Wallpaper of the Day

For All those who love Onsite opportunities

A Story about Onsite...s
One fine day, Vivek's PL Rao asks him whether he has any time for a
small meeting. Vivek obviously has time and so the two go to a
conference room. Rao then clears his throat and says "Vivek, there is
an on-site requirement. It is in Covina, Los Angeles. It is for six
months. I can suggest your name. Do you have any problems?"


Vivek cannot believe his ears. Of course why should any one have
problems going to the Sam land. "Of course no Rao .. I have no
problems." he says. Rao looks at him very kindly and says "You
better draw up your personal plans with your wife and let me know in a
day or two" That's when Vivek remembers that he has a wife.


Then it strikes him that there is a himalayan problem in front of him.
Shobana is working in Wipro. She is in the middle of a project in which
she is a moduleleader. She cannot leave it all and come to Covina with
Vivek. On the otherhand it will be cruel on Vivek's part to leave her
here and go to Covina for more than half a year. Moreover, they have
just been married. Vivek can stay back. But one day he has to go.. He
cannot stay back in India indefinitely. Project requirements are too
demanding. Shobana can resign Wipro and accompany Vivek. But what is the
guarantee that she would find such a nice job in such a nice company
after they come back from Covina?


So Shobana and Vivek discuss this issue. They reluctantly agree to get
separated for six months. Vivek hugs Shobana in the airport and says "I
will be BACK" in a typical Arnold Scharzegger tone and then boards Delta
Airways leaving Shobana in tears.


In Covina Vivek gets lots of work and his stay gets extended by two more
months. The days and months move very slowly. Vivek starts counting even
minutes. During this period, Shobana's PL Ashish Mehta calls her one day
and asks her whether she has any time for a small meeting. Shobana
wonders what that meetin! g is.. They go to the conference room and Mehta
tells her about a great on-site requirement in Berlin, Germany for
their customer. "It is for six months and you are most suited person
for this. I am going to suggest your name. Do you have any problems?"
Mehta asks her. Shobana gets excited.. Berlin! She has never been out
of India. So she instantly nods her head. Mehta then smiles and says
"Okay discuss with your hubby and let me know in a day or two"


That's when Shobana gets the gravity of the situation. It will be two
months before Vivek can come home..... By the time Shobana will have
left to Berlin for six m! onths. Shobana cannot decline this as this is
an important assignment. That night Vivek spends hundred dollars on
telephone to discuss this matter with Shobana. Finally they decide to go
ahead. Shobana breaks down in the phone and Vivek breaks down thinking
about his phone bill. And then Shobana leaves to Berlin.



One month after that,Vivek comes back to India. Then Shobana calls him
almost everyday and they discuss about all petty things on the phone.
Shobana applies for a loan to clear her telephone bills.


Vivek gets into a new project which is not yet started. His PL Prateek
Ray calls him one day and says that he has to go to Toledo Ohio for the
requirement analysis of that proj! ect. Vivek frantically says no. Shobana
is arriving next month. He doesn't want to miss her. But Ray assures
him that the work is only for one month and that he would be back
before Shobana comes to India. Thus Vivek flies to Toledo Ohio and gets
into the requirement analysis of the new project. That's when he comes
to know how difficult it is to retrieve information from the users. You
can design a system the user wants only when the user knows what he
wants. Vivek gets baffled by the questions his users put.. "Do you
think I need those fields "GMG_TYPE_HJHJ_TW" and "Auto_level_ind"? What
are they by the way?" The requirements analysis stage continues for
three full months at this pace. Shobana comes to India one month after
that. And she tells her PL that she doesn't want anymore on-site
assignments. "I understand" says Mehta and she desperately waits for
Vivek to come back to India. It has already been two months over a year
since they last met.


Vivek then gets the role of an on-site co-ordinator for this customer.
He calls Shobana that night and they really don't know what to do.
Shobana offers to resign her job and join him in Toledo. But she is
getting 21 grand per month in India and Vivek doesn't want to lose that.
"Two more months Shobana and I promise I will be back"
Shobana retorts back, "There is no solution for this problem." Vivek
gets surpri! sed. "What are you talking about?" he asks her. Shobana
fights back her tears. "As long as I am in Wipro I will be getting a
lot of on-site opportunities. Even if I decline all of them, what about
you? You also work for a software company and there you need to go
abroad almost once every quarter. I cannot accompany you as you don't
want me to resign my job here. Does that mean we have to stay like this
forever? Vivek! I love you and I don't know how I spent fifteen months
without even seeing you once. I may not recognize you also if you come
in front of me now... Tell me Vivek, is there a solution for this
problem?"


