Much ado about Placements

Having indulged in merriment all my life it wasn’t much of a revelation to me when the placement ordeal began that I had fallen into what can be safely labeled as the mediocre grade of engineers. Initially my personal outlook about the placements was pretty much indifferent. A more cynical man would use the phrase “The Grapes are sour “ but it was only when I took my friend’s suggestion to check it out that I came to know the amount of significance the whole binge held in the minds of my colleagues.
I saw usually cool people pacing around as if on hot bricks, sitting with heads bent low over books they knew inside out and bickering over matters that were absolutely insignificant. Just to brag about it I would like you to know that I got placed at LionBridge during their recent placement visit to SIES on the 18th of August 2008 but I would not dream to claim that this incentive was well merited or even deserved. I know people who are far better than me at academics but who could not make it because of problems which were more psychological than anything else. I know people with first class aggregate marks in engineering who want to be placed or need to be placed and in this general group I am a misfit. I do not claim to be an expert in these affairs but would certainly like to do my part of playing a friend to all those who think themselves to be unfortunate enough not to be placed till date. Attitude coupled with aptitude will take you all the way. Confidence does work wonders.
As opposed to popular belief, confidence is not being loud or arrogant. Being arrogant is like rugby and guess what? You are the only guy on your team and believe me when I say the adversaries will bring you down and make you taste dirt. Confidence is a totally different scenario. It is like batting in cricket. You do not have to run amok. Just stand at the crease and wait for the bowler to run his length and bowl you one. Only then should you go out with your bat to meet his efforts and with one flourish send it flying right over the boundary ropes. While going in for your placement interview think of yourself as Sachin Tendulkar and nothing less. The mere fact that you are eligible to apply for the placement makes you one of the elites. Just take a look around you. It is not everyone that is allowed to appear for the placement exams but you are in there at that moment and it is time to play so why not just get your game face on and forget about everything else? It is only when the feeling of this as a means to measure yourself or when the necessity of your getting through because of your personal needs weighs you down that you can not give it your best shot and rip it up. Back to imagining yourself as Sachin, this makes your friends the Indian cricketing fans. When Sachin gets out on a very low score there is a definite note of disappointment in the fans but it is when he truly unleashes himself that we really enjoy cricket. Now as the good engineers that we are just substitute the figurative entities with the ones we are concerned with and I hope you shall see the picture. Do not become the docile river that flows around the mountains. Become the flooded river that cuts right through.