Not a Penny's worth

The world is talking about recessions again and of job insecurities, especially in the financial sectors. Life seems to be going around in circles, for not too long ago we faced a similar situation in the IT sector in the early part of this decade, when the dot.com bubble burst. Of course, the IT companies have come a long way hence and have been a stepping stone to many a thousand professional lives and their dreams. And as I read about company bankruptcies, mergers and job layoffs, I can’t help but recollect my own situation not too long back during the previous global crisis.

I too was once such a young aspirant, spending my fourth year in college with not a care in the world. What did I have to worry about? Having received not one, but two job offers by the end of my third year, I only had to maintain my academic average through the remaining period and walk in to my job. Moreover, with my previous experiences, I was fully aware like most of my batch mates were, that one only needed to put in some effort the night before the final exam to secure decent marks. (Meanwhile, I still wonder had I put those previous nights’ efforts right throughout the year, where would I be now. Feels scary to even think about it.)

Anyway, so there I was trying to make the most of my final few months in college, trying to be everywhere, and do everything, you all know the grind. I did hear passing references and comments about news from the outside world (mind you, everything outside the college campus is the outside world) that the software boom is coming to an end, companies all around the world are laying off people left, right and centre and many companies are shutting down. But these hardly registered, since it all seemed to be taking place so far away, in another world. After all, our jobs were secure; we'd all received our joining dates.

We passed out of college, some of us in flying colours, some of us flying for cover, and the rest barely making it to that required grade to join their preplaced companies. I must mention here one fact. The period from passing out of your college to joining your pre-placed company is a special period. Firstly, there're no more exams to prepare for and no homework or assignments to complete, and every time you remember that, it fills you with so much relief, that it is incomprehensible to the inexperienced. Secondly, there's the sadness of not seeing many of your good friends ever again, and missing those beautiful girls in college and in your class. Thirdly, there's this planning, dreaming and preparation taking place, towards joining your first job, getting your first pay in hand and the whole transformation from the student fraternity to the employed sodality. It is a whole cornucopia of emotions.

I joined my company on the assigned date, (the second choice company had postponed its joining date forever) one among thirty six young and eager faces. While this software slump was nagging us at the back of our minds, those worries were soon put to rest as we received an immediate rise in our compensation package. Ha ha, we had nothing to worry about now, our beloved company is doing so well in spite of this slump, that they've given us a raise.

We were put into an intensive two month training, where we were expected to learn what distinguished software engineers took two to three years to. This was a period of enlightenment, not just in some software programs and coding, but in the fact that many of us were not built for this kind of a job. But we all stuck on, after all the period after the training is where the fun really starts, doesn't it? We were told that after this two-month training period, we will be put into our respective projects.

The two months passed, all of us assembled in this beautiful conference room, took our seats and discussed which project each one would get, whether JAVA was better than VC++, or whether Pascal was a smarter guy than Richard, while we waited for our future project managers to come pick us. I must tell you, my thoughts also flirted around the bike I was going to buy the next day and the options for the extra fittings I could fit in. After a long wait, our HR vice president walked in, followed by an entourage of HR personnel. We were a little surprised, not seeing any of our would-be technical managers, but then perhaps this company has different ways of doing things.

Thereafter, what was said in that conference hall is still a blur to me to this day. There was some talk of software slump, not doing well, cost cutting and global layoffs. What I do remember is that at the end of it all, we were holding our own resignation letters that we were supposed to sign, and had time till that evening to clear out our desks, hand in our ID cards and leave the premises. For good.

Walking out that gate on Bangalore's MG Road that afternoon will remain in my mind for the rest of my life. A whole bunch of thirty six young aspirants, with our individual small dreams shattered in a matter of minutes, some still dazed not realizing what happened, some crying, some smiling at the irony of it all. I must mention here the second fact. Staying in a far off place, away from your family, not having a shoulder to lean on, your job being snatched out from right under you ten minutes ago, not having a clue what to do next or where to go and feeling not a penny's worth, is one of the worst things that can happen to you. And I hope others needn't ever come to experiencing it.