Why Can’t I Say what I believe?

Have you ever seen an old photo of yourself and been embarrassed at the way you looked? Did we actually dress like that? We did. And we had no idea how silly we looked. It's the nature of fashion to be invisible, in the same way the movement of the earth is invisible to all of us riding on it.What scares me is that there are moral fashions too. They're just as arbitrary, and just as invisible to most people. But they're much more dangerous. Dressing oddly gets you laughed at. Violating moral fashions can get you fired, ostracized, imprisoned, or even killed.If you could travel back in a time machine, one thing would be true no matter where you went: you'd have to watch what you said. Opinions we consider harmless could have got you in big trouble. I've already said at least one thing that would have got me in big trouble in most of Europe in the seventeenth century, and did get Galileo in big trouble when he said it-- that the earth moves.

That was then. But are we free to say what we believe. Sorry, not even today.
Let’s see what are the things when uttered can get us in trouble.
No one gets in trouble for saying that 2 + 2 is 5, or that people in Nepal are ten feet tall. Such obviously false statements might be treated as jokes, or at worst as evidence of insanity, but they are not likely to make anyone mad. The statements that make people mad are the ones they worry might be believed. I suspect the statements that make people maddest are those they worry might be true.If Galileo had said that people in Greece were ten feet tall, he would have been regarded as a harmless eccentric. Saying the earth orbited the sun was another matter. The church knew this would set people thinking.

I’m no Galileo. I’m not as insane. But whenever I see myself not fitting into the situation my family, my religion, my caste, my country puts me in- I question most of the times to my mind and ask WHY? May be I don’t have the guts to sound a rebel or allow people to question my blasphemous attitude. I do not want to narrow down the scope by listing some of the questions that come to my mind. But I believe, and as I said I’m not as insane, So most of the questions which creep into my mind must also find a place in all of the billions ever thinking minds of the world.

Why?
Some would ask, why would one want to do this? Why deliberately go poking around among nasty, disreputable ideas? Why look under rocks?I do it, first of all, for the same reason I did look under rocks as a kid: plain curiosity. And I'm especially curious about anything that's forbidden. Let me see and decide for myself.Second, I do it because I don't like the idea of being mistaken. If, like other eras, we believe things that will later seem ridiculous, I want to know what they are so that I, at least, can avoid believing them.Third, I do it because it's good for the brain. To do good work you need a brain that can go anywhere. And you especially need a brain that's in the habit of going where it's not supposed to.

Training yourself to think unthinkable thoughts has advantages beyond the thoughts themselves. It's like stretching. When you stretch before running, you put your body into positions much more extreme than any it will assume during the run. If you can think things so outside the box that they'd make people's hair stand on end, you'll have no trouble with the small trips outside the box that people call innovative.

When you find something you can't say, what do you do with it? My advice is, don't say it. Or at least, pick your battles.
The most important thing is to be able to think what you want, not to say what you want. And if you feel you have to say everything you think, it may inhibit you from thinking improper thoughts. I think it's better to follow the opposite policy. Draw a sharp line between your thoughts and your speech. Inside your head, anything is allowed. Within my head I make a point of encouraging the most outrageous thoughts I can imagine. But, as in a secret society, nothing that happens within the building should be told to outsiders. The first rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about Fight Club.

Especially if you hear yourself using them. It's not just the mob you need to learn to watch from a distance. How can you see the wave, when you're the water? You need to be able to watch your own thoughts from a distance. That's not a radical idea, by the way; it's the main difference between children and adults. When a child gets angry because he's tired, he doesn't know what's happening. An adult can distance himself enough from the situation to say "never mind, I'm just tired." I don't see why one couldn't, by a similar process, learn to recognize and discount the effects of moral fashions.
You have to take that extra step if you want to think clearly. But it's harder, because now you're working against social customs instead of with them. Everyone encourages you to grow up to the point where you can discount your own bad moods. Few encourage you to continue to the point where you can discount society's bad moods.
Always be questioning. That's the only defence. What can't you say? And why?

Product based Company vs Services company

It is a common notion among the freshers and also among some of the people in the industry to consider services company as completely devoid of innovation and thriving solely on labor arbitrage. I was myself guilty of similar thinking for a long time.

