter what happens. There is in fact no chance of postponing the interview procedures as it was the last date of the whole interview procedures.

The day of interview came. I firmly decided that I will attend the interview and face the panel boldly. I reached the interview venue. I saw everyone standing in the car parking space. I went inside, everyone who saw me were staring at me in surprise. But I kept the cool and went inside. It was a do or die situation. I signed the registry and went inside. For a while I and one of my friends talked with each other. Also saw a few other friends. The officials called everyone to the conference hall. The document verification was over. And then I was called in front of the cabin were the interview is proceeding. One of the Candidates near me asked “What happened to your face?” I said “It’s an allergy. J”.

I was called inside the cabin. I took a deep breath, asked permission and went inside. They asked me to take a seat. Surprisingly they didn’t ask any single word about the deformity in my face. I answered their questions boldly and happily and came back.

Well I’m Happy to say I’m now a Probationary Officer in Bank of India. Why this happened? Well I would say the ability to take bold decisions and to face unforeseen challenges has gained me this Job.
NO MATTER WHAT OTHERS SAY OR THE SO CALLED ‘WELL WISHERS’ THINK PURSUE YOUR DREAM AND WORK HARD TO ACHIEVE IT YOU WILL GET THROUGH.

“You are an Engineer, why are you trying for a job in the banking sector, Why don’t you look for a job in the IT sector or in your core field, Why are you wasting time in preparing for these exams”.

“WELL I CAN PROUDLY SAY I GAVE THE ANSWER TO THAT OLD QUESTION.”

DON’T EVER GIVE UP…

JAI HIND.

THANK GOD.





 

1 comment:

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