Vivek doesn't speak anything for a moment. He then realizes the truth in
her sentences. It is a neverending problem. But what about the 20 grand
she is getting per month?
"Vivek, is money everything? Can't we comfortably live with what you are
getting? Please Vivek, try to understand the situation" ! Shobana breaks
down. Vivek is still undecided. He married a software engineer with a
hope that with two incomes he would have a good deal of money to plan
their future.


"Let us face the reality, Vivek" Shobana says, "How much are you paying
for the phone calls now? More than 20 grand per month. If I am with you
there will your phone bill be so astronomical? Just tell me one thing.
Won't you be happy having me there with you?" Shobana slowly turns
hysterical.


Vivek gets into the crux of the situation. It is true. He has been
spending around 600 to 700 dollars per month on India calls... that is
far more than what Shobana is getting then. He thinks and thinks.. for
two days he does nothing else but thinking. Finally he decides that he
should have Shobana with him all the time from then onwards at any cost.
Shobana gladly prepare! s the resignation letter and submits it. Her PL
smiles and says "You've made the right decision Shobana..


Congratulations for the bold step. I understand your problems. Anyway!
you have a three months notice period here, right? We have a one month
assignment in Singapore..."

Poem by an African........Awesome

Dear White fella............ Couple of things you should know.....
When I born, I Black,
When I grow up, I Black,
When I go in Sun, I Black,
When I scared, I Black,
When I sick, I Black,
And when I die, I still black.......

And you White fella,
When you born, you Pink,
When you grow up, you White,
When you go in Sun, you Red,
When you cold, you Blue,
When you scared, you Yellow,
When you sick, you Green,
And when you die, you Gray.................

And you calling me Colored ???????????

Prime Numbers

How different professionals prove that all odd integers higher than 2 are prime?

Mathematician: 3 is a prime, 5 is a prime, 7 is a prime, and by induction - every odd integer higher than 2 is a prime.

Physicist: 3 is a prime, 5 is a prime, 7 is a prime, 9 is an experimental error, 11 is a prime,...

Engineer: 3 is a prime, 5 is a prime, 7 is a prime, 9 is a prime, 11 is a prime,...

Programmer: 3 is a prime, 5 is a prime, 7 is a prime, 7 is a prime, 7 is a prime,...

Salesperson: 3 is a prime, 5 is a prime, 7 is a prime, 9 -- we'll do for you the best we can,...

Computer Software Salesperson: 3 is prime, 5 is prime, 7 is prime, 9 will be prime in the next release,...

Biologist: 3 is a prime, 5 is a prime, 7 is a prime, 9 -- results have not arrived yet,...

Advertiser: 3 is a prime, 5 is a prime, 7 is a prime, 11 is a prime,...

Lawyer: 3 is a prime, 5 is a prime, 7 is a prime, 9 -- there is not enough evidence to prove that it is not a prime,...

Accountant: 3 is prime, 5 is prime, 7 is prime, 9 is prime, deducing 10% tax and 5% other obligations.

Statistician: Let's try several randomly chosen numbers: 17 is a prime, 23 is a prime, 11 is a prime...

Professor: 3 is prime, 5 is prime, 7 is prime, and the rest are left as an exercise for the student.

Computational linguist: 3 is an odd prime, 5 is an odd prime, 7 is an odd prime, 9 is a very odd prime,...

Psychologist: 3 is a prime, 5 is a prime, 7 is a prime, 9 is a prime but tries to suppress it,...