However, after the little experience I have in the industry and watching both Services and product development side by side, I have realized that both have their own unique challenges and it is not at all fair to put services companies on a lower pedestal than product companies.

Firstly, there aren't really any true product companies. No company can simply build and sell products without providing services around them. Microsoft - the epitome of software product development - has a very large fraction of its work force providing support and associated services around its products. Apple, IBM, Sun - you name it - all develop products and provide services around them. If anything - many of these companies (notably IBM) have realized that services is a much more profitable business to be in. IBM Global Services is probably world's largest software services company.
Secondly, unlike common perception, services companies constantly innovate to remain competitive. The innovation may be in the form of better processes, better hiring strategies, or in developing complex technical solutions for their clients. It is true that many large software services companies do routine incremental maintenance work for systems that were architected elsewhere. However, that is true for large product companies as well which need to invest majority of their resources in maintaining and updating previous versions of their products. If anything, a services company has better chances of doing interesting work in varied technologies as against a product company which is likely to be tied to a single platform and a single product. For a services company, every client and every project is an opportunity to pick up a new technology. The portfolio and technical breadth of services companies is undeniably greater than those of product companies.
The greatest advantage of working in a services company is that you learn to listen very carefully to what your customers are saying. On the shoulders of its clients, a services company gets an opportunity to look closely at varied business models, ship varied products and learn from mistakes and successes of others.

The product company on the other hand the product based company has its own systems in place and is more of ‘content’ than ‘presentation’.
Let me elaborate a bit. A product company is not necessarily great because it innovates. What makes a (good) product company truly stand out is its ability to place its bets on building something in a way that nobody else has, and then giving it all the company's got. Product companies invest in R&D, they take chances, and in their DNA is the ability to know “what” to build without somebody telling them to. The what is a very key element.
The technical challenges and innovation will be similar but a services company does not own the intellectual property and also does not take the responsibility of the success of the idea. This responsibility makes a product company special because it makes long term revenue for the company. (And explains the swelling packages offered to the employees!)
Which one’s for you. You decide yourself..
Product companies are about innovation, service companies are about understanding, listening to clients and addressing the solution within deadlines. The processing of listening to the market is the common aspect of both. However, the kinds of people required for these roles are fundamentally different. Think consulting firm, and you can imagine the big B school MBAs in client relationship roles. There is a lot more emphasis on soft skills, on formal processes, less emphasis on precision or sustainability, less time for innovation, less thought on the code line and more on getting to a solution that works in time. Product companies require more creative people, but their social skills might not be as good. Again this is an observation and not a rule of thumb.

Narad Vachan:
A product company uses its people to create intellectual property.
A services company rents its people out so others can create intellectual property.
A product company takes a $20/hour Java programmer and uses her skills to create a $20 million product.
A services company takes a $20/hour Java programmer and rents him out for $25/hour.

Starting with a start-up?

Every now and then you hear of a certain startup company visiting the campus and the compensations are huge to say the least. Anything which will tempt the best of the lots.
But if you're trying to choose whether to pick the tried and tested dream company of your’s or brave the waters of a start-up, it's crucial to consider the entire landscape of compensation and career growth.

Start with salary.
Once upon a time, you could expect to work at a start-up for a pittance -- if you got paid at all. Most senior managers and founders lived in their parents' garages while building a company into a real business.
The billions of dollars in venture capital being poured into start-ups has changed all that, giving many start-ups enough cash to pay competitive salaries. However, always remember the mysterious gap between the CTC and the in-hand salary. You certainly wouldn’t like to have an in-hand salary of 19k per month and a 4.8 lpa CTC. So get your facts clear first.

Consider the hours you'll be expected to work.
The defining characteristic of a start-up is working long hours. In the first few years of a start-up's life, it's not uncommon to work 12-hour days, seven days a week.
If you're working double the hours that you would work anywhere else for the same salary, you've effectively taken a 50-percent pay cut. And the time that you spend working could very well have been used for other things.
It's hard to measure the opportunity cost of giving up all your free time. Maybe you would have spent it on the couch, but then again, maybe you would have taken a class or written that novel. Those with families have to consider the toll work will take on their personal lives.

