Musings from beyond the pale

Its  been five straight years since I have been writing for "Srijna". Five years!! Some may wonder as to how this is possible. Was I forced to repeat a year or something similar? Naa, but if I was to give a hint, it would be to tell you that I cannot call myself a student of AIT anymore. I am now an alumnus.

Nearly eight months back I bid goodbye to AIT. And this article is about the journey since. I have now been working with Infosys for nearly seven months and am presently working out of Mysore. It's been a strange shift from a student to a working professional. At times it now appears nothing has changed, at other times I wonder if even something of the past survives.

I have learnt that we will loose touch with a lot of friend once a person starts working. Its not about contact numbers and e-mail ids. I am online every night and I see so many batchmates online. The tragedy is I seldom have the time or the will to say hello. And neither do they. Only a few friendships survive and even those time keeps corroding, like an animal gnawing at the edges. The best of friends however stay in touch because they miss each other.

Of course now I get paid at the end of every month but that changes few things. The kind of fun I had in college seems impossible now and feels like a distant hallucination. Its only when one start working that one realizes the importance of a weekend. I savour it, dwell in it ,mourn its passing and then wait for another return. In life and career, a lot also depends on luck. Fate as someone said is a seductive idea. However while its critical to have fun in college, I suggest that one must always put in the minimum amount of hardwork. Play it safe.

Also presently we are going through the worst economic crises in a long long time. Recession scares everybody. Should we really panic? I agree that recession has affected the IT industry. Clients are short of cash and projects are tough to retain. Many companies are firing people-left, right and center. It does appear to be a bad time.

While this may be the first recession of us as adults, we would be fools to forget that this is not the first recession. This is also not the last. The business phases come in regular cycles.There will always be recessions every couple years. These are the risks of working in the corporate sector. The rewards are also manifold.

Even in a recession opportunities exist. Its up to us if we have the will to search for them. Many of my friends have got job offers even in this recession. Fear is good when it makes us aware of the surroundings and work harder. On the other hand fear which cripples us and does not allow us to do a thing is bad.

So enjoy your time at AIT because these days will never return. Work hard and party harder still. Adios.

Syed Ashraf Husain

Proud part of the AIT Comp batch of 08

 

This is my article for the latest issue of my college magazine. I did not intend to write but the present secretary requested and I just could not say no. Maybe I have a hard time letting go.