Tech it or leave it

"For most engineering grads first job's a passing phase of less than two
years"proclaims a headline in today's Economic Times
A C Nielsen ORG Marg's T Schools '05 Campus Recruiters Index has made
the less than startling discovery that 64% of engineering grads who join
tech companies intend to leave within the first two years or less. This
number is apparently up from 47% in 04 and 59% in 05.
Fact is, few engineering grads seem really enthused about joining
Infosys, TCS, Wipro and the like - especially if they happen to be from
tier 1 institutes or God forbid, IIT. Company aa rahi hai, to chalo job
le lete hain.
And serve the companies right too in a way, if they're willing to snap
up any which engineering graduate - civil, mechanical, metallurgical -
just because they need to add 10,000 bakras at a time.
Although their HR depts claim that they have systems which ensure a
smooth induction, training and deployment onto projects that isn't quite
the case for everyone.
A 2004 graduate from a premier institute in Mumbai who was working with
Mastek had this to say: "Since IT companies conform to CMM level 5 they
have to keep a certain % of the workforce on the bench ie idle. And it
can get damn frustating."
There are enough cases of freshers who complete their training and then
just cool their heels for a while: come to office everyday, send email
forwards to each other (the only timepass available in the absence of
internet access) and somehow get through till the end of the day.
Sounds like fun, doing nothing - but try doing it over a period of time.
Sucks bigtime!
Another complaint is "I asked to work on X technology but was put onto a
project using Z technology." Z is apparently getting 'obsolete' but
still a current business requirement. But that argument doesn't cut ice
with apna 'I-want-technologies-that-look-good-on-my-resume' engineer.
The Long, Steep Climb
Although the 15,000 bucks you get in hand as a fresher seem decent
enough at the time of joining the really long ladder ahead is soon
evident.
In most companies it takes 18 months-2 years to get sent on an offshore
project and earn that precious dollar allowance (which is the carrot
dangling in every techie head). And though that's not really a long time
many don't have the patience.
Besides, they soon learn, the job is not really about programming at
all... One such dude sums up the average IT career path on a Pagalguy
forum:
There is not much of a ladder is S/W industry as such. For most life is
quite typical. One or two years in a company. Then a chance to go onsite
and see some money. Then back home. Another 2 years and then one becomes
an analyst and after 5-6 years, a manager. And your engineering branch
is the last thing that would matter here.
The work in S/w company is quite mundane and does not involve too much
programming skills. If you have good talking skills and project yourself
well to your managers, you would grow.
Given that scenario - and the fact that there is no inherent interest in
software as a career - getting into an MBA or MS program is a good
escape route. And seems like a faster way "up".
Basically, managing the aspirations of thousands of above average
intelligence 20somethings is no joke. Yes they have fantastic campuses,
working culture, and future prospects as well but when all that becomes
the norm, dil still maange more and that's where the trouble lies.
Above average folks eventually hear voice whispering in their heads: "
Is what I am doing meaningful?" Here's one techie's answer, again posted
on the PG forum:
"Hmm, so you thought Windows XP was written in India? nops, but the
typing of all the HELP doc was done in India. You do not do much
programmin. If you are in Mainframe stuff, whereever you work it's going
to dig into some code written in 1970 and you'll be wondering half the
time "how could ppl write such hopeless code?" and you would need to add
one or two lines into that code. Yes not more than 20 lines!
If you are in any of those open system projects, Java, .NET half the
time is documentation stuff or changing and test some crap stuff. But
few projects have something good.
Remember software industry is not about creating new things. Its all
about client giving you work. Work that their IT team is NOT interested
in doing.
But you get money $$$$ and of course work exp and a life called "White
collar job".
Not very inspiring, especially in light of the fact that those with MBA
degree from premier institutes in the same company clearly seem to earn
more and rise faster. As well as enjoy greater mobility - they have the
option of leaving the software industry altogether if they wish.
So the answer to 'how to stop attrition' is : you can't. Whether you
make people sign bonds or chart out detailed career paths - if they join
your industry because it's the easiest job available to them and not out
of inherent aptitude or interest, they're always going to be difficult
to hold onto.
And companies are accepting that and just taking in more and more people
to begin with (luckily we seem to have a large enough population of
B.E.s to draw on!).
Of course one could argue why single out engineering grads - 2 years is
the average time most young people spend in their first jobs. Whether in
media or BPO or KPO or whatever. And even after an MBA.
The country is awash with jobs - it's easier to leave and more tempting
to do so than ever before. Let's see how long the party lasts!