What other opportunities does the start-up offer?
Although the lure of riches is compelling for many people, there are some other reasons to work for a start-up that don't involve dollar signs.
For example, in most start-ups, people are given greater responsibility than they would have in a more established company. For many, having start-up experience is another step on the career ladder. So that what you can learn in an year you might not be able to learn in 5 years working in an established giant.


Are you ready for it?
The work load and the responsibility put in are enormous. Considering your first job, are you ready for it coming straight out from the colleges where the only responsibility was hosting the cultural fest. Or you think you need proper training and stuff to get prepared for the big bad corporate world. ‘Coz that’s not going to happen there. Work from day 1.

How many shares of stock will you get from a start-up?
Just because stock is being offered doesn't mean your dreams of becoming Bill Gates are almost fulfilled. Look at the details of the entire process. Companies have a lot of flexibility in how they offer their stock to employees. Find out how much you'll have to invest to make use of your options.

How long until they vest?
It's crucial to bear in mind how long you'll have to stick around to own all your shares. This typically takes four years or even longer. A start-up is not exactly a get-rich-quick scheme.

What if the company is sold?
Many start-ups make attractive acquisitions -- in fact, some are founded in hopes that they'll be acquired by one of the giants, such as Amazon.com or Yahoo.
But what about you, your shares, and your job? Many people who are attracted by the excitement of working for a start-up don't want to work for one of the giants. If your company is bought before you fully vest, you may have to work for a company you don't especially like or have to give up some of your stock.

So go for it for the challenger inside you and the challenges it offers. After all it's always your belief in yourself more than your belief in the company.

Flirt @ Office

You don’t flirt with anybody. Flirting is a way of life. The way you talk to the other sex, the way your eyes move, the words you choose to say... it’s all part of the the rocket science thing called flirt. We all do it but are unaware of it. And especially in office where we spend more than half of our lives and create a world of our own, you’ve got to utilize every bit of the chance you get to give yourself that playful indulgence.

A giggle here, an eye contact there. A playful punch or hands shake which continued just a little longer. The increasingly frequent cubicle visits. And soon it’s lunch for too or may be even drinks after work.
And that is where the story takes the turn. No I’m not talking about what happens after the drink. This is not a Sidney Sheldon’s novel piece.

The problem lies with the ever heavily-loaded emotional hearts which we Indians carry and soon the flirt no longer remains a flirt and becomes romance. Now don’t ask me what’s the difference?

But unlike the publicity-starved celebrities, you have to keep insisting that you're "just friends" to everyone around you, including yourselves. Still, you wonder, "What's the big deal, anyway? A little flirtation never hurts anyone."

Looking at it from a distance really doesn’t give any alarms. Or do they. Let’s see.

Office romance - the good
There are many issues -- both positive and negative -- to consider before engaging in office romances. One of the positive aspects is time efficiency, since you no longer need to search for a significant other in the evening. Why look around for potential dates when you have an office full of beautiful women (alas, that’s not true for most of the companies :)? You save both time and money.

A second advantage to dating someone in the workplace is that since you spend so many hours together at work, you already have an idea of what she's like. This can save you from lots of headaches down the road.

A final advantage, is that you can carpool. Not only do you get to spend the night together, you also save on petrol. Wow, what are the chances that you could date women that would save you money?

Office romance - the bad
Office romances also have their drawbacks. For example, no matter how well the relationship is going, the situation itself is a recipe for disaster. The fact that couples are in constant contact with one another day and night may cause friction within the relationship. Everyone needs "alone time" to pursue hobbies or hang out with friends, and the lack thereof may cause relationships to self-destruct.

Office romances may interfere with individuals' abilities to perform their professional duties. Imagine telling your girlfriend that she's fired? There is obvious potential for conflicts of interest between office situations and relationships. And there’s absolutely no way to avoid accusations of favoritism, not giving time to your colleagues, which may harm your relationship with your colleagues.


Office romance - the ugly
Before beginning a relationship consider its potential outcomes. If things don't work out, will things become awkward? Prepare yourself for the unwanted situations that might follow. In order to be prepared, evaluate who's date-worthy, their position and the consequences of a breakup:

Dating colleagues: Rivalry and competition may harm the relationship. Uncomfortable situations may arise after the breakup when career advancements issues come into play.

