The Beginners Guide to the Corporate World

So You are ready to take a plunge into the big-bad corporate world. Well, thought my small stint at the office and studying them closely might just be of any help to you.
A few days back I completed 1 year in the industry and the few lessons which I learned in the process are definitely true for any industry you land in and will surely be beneficial to you all. The lessons:
Learn to say no
When I started working, I was very eager to please. This meant that I had a hard time saying no to things people asked of me. I tried to work a lot, and still didn’t finish everything that was asked of me. The result was disappointment from their side, and almost burning out on my part.
If you never say no, your yes is worth very little. Commit to what you can handle, and if people keep asking you for more, make it very explicit that this would mean not doing something else. What I did was to have a list of stuff that I needed to do on a piece of paper with me. When someone asked for something, I showed them the list and asked what I should bump to have time to help them. This allowed me to say no in a nice way.
Communication
And that’s communication with persons, not socket programming. Now and then you do run into a tricky technical problem, but it’s not at all that common. Much more common is misunderstandings between you and the project manager, between you and the customer and finally between you and your colleagues. Work on your soft skills.
If everything is equally important, then nothing is importantThe business likes to say that all the features are as crucial. They are not. Push back and make them commit. It’s easier if you don’t force them to pick what to do and what not to do. Instead, let them choose what you should do this week. This will let you produce the stuff that brings value first. If all else goes haywire, at least you’ve done that.
Don’t over-think a problem
I can spend whole days designing things in front of the white board. That doesn’t mean it will be any better, it just means it will be more complicated. I don’t mean to say you shouldn’t design at all, just that the implementation will quickly show me stuff I didn’t think of anyway, so why try to make it perfect?

Object Oriented Designing is not easy!
Maybe it’s just me, but coming from Computer Science class I thought that OO was easy. The highest marks-fetcher and the dumbest teacher used to teach the subject. I mean, how hard can it be to create classes that mimic the real world? It turns out that it’s pretty hard. One year later, I’m still learning how to model properly and see the relationships between different tables. I wish I spent more time reading up on OO and design patterns. Good modeling skills are worth a lot to every development team.

Learn about the other parts of the software development machine
It’s really important to be a great developer. But to be a great part of the system that produces software, you need to understand what the rest of the system does. How do the QA people work? What does the project manager do? What drives the business analyst? This knowledge will help you connect with the rest of the people, and will grease interactions with them. Ask the people around you for help in learning more. What books are good? Most people will be flattered that you care, and willingly help you out. A little time on this goes a really long way.

Your colleagues are your best teachers
An year after I started on my first job, I was moved to another team. Suddenly I had a lot of much more talented and experienced people around me. I remember distinctly how this made me feel inferior and stupid. I studied hard, reading book after book but I still didn’t catch up. No matter how much you try to read and search, the knowledge which your colleagues can give you is invaluable and you will never find in any teaching manual. I ask questions and I try really hard to understand how my colleagues come to the conclusions they do. See your peers as an asset, not competition.
It all comes down to working software
No matter how cool your algorithms are, no matter how brilliant your database schema is, no matter how fabulous your whatever is, if it doesn’t scratch the clients’ itch, it’s not worth anything. Focus on delivering working software, and at the same time prepare to continue delivering software using that code base and you’re on the right path.

Some people are assholes
Most of the time, most of the people around you are great. You learn from them, and they learn from you. Accomplishing something together is a good feeling. Unfortunately, you will probably run into the exceptions. People that because of something or other are plain old mean. Demeaning bosses. Lying colleagues. Stupid, ignorant customers. Don’t take this too hard. Try to work around them and do what you can to minimize the pain and effort they cause, but don’t blame yourself. As long as you stay honest and do your best, you’ve done your part.

