Career or Arrear

S.Vij ay Ku mar
01 M E5 7

Foreword
9th July 2007 Dear Students, Mr.S.Vijay Kumar is known to me as a student initially and a friend, subsequently for a total of six years. Rearing to go during formative years of his study, he approached me for additional responsibilities in Placement and Training Cell. He was desirous of gaining first hand experience and succeed in his career. In the transitional period, many get disillusioned as there exists a vast difference between ones capabilities and ambitions; more so with adolescence. Planning is an important phase in ones life and has to be done with meticulous care. More often than not, the younger generation tend to learn after a debacle. Since prevention is better than cure, a tradition has to be set and periodically the experiences of the senior batch have to be transferred, faithfully, to the subsequent batch. For the first time, author has tried, sincerely, to bridge the gap.

The author has lucidly brought out various facets in ones student life and practical solutions to some of the tethering problems faced by youngsters. He has also summarized the experience of high achievers and our countrys contribution to the world condensed into a simpler form. I am sure that this thought-provoking book will go a long way in helping one to understand the environment better and succeed in ones chosen career.

Dr. Muralikrishna Placement Officer and Head of the Department, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sri Ramakrishna Engineering College

Preface
Hi SRECians, This is Vijay from the 2001-05 batch of Mechanical Engineering. During my college days, I was not a great guy neither did I accomplish something great. I finally got a job and I am kind of settled for now but today, the lack of awareness of certain things in the past (Those which I cannot change today) due to my negligence/carelessness/lack of guidance are making my path to my dream career a bit rough (to a certain extent). Likewise if you do not know the requirements for (say, a dream course you want to pursue), it will affect your dream career or at least the path will become difficult. Pure technical/academic strength will not be enough to face the obstacles you are bound to face today. I came to know a lot of things only after I got a job. I dont mean to say that everybody will be like me (needing a guide) but there will be some of you who; if guided, would perform well/better than how you would now and take control of your career. Hence I decided to start a group (linkedin and facebook) that will help students to interact with alumni, teachers and present students. Please join and start conversing using the following links

linkd.in/sreccareersupportonln & on.fb.me/sreccareersupportonfb

The above initiative inspired me to write a book with some information to better oneself and to tackle some day to day problems and also make that person be of use to the society where s/he lives. The end result was this book. About the book I have shared a few things which I felt important in this book. To make these things enter your inner mind, I have used information from other sources also. There are few places where I have done some Copy and Paste work with some editing. I am saying this because I dont want to take the credit for a work which is not purely mine but I assure you, I have put in information only after a lot of study with respect to your present position. This is a product from my 12 years of school life, 4 years of college life, 2 years of working, few books that I have read, information from the net and lastly the knowledge, motivation and chastening received from a few people over the years. This book will give you some information to plan yourself in advance. So just reading this book will not give you every thing you can dream of or help you in achieving your dreams. You have to do your home work for sure... When I started writing this book, I was more interested in the content and did not give much importance to the standard of the content. I apologise for this, if you are a student who has difficulty in English as you may not know the meaning of a few words. I thought of replacing all the probable uncommon words with simple words but then it occurred that if you refer to a dictionary to understand these words, it would improve your vocabulary. So, I have left it as it is. Thats not to say that this book is of the level of BBCs newscast. Its a simple book written by a simple person who apologizes for any errors. If you have any opinions/suggestion, feel free to contact me at gogetter.vj@gmail.com. Happy Reading S. Vijay Kumar

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank a few people apart from my parents for being an indirect catalyst to this book. If not for these people, some incidents and attitude changes would not have happened in my life. I would like to thank

Principal

Dr.K.Muhammad Zakariah

(For the impact of the talks I had with him-and for giving me the opportunity to see his managerial skills first-hand during placement work)

Most admired teacher

Mrs.Shanthi, Lecturer, Dept of Mathematics

(Forso many words to pen. she spoke and taught with true sincerity. She was a real teacher. It is not easy for a lady to control a class full of boys-especially, branch of mechanical engineering. She did!)

HOD

Dr.Muralikrishna, Prof & Head,Dept of Mechanical Engg

(For providing me the opportunity to manage activities of the placement cell

Other Teachers

(For letting me see and absorb some good qualities)

Personal Guide

Mr.Srikanth, Director, GRD Academy of Management

(For helping me take decisions when I am not able to and for motivating me)

Professional Guide

Mr.Babu, C.E.O., Sricom

(For advising me on career choices)

Friends/Ex-Friends/Colleagues & Classmates

(Friends; for putting up with my negatives and being there for me, so long, Ex-Friends; for letting me see myself in a way I never did and for teaching me unforgettable lessons and Colleagues & Classmates; for the experiences gained from)

Index

1 2

Using college life effectively How to become what you want to be

1 8

3
4

Coping with teachers and parents

The unspoken message of the cover

10
14

5 6
7

A few vitamins Work Place-Do's and Don'ts

Run for Tiranga

16 22
38

8
9

Final Message
Bibliography

44
47

College College Life

I didnt follow everything that I have written here, when I was in college but if I had If is one of the most painful words in the English language.

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No one can make you change. No one can stop you from changing. No one really knows how you must change. Not even you. Not until you start. But Once you do-Your Life Changes LIFE is full of choices. You are responsible for your actions as well as, inactions. For every action of yours, you had a choice previously-Whether to do it or not and of course every choice have their own results. Eg: Reading this book is your choice. If you read it-you may think of changing yourself, at least by 10%. If you dont read it, you may think you are not losing anything but according to me you are losing an opportunity to change. If you have decided to read, read it when your mind is free and relaxed and not in haste. More importantly, I hope that you derive the maximum from what you read from this book and apply the learning to your college and professional life.

