Life of Software Engineer

IT industry is indeed a boon to the job-seekers in India. It pays you well and if you are moderately lucky you will end up doing no work, but earning handful. The IT companies have created a compensation trend that other industries are finding tough to adapt to. Today it is like ‘If you wanna lead a comfortable life with no physical strain- get in to any software company’.

Work profile of a developer. He lands up in training which is of no relevance to him (atleast to his understanding- Its just a formality) and after that gets on to work. His life depends on the project and the manager. In the same company we see people free-riding to the core and on the other hand some poor ones slogging their stuff out. Bottom line – Workload does not depend on the company. The former gets closer with the team by going to as many treats as possible. Birthdays, engagement treats, appraisal treats, once there was a ‘India wins cricket match’ treat (though nowadays we dont get a chance to have one such) and there we spend 2.5 hours from 12 to 2:30. Come back and you feel like sleeping like a crocodile. If the company also provides a dormitory- no problem. Else adjust to the inconvineance in the seat and sleep. Wake your PL up before 5, as she has to go home and you – answer the mails and get ready. Its already too late by 6. In some companies,my friends used to go for a movie show at 10 AM on a monday morning. This is the life of a free rider.

Now to the life of a slogger. After the training – you are told about the project and your work with much hype. You dont get complete information from one person. You need to gather it in bits and pieces from many people. Suddenly when u go for doubts people become extremely busy or atleast they want to become busy. Finally you set your foot in the project and get on with the work. There will be an age old framework for the project and it is sacrosanct and iron clad. You talk for hrs together about an alternative- but hear the response. ‘It works till date. No risk. Follow the herd’. OK ! no probs.

Come in the morning. If you are a good planner, list the To-do activities. See the problem and fit it in the framework you know. If you cant fit – change the problem. But framework must be same. Not an inch deviation is advisable. Keep informing your PL about your progress. Even if you send the same mail again it does not matter. You must recognise him/her. thats it. If you have your client who can reach you in your mobile, your happiness is screwed. He will call u when you are in rest room or when u r in bed or when you are driving. If the time is 9 PM, he will ask why are you leaving early. Are u not feeling well? ‘Customers are Gods’. So curse the real god and say ‘Ya. am a bit hungry ‘

Whats appaling is – the room for creativity and willingness to change is not there in many companies. If you are a master in something. its sign of a problem. Its time to shift to something you are not good at. What this life does is that it saps your creative thinking. You are comfortable in the “comfort-zone” and are happy with what you are. Where is it leading us ? nowhere !