Dating Subordinates: False accusations of favoritism may arise, as well as accusations of sexual harassment after the breakup.

Dating Bosses: Might have to work late almost everyday. You may get FIRED after the breakup.

Guidelines for success
Always remember; while inter-office dating is not necessarily illegal, many companies have policies against it. The tricky part regarding such policies is what defines dating. Most companies encourage friendships, so where's the line between friendship and dating? If you start dating someone in the office, whom can you tell? Should you try to keep it a secret? What if someone finds out?
Here are a few preventative guidelines to help develop a successful office romance without falling into any pitfalls or lawsuits.
1. Adhere to the "one year" rule by only gradually letting a workplace or business acquaintance become a friend. Even then, try to keep it a casual, non-intimate friendship.
2. Don’t commit. (This is especially for the guys. Girls somehow are born with this tip) Keep people guessing including your partner!
3. Be an Aamir Khan of DCH than an SRK of DDLJ. Girls like emotional stuff only on screen.
4. Email communications should be avoided and no mushy gushy chats in office. There is something about email that makes men and women let down their guards, so before hitting the send button on your computer, re-read your message and make sure that you are not hitting the reply all/send all button!

So finally if you are so much in love and are ready to face the same woman who sits in the cubicle next to you again in the dining table sitting next to you at your home having dinner. Or the lady, for whom you bought that expensive deodorant for yourself to woe her, shopping for a deodorant for you and saying “Better use it. You stink like a pig in summer.” Ouch! Or still you are ready to face the same charming lady who greeted you every morning in office to shriek at you every morning from the kitchen to wake you up.
Or the dazzling beauty for whom you went to sleep each day early so that you catch her in sweet dreams to be well.. wherever you want! Different people have different styles. So I can’t comment.
If this is the case then go for it.
Office romances can be fun, and successful -- a growing number of newlyweds are coworkers. They should take the proper steps, however, to ensure that the relationship will last without interfering in the workplace.

P.S. Well you might think that I’m primarily addressing to the M sex. Yes, I’m nobody to teach the fairer sex the art of flirt!

Why MBA?

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Why MBA?...Interesting question.....here are some possible answers :

1) My dad told me to do so (papa ne kaha tha)
2) Had spare 1100 bucks
3) I am not good at tech
4) ROI(return of investment) after MBA is good
5) Everyone seems to be doing mba ....so i also joined the race
6) You ask me why ....and I ask you why not?


Ok. So let me answer each one of you separately.


1. "My dad told me to do so (papa ne kaha tha)"
: But then Dad also asks you to marry his friend’s daughter Roopa who’s in Champaner!

2. "Had spare 1100 bucks"
: good one, Even my friend last year felt the same, but then realized that a lot of chocolates (even vodka) can be bought with 1100 bucks.


3 "I am not good at tech"
: so what makes you think that not being good at tech, naturally
qualifies you to be good at management?

4. "ROI(return of investment) after MBA is good"
The avg salary in best of IIMs is 12 lacs CTC, which isn’t that great coz after 2 yrs in a good company (and a switch), your salary can be 10 lacs (obviously you have to excel in your work for that, but dont expect MBA and
thereafter to be a cakewalk) . And the cool 4-5 lakhs you spent on the studies.

ROI in the share market, and in any business is much higher. Actually if ROI is all you care about, start a garbage collection and disposal company. You ll break even in 2 yrs, then add a garbage recycling
unit. You ll be a crorepati in 5 years. I am not joking, I know someone who did the above in 4 years total, I am sure all of you can do it definitely.

5. "everyone seems to be doing mba ....so i also joined the race"
: What would you call this - peer pressure, or crab mentality? But before you snicker and laugh at the rest of the world who does this (and you dont), just pause to remember your admission into college.
Why did you put Computers as your no. 1 choice? Did you actually like the field? How much experience did you have in the field? How many of you chose it, even though you didnt have any real affection towards
it? So you want to repeat that all again?

6. "You ask me why ....and i ask u why not"
: You ask me why I should I go to hunoolooloo for vacation, and I ask
you....... why not? Basically there’s no end to counter questioning.


