Ahoy folks! I'm back after way more than 30 min though I don't think anyone really missed me here :P
So back to the placement story, as promised..
Placements started next Thursday, July 29 with General Electric. As I walked into the jampacked Bhaskara, I was surprised to discover how neat and tidy my batchmates were capable of being; anything for money I figured ;)The recruiters were an hour late ,spent another hour showing us a very friggin boring ppt, and then arrogantly announced they only needed mechanical M.Techs and the rest could leave! I choose to not comment here any further on the episode but feel free to catch any one of us who went there for uncensored reactions ;)
So that's how campus recruitments started for the NITC EEE class o' 2011..
Two days later was Texas Instruments. I went with zero preparations because I figured the only way to not be in the top ten and get a good job (read awesome pay) easily was by studying C++. However, I thought the paper was damn easy - my class toppers were dumb-struck when they heard me say that!
And well, they were right. I didn't get through. And wasn't the least bit disappointed. And the first person I told gave me his hearty congratulations!!
By this time, I was totally freaking out. I was absolutely convinced I didn't have a chance till atleast the top ten from all the circuit branches were out of the picture and that depressed me even more for the last firm I wanted to get into was Deloitte&Touche, which was in six days (hence no chance in that one either) and I didn't even want to know what was coming after that.
However, before that ultimate doomsday I already had an absolutely clear image of in my mind arrived, there was Goldman Sachs on Monday, August 2. Sometime right after coming into NITC, I had seen a big poster of GS, checked it out and decided I was going to slide to Computer Science by the end of first year and get placed in GS by the time I started final year. Dreams!! August 3 is my birthday and I kept coming up with absolutely crazy ideas to go out that day and keep myself busy to stay cheerful for atleast that one day.
August 2:
So Monday finally dawned, we had to get out from the middle of drawing class for the written round and I felt like an absolute moron wearing formals to drawing class which involved traversing nearly the entire campus and everybody now knew I was going for placements and everybody would then know when they saw me again dressed in formals that I didn't get placed! :( Plus I was already so sick of those clothes and attending ppts, I had almost decided on giving up on placements after that week and totally focussing on TOEFL.
The recruiters arrived not too late and by the end of their presentation, everybody wanted to be a NAPA! I tried hard not to get my hopes up. I had met most of the people who mattered but rarely met, on the way to the test and during the test too, I was seated around some of my favorite people. The written test was unbelievably long - aptitude and coding; my seniors' advices seemed to have been customised for this test. My favorite part was the essay, where I could be myself and wrote stuff I never knew I was capable of coming up with.
Back to my room, there was disappointment, depression, tears; but no fear. I felt like a sunken ship - there was nothing to save.
Around 10 pm, my PR texted me to be at TnP with my resume next morming at 8:30. Bloody bastards I thought, they were gonna call us there and then tell us who they were rejecting, like TI had done. I went to tell that to my friends and they told me the short-listed names were already out for the other depts. Even more annoyed, I called up my PR and whoopie!! I had received that text at all coz I'd been shortlisted. Now atleast I could really smile at midnight.But I was exhausted coz of all the tension and little food; funnily all my b'day balloons read 'congratulations' and my friends continued to maintain I was just meant to get placed on my b'day (according to a trend started by one other guy from my state!). I couldn't sleep and when I finally did, mom called me to wish me and after that, there was no sleeping. I'd had barely an hour of sleep but I was neither sleepy, nor hungry, or anything. I jus got dressed, got some hugs and went.
August 3:
Out at TnP, it was a crazy day. With my cell phone switched off, I didn't even remember it was my b'day. We all sat around a big table, holding our breaths each time there was a shortlist and we went on the the next round. Each time I only managed a 'wow' to myself. After clearing the case study and a round of interview, two more rounds - the PR informed us. But when I walked into the interview room, they warmly welcomed me to the 'final round'. I was stunned. And my last was an understatement. And they could see it.
Anyways I had to recover quickly. There was nothing to lose, as they said. I was almost in a daze and I mostly remember telling them what I didn't know! 
After that, everyone was called down and made to sit in the reception area. Most people were saying their own silent prayers. I had wasted the entire day at TnP with no phone calls, no food and no hopes and was telling God that since he'd brought me this far, just one more little step shouldn't be too much for Him! ;) After a looooong wait, when they finally came out, the power was out. So sir suggested we go outside, but it was raining! Another 'sign' I felt. We all huddled under the porch; and their HR executive held up the final list and read aloud: Trisha Singha.I was stunned for atleast the third time that day and this one caused some really serious brain damage I think-I've been lazy and sleepy and late for class ever since ;)
So that was the best day of my life, my best birthday ever and the day I struck gold :)