World

Another Wallpaper for the Day

Wallpaper of the Day

What I Learned From Life

I've learned –
that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.
I've learned -
that no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back.
I've learned -
that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.
I've learned -
that it's not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.
I've learned -
that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you'd better know something.
I've learned -
that you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do
I've learned -
that it's not what happens to people that's important. It's what they do about it.
I've learned -
that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.
I've learned -
that no matter how thin you slice it, there are always two sides.
I've learned -
that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
I've learned -
that it's a lot easier to react than it is to think.
I've learned -
that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
I've learned -
that you can keep going long after you think you can't.
I've learned -
that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I've learned -
that either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I've learned -
that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.
I've learned -
that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
I've learned -
that learning to forgive takes practice.
I've learned -
that there are people who love you dearly, but just don't know how to show it.
I've learned -
that money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I've learned -
that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.
I've learned -
that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.
I've learned -
that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
I've learned -
that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance.
I've learned -
that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
I've learned -
that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them. and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
I've learned _
that you should never tell a child their dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are more humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if they believed it.
I've learned -
that your family won't always be there for you. It may seem funny, but people you aren't related to can take care of you and love you and teach you to trust people again. Families aren't biological.
I've learned -
that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
I've learned -
that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I've learned -
that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.(Weep and you should Weep alone, laugh and the whole world laughs with you).
I've learned -
that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
I've learned -
that sometimes when my friends fight, I'm forced to choose sides even when I don't want to.
I've learned -
that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.
I've learned -
that sometimes you have to put the individual ahead of their actions.
I've learned -
that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.
I've learned -
that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.
I've learned -
that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
I've learned -
that there are many ways of falling and staying in love.
I've learned -
that no matter the consequences, those who are honest with themselves get farther in life.
I've learned -
that no matter how many friends you have, if you are their pillar you will feel lonely and lost at the times you need them most.
I've learned -
that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.
I've learned -
that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.
I've learned -
that writing, as well as talking, can ease emotional pains.
I've learned -
that the paradigm we live in is not all that is offered to us.
I've learned -
that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
I've learned -
that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon.
I've learned -
that although the word "love" can have many different meanings, it loses value when overly used.
I've learned -
that it's hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people's feelings and standing up for what you believe.

Wallpaper of the Day

Humor Quotes

1. As you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I
can't remember the other two... -- Sir Norman Wisdom

2. One of the most difficult things in the world is to convince a woman that
even a bargain costs money. -- Edgar Watson Howe

3. A true friend is one who overlooks your failures and tolerates your
success! -- Doug Larson

4. A harmful truth is always better then...a useful lie! -- Eric Bolton

5. When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bike. Then I realized
that The Lord doesn't work that way, so I stole one and asked him to forgive
me. -- Erno Philips

6. I only go to work on days that don't end in a 'y'. -- Robert Paul

7. We spend the first twelve months of our children's lives teaching them to
walk and talk and the next twelve telling them to sit down and shut up. -- Phyllis Diller

8. Laughter is the closest distance between two people. -- Victor Borge

9. Start every day with a smile and get it over with. -- W.C. Fields

10. Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else. -- Will Rogers

11. Always get married early in the morning. That way, if it doesn't work out,
you haven't wasted a whole day. -- Mickey Rooney

12. Women now have choices. They can be married, not married, have a job, not
have a job, be married with children, unmarried with children. Men have the
same choice we've always had: work or prison. -- Tim Allen

13. If you never want to see a man again, say, 'I love you, I want to marry
you. I want to have children...' - they leave skid marks. -- Rita Rudner

14. I'm not afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens. -- Woody Allen

15. Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we
didn't. -- Erica Jong

16. Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out of it alive. -- Elbert Hubbard

17. Always and never are two words you should always remember never to use. -- Wendell Johnson

18. In life, it's not who you know that's important, it's how your wife found
out. -- Joey Adams
19. I've been in love with the same woman for forty-one years. If my wife finds
out, she'll kill me. -- Henry Youngman