On a more serious note, see it’s all a question of where you see yourself
say 5-10 years from now (although very few of us think that long
term). If you are a 'techie' at heart you would probably be quite happy to
be working on the tech side of things and you can make a great career that
way as well, but if you want any of the following things then an MBA
probably makes sense -

(1) A career move to an entirely different domain say finance or consulting.....it could be done the without an MBA as well but then the struggle is a lot harder

(2) A fast forward button for your career.....in the corporate world degree holders from top b-schools are given positions of responsibility and authority very quickly considered to those without an MBA irrespective of
any amount of 'managerial' acumen you may show.

(3) Money.....lots of it ...at the end of the day there's no denying the fact that this plays a very important role besides your work...Infact for many it's the sole reason for many who pursue an MBA.....the hard fact is
that those who do the actual work get paid far less than those who 'manage'them.

But then consider these hard-hitting facts.
The highest paying job (after an MBA, and maybe after anything else as well) is in the field of Investment Banking. You work 20hrs a day, 7 days a week, sleep during flights, and earn crazy amounts of money.
And get burnt out in 6 years max. That’s what a high up guy in Lehmann Brothers told me. The guy said that he has worked for 6 years, hasn’t met his wife for a while even though they live together, and is planning to quit soon. So if it’s money that drives you, remember to be in the top 5 in IIM-A,B,C and also be prepared for the above.

Dudes don’t be duds. Realize that the only thing that matters in life is to achieve something that you actually desire (that sounds sooooooooooo cliché). So try and be honest with yourself. Ask yourself whether you enjoyed solving technical challenges (the linked lists, the trees…. sorry tech folks, I couldn’t remember any other subjects) Ask yourself whether your dreams and hopes about engineering (before you joined it) had anything to do with science (and not about engineers getting good jobs). Most of you might not be technically inclined, and that’s absolutely fine (it reduces competition for many).

Now ask yourself whether the MBA is what you really want. Does finance, economics, accounts, HR excite you? Do you feel positive thinking about them? Or do you have a plan for yourself in which an IIM degree might help.

Next, review your own personality and inclinations. Do you prefer being the workman as long as you have the freedom to choose your tools and your work, or do you love playing supervisor?

If you feel inclined or biased towards any of the above two sides,congratulations. You will do well in life, skip the rest of this article. For the rest, you better start exploring yourself. Life's too short anyways. By the time you realize what you want from it, it might have slipped away.If you want to do an MBA, best of luck, I sincerely wish you to do well. Prepare hard (You know that already… why doesnt anyone ask me to shut up?). Prepare smart (now whats that?) Critically review yourself, and water the roots. Work on improving speaking, reading and writing
skills if that’s where you lack. blah blah blah.... I think most good institutes would be doing this so for purposes of brevity, I’ll leave it for them to continue). Also keep in touch, I’ll like to offer you
to join me when I start my own company.

If you are technically inclined, read the following very carefully.(You can even try printing out the next paragraph in bold, large font size and stick it all over your walls, but I wont really insist on that)

You might be working in a company in which you may not be getting a chance to enhance (or even use) your talents. DON’T lose heart. It’s only a while before your projects will become better. The initial year can be a very big disappointment, coz that’s when you go through bench rotations, maintenance work etc. But things become dramatically better afterwards. Use your extra time to prepare your technical skills outside of your current work area, and after a year you will be able to leverage that knowledge to join a better company. There are a lot
of good companies who do really high-quality work, and a little sustained effort will get you there. One of the most amazing things about the technical field is that it’s a pure meritocracy, atleast in good companies. Many companies (I know for Trilogy atleast) have a technical career ladder as well in which you can reach the very top
and still stay tech. Your job takes on architectural, not managerial roles. You lead the company in its technical innovation endeavours.
What more do u want? (You also earn a lot of money, but I won’t dwell on that, coz money matters much less than impact and power to pure tech lovers. I know some of my friends..). And you can do stuff like SRK in Swades.

To end with, I’ll simply repeat a very cliché statement:

"Just follow your heart"
Whether it’s a tech field or an MBA.
The rat race for money won’t ever end, even when you become Bill Gates.
The only things that will make you feel satisfied and happy are your family, and the sense of achievement that your work gives you.