Are you a rat running a rat race

Do you curse your manager everytime he passes by you for earning more than you by working less? Do you keep on waiting for the calendar to change for the next month for your account to get incremented by a fixed number.. well almost fixed after that appraisal period too. Do you regret why you joined this damn company and while others of your batch have moved ahead and you are left behind. Do you close your eyes every night after a day full of reading emails and chatting and working for the 10% of the time you are paid for. And then again get up in the morning to rush against the snarling traffic towards your office. Well my dear you show every symptom of a rat running a rat race.
And the only way out is to move out of the race coz the tragedy of rat race is even if you win you still remain in the rat race. Sorry for using the cliché but that’s true.
Moving out of the rat race doesn’t necessarily mean quitting the job. Moving out means detachment from the web of the daily chores & excessive involvement in mundane tasks. But staying focused towards your duties and responsibilities. Very much like Krishna preaches in Bhagwad Gita- ‘Stay like a lotus petal in pond.. wet yet dry. Involved yet detached.’

I know it’s not as simple as it sounds but let’s first understand the problem.The problem arises when you start comparing yourself with others and succumb to peer pressure. You always like to reach to the other person’s position(obviously if he’s at a higher level) by just looking at the face value of his position and ignoring your strengths and weaknesses. You always want to be appreciated by others, approved by others. You have always believed that the better people feel about you, the better you can feel about yourself. However, you may have never really considered that the opposite of this belief must hold equally and unhappily true, and that is: The less you are approved by others, the more alone and uncertain you feel. This helps to explain why you think you have to please people as well as why you resent those you feel you must please. Being approved by others has become a strange kind of life-support system wherein, after a lifetime of depending on it, you unconsciously believe that there won't be life without someone there to approve you into existence. Just the opposite is true. The more you depend on others to confirm you to yourself, the less real life you have of your own.
It is our fear of being alone and in doubt, of wanting to feel certain that what we are doing is right, that compels us to seek the approval of others. So this tells us that the chief cause of why our lives so often wind up in the hands of others is not that they are superior or that the world is too strong for us, but that we don't want to face the uncertainty and aloneness that we think we are too weak to bear. This is the real cause of all of our wrong relationships in life: We have been betrayed by a belief in our own weakness. And unless we overcome ourselves we’ll continue to find ourselves in the rat race- running towards an unknown goal.

The conscious refusal to go along with your weakness is what invokes and finally delivers real inner-strength. This new kind of strength gradually becomes the cornerstone of a true individual existence -- the life you've always wanted. This may sound philosophical. The stakes are actually eternal -- but self-victory is as certain as the fact that light always triumphs over darkness. If you will stay in the middle of this struggle for true self-possession, not asserting your individuality but allowing it to flourish and to blossom -- bearing what you must bear by refusing to submit yourself to negative, self-betraying influences -- you will come to know the highest approval that Life can award. You won't be jealous of anyone coz you know you'll definitely get what you deserve. Reality itself will approve you. And when it does, all of your struggles (and races) will become a thing of the past. You will possess yourself. No one around you will suspect that you now live in a new kind of bright inner-world; a world that is always on your terms because your terms and the terms of this happy new inner-world are never in conflict. You have won the race. You have won your own life.

Avoiding Conflict at Work

As you stand to take a plunge into the corporate world away from the comforting company of your friends and well wishers of college days, you may well find yourself dealing with people who are just not your type. And when it comes to working in a team you are bound to face conflicts.
We rely on and spend more time with our colleagues than with most other people in our lives: yet we frequently experience conflict at work. In a way it’s obvious and in a way ironical.
Conflict is such a broad term for what can be experienced, ranging from office gossip to outright being physically aggressive. In nearly every single office there are always going to be personality clashes at some point, and most of the time they will be fairly easily sorted out. However,
sometimes they aren't and there is often no other option than to resign.
The real problem underlying this situation is that people really don't have the skills to deal with these kinds of situations. They frequently accept the problem when it is happening and then get really upset afterwards. I don’t say that you’ll come out winners every time but the five ways in which you can perhaps come out of the tricky situation are:

1. Avoidance (also can be known as Ignoring (I Lose / You Lose)) This is the most frequently used strategy along with accommodation. Here conflict is avoided by simply refusing to engage in the situation.