20. Have you noticed that all the people in favor of birth control are already
born ? -- Benny Hill

Views on the Indian tech industry

Something which we can relate to! Worth Reading.......
Views on the Indian tech industry:
It's a topic that has been oft debated - that India's tech industry is a lot like the Chinese manufacturing phenomenon - Low cost, reasonable quality, minimal innovation. I was an employee of a huge IT company in India and have, in the two years in their employ, developed certain opinions and concerns about the direction of India's IT revolution.
Here's how Indian IT companies operate (Infy, TCS, wipro and the second string such as mastek, satyam, patni etc). Hire engineers in bulk, never mind that they are not computer scientists or electrical engineers - if they can write a few lines of code in C/C++ and are academically decent, they're hired. After all, they don't need brilliant engineers - just people who will do as they are told and reasonably intelligent enough to get the client's work done, and bullshit their way out of it if they don't. They'll rarely make CAD software for Electrical engineering or mechanical engineering. Instead they will develop "end to end solutions" for banking, finance, inventory management, website development, etc. By develop I mean code, not design - there is a huge difference between the two, something which I will touch upon shortly. One important thing to note is that the HR in most IT companies don't give a damn about individual interests. They will put you wherever they need someone to slog for them. I've had one HR person tell me that they will put me in a project where they get maximum money, regardless if I am interested or not. And they wonder why so many people leave!!!
What is the nature of the work? At least 70% of the international projects in most Indian IT companies is maintenance - i.e someone else has already developed an application. All you need to do is add more features/change behaviour as per client's request. Then there's production support, which is worse. It is almost call-center work - ensure that the application runs normally and if it fails, get it up and running ASAP. Take calls from the client, update on the status. In a sense, like a car mechanic - I didn't get an engineering degree to be a car mechanic - I got it to design the car! Finally, if you are lucky you get development - write code. But then, writing code is easy - it is like manufacturing a car. What is not, is designing a system that works efficiently. Typically, foreign clients get the design done by the likes of Accenture, IBM, etc. The designs are then sent to desi companies, who actually do the coding at a cost much cheaper than IBM or accenture. Thus, all we do is donkey work. It is not technology - it is programming. Technology is a new idea, paradigm or design - programming is implementing that design. Thus, most of the people in IT waste their engineering degrees, doing mundane programming, until they are made project managers - after which they spend their lives approving timesheets, conducting appraisals and sucking up to the client. Wait a second - shouldn't an experienced IT professional be doing advanced stuff and leave the bullshitting to MBAs?
Why is it so hard for desi companies to do design? They've not tried hard enough (yet) to get into this space. They just don't have the competence to get the job done. Desi companies are amazing at procedure oriented projects - if there is a procedure in place telling us what to do, we can do it. They don't have the experience (and therefore the brand equity) to attract IT consulting projects. Consulting is largely a reputation driven business. In order to build such a reputation, desi companies need to hire high-flying consultants - they don't come cheap. Even after all this, there is no guarantee of results! How many software products come out of Indian cos? IFlex is the only company to have a product successful worldwide. Making products is expensive and again, there is no guarantee of success - why risk it when services give me an assured income?
Why do we need to get into high end IT - consulting and products? Simply because the algorithm of low cost, low margin services will run it's course in the future. As payscales rise in India and the rupee appreciating wrt the dollar, margins become more and more slim. In time, India may not be as competitive as say Brazil or Russia - the American cos will take their projects out there! U can see trends in the manufacturing sector - earlier Taiwan was the manufacturing base for American cos, then SouthKorea and then these days, China. Indian companies thus have 2 choices - identify and set shop in countries where the low cost, low margin algorithm can be applied or enter into high end IT, which is independent of geography. I believe the latter is the better route - it is a high margin business and reasonably high tech. What is even better, is coming up with technology - like Java, efficient databases, advanced operating systems (Like Sun, Oracle or Microsoft). That is real tech. It's not that we can’t do it. It's just that wedon'tt want to risk it. But, nothing venture, nothing have! Desi companiesdon'tt even do proper R&D!
For too long have we been stuck in the procedure oriented IT services. It is time to invest in consulting and products, and take Indian IT to the next level, or else I fear we will remain stuck in this low end nonsense.
Finally, a true story. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC) was huge in the chip manufacturing industry, making almost 60% profit. They could have got into chip design, and potentially, designed low cost chips. However, design is a risky business - what if the chip bombs? TSMC chose to stick to it's core competence - fabrication. In time, TSMC's profits have declined to 20% or so... they're still number one, butdon'tt make as much money as they used to... Are we learning yet?
Source: Indiatimes blog

Another Wallpaper for the Day

Wallpaper of the Day