Example: Someone making a sly comment and the person it was aimed at simply walks
away. While this obviously is not a good way of dealing with conflict the majority of the time as it tends not to help, it is worth being considered as a strategy for when the conflict is just not worth the effort of being addressed.

2. Accommodation (also can be know as Looking Good (I Lose / You Win)) Here you take the conflict and submit.

Example: Listening to unhelpful criticism and believing it. Again, very frequently used especially where there is low confidence and self-esteem. This is another not very successful method of dealing with conflict, but it will do if you know that there is a solution coming soon.

3. Compete (I Win / You Lose)
This one means that you play the person at his or her own game and work hard to get your own way in the conflict.

Example: Someone starts spreading rumors about you, so you do the same in return in an attempt to discredit the power of the other person's word. This can be very useful when the conflict is mild and you are passionate about your stance, but can lead to a vicious circle as the conflict escalates. Be very sure you want to use this strategy as lowering yourself
to someone else's level rarely shows you in the best light.

4. Compromise (Illusion of I Win / You Win but not in real sense)

It’s more of an adjustment from both the sides....but the pinch is still there. A much more useful tactic to use. Here you don't give in to the conflict, but work out a solution somewhere between the two sides.

Example: Someone delegates a huge amount of work to your already over-filled plate, you respond by taking on some of it, and then recommending that this person parcel out the rest to other people. This is the strategy of choice for most untrained managers as this is how we frequently deal with children in real life - and so it is a behavior we all know about. This can of course lead to the obvious downfall of the actual solution leaving none of the sides happy. This is best to use when the goal is to get past the issue and move on - with the issue having relatively little significance.

5. Collaborate (Actually I Win / You Win)

This is the most effective and correct strategy to follow. You start working on Alternative Options. The most useful tactic, particularly with extremes of conflict such as bullying. The aim here is to focus on working together to arrive at a solution, where both sides have ownership of and commitment to the solution.

Example 1: You and someone else are at completely opposed viewpoints over a project.
You sit down with them and work out why they believe in their point of view, and explain your own. Clever and lateral thinking can provide a solution, which answers both sides, but is not a compromise.

Example 2: Someone is bullying you at work. You talk to this person and collaborate
on modifying his behavior.

Use this strategy when the goal is to meet as many of the current needs as is possible. It’s the most difficult strategy if confidence is low as it involves actually naming the issue to the conflict-creator, which can cause huge anxiety and fear.
To collaborate successfully on an issue such as continuing conflict you need to follow few basic guidelines.

You must recognize that part of the problem is your own fault: you allowed it to happen and did not try to address it to begin with. You can use this aloud and actively take part of the responsibility, as this will put the onus onto the other person to take the other part of the responsibility. Remember that we frequently don't like in others what we don't want to see in ourselves, but find occasionally anyway. Be very sure that you have not committed the same conflict and that you do not in the future.

Manage yourself during the resolution attempt - learn calming strategies if you are hot-tempered or confidence boosters if you are shy. Do not to be emotional, as emotion will only make things escalate.
Don't believe that the best defence is a good offence - that is part of the Competing strategy.
Work the issue, not the person: this means addressing the behavior rather than the entire existence of that person. There is a different level of ownership for behaviors, and people will take less offence if you criticize their behavior than if you criticize them personally.

Never lay blame, as this will only fan the fires. If you are not getting anywhere, ask for further information from the other person about the reasons for their behavior, but don't ask the
questions with 'why' at the beginning - if you do this will actively put the other person under the spotlight and they will get defensive.
Remember above all, that people who enjoy creating conflict are ultimately power-seekers who enjoy controlling others. Frequently this is because either they have suffered in a similar way before or feel that they have very little control over their own lives and does anything they can to feel in control. A little compassion will take you a long way both in resolving the situation and in putting it behind you when it is resolved. One of the most important strategies for collaboration is to start "Listening First".

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!