College
Talking of college, you should first understand the purpose of entering a college-CAREER. Everybody has different dreams with regard to their career but very few know the path. Be well informed of all the things you will need to have/do before entering your next phase of life. For some it will be placements, for some it will be doing a post graduation, for some it will be starting up of a new business or taking over your family business. Whatever it is, please take the following into your subconscious mind 1. Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do I dont mean to say that something should be accepted as impossible and ignored. What I mean by the words what you cannot do? are
-the things you cannot change -the one thing you dream of doing but based on your present potential, you are incapable

-the things you cannot change Eg: You may have wanted to do a B.E. in Information Technology but did not get a seat and you ended up in say Mechanical Engineering. You may have also not had the influence/money to get a B.E. in Information Technology in some other college. During such instances, dont waste time brooding over. You can do something that will make you enter a software company at the end. You can specialise in ERP where in you will be requiring the skills of a mechanical engineer as well as that of a software engineer
(ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning-Browse on this topic and find out more about it if you want) or you can specialise in design by learning various mechanical softwares and enter into firms like Tata Consultancy etc. Many companies recruit Non-IT people today. There are lot of options today to switch streams. So search for alternate paths for the same dream destination.

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-the one thing you dream of doing but based on your present potential, you are incapable Eg: Lets say you did your schooling from a remote part of the country where there were no good schools and the medium of teaching was not English because of which you find it difficult to understand the level of English in college. If a person of your category wanted to become a journalist/news reader for the BBC, it is possible, provided you sacrifice a great deal of the nicest things that life may offer you. Think whether that one thing will really make your life happy after you achieve that position. If the answer is yes, proceed but I would suggest you find out what you are good at or what you can become good at in a short period of time and make your life a success. Dont try to do something because the world is crazy about that one thing. Research on why you really want to do that one thing-You Will Get Your Answer. For example, you may dream to become the president of India but the core reason behind that may be that you want to be known to the world as a leader. Why not become someone like Mother Teresa-You will be known longer than even the president! 2. Everybody is good at something. Even a clock that has stopped ticking is right twice a day Dont compare yourself with somebody else and feel inferior or make fun of somebody because he/she is unable to do the tasks you are able to do easily. Einstein was not able to remember the route to his house but what he has given to this world is something very few people can give. 3. Dont be afraid to ask dumb questions in class In general, as students we feel hesitant to ask questions in class to avoid embarrassment but remember, they are easier to handle than dumb answers. 4. Be bold and courageous within When you look back at life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the one's you did. Be courageous but dont fight at every situation or be aggressive to prove your point. Even if you maintain poise and be calm-you can still prove your point. Raise your hand only to block not to instil pain. Be bold within. It will emerge out.

5. No one makes it alone

Have a grateful heart and be quick to acknowledge those who helped you. Dont use somebodys efforts and come up even if it is tempting. There will always be somebody better than you. If you combine and perform, the result will definitely be more than what you all can do individually (Synergy). Even though, you wont get all the appreciation and be called a hero you will learn more when you work together as there will be a lot of idea generation and knowledge sharing. 6. Dont justify Non-Performance Explanation can never make up for the shortfall. Excellence is self explanatory. Where there is excellence, explanations are not required. Where explanations are required, rarely do you find excellence. Definitely it is soothing to justify non-performance-It acts as a psychological pain balm and it relieves you from the burden of hurt. However, self consolation for lack of excellence will hurt you very badly in life and you will start accepting compromises.

Wake up6:01 is not 6:00. Dont explain (unless it is a do or die situation) even if it is not your fault.

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7. Dont Grumble If the reason for wanting to grumble is to get alternative solutions, do explain your problems/weaknesses once or twice (not more than that) but preferably to a person who is elder or experienced than you or who is not with you all the time (people like relatives, old friends, teachers etc-especially those with whom you dont get to meet often). If you keep discussing your negatives with people who are on par with your level or with people with whom you interact often, two things happen for sure -First, you will develop a low self esteem (over time) when you work with those people in a team because you are aware that they know your negatives/weaknesses. Also, you cannot lead that team by any chance. Your inner conscience will say that you are inferior to them and they are a success (the very reason why you went to them for advice). -Second (most important), Though people with whom you interact often may be more sympathetic to you/your situation (in comparison with the rest of the people); EVENTUALLY THESE PEOPLE WILL LOSE INTEREST IN HEARING YOUR CONTINUOUS GRUMBLING AND WILL THINK OF YOU AS A NEGATIVE GUY. Nothing changes for good by grumbling. They will stop liking your company and will ignore you- unless, may be, you are spending a lot on them .Dont mistake these people- Do you like the company of a successful person from whom you can absorb or a failure who speaks of himself and his problems? Your answer is theirs too! 8. Break off; the habit of listening to the majority-your time is limited Sometimes, it isnt necessarily about earning a good name for yourself but about earning a good name for your parents or for being accepted as a normal person in the society that makes you to become puppets in the hands of the public. Remember, it is better to earn a bad name and lead a good life, than to earn a good name and live a bad life. Turn off the social checklist. Rise above the confines of social definition. Stand above the crowd. Live above the average man. Inspire future generations to live a life like you did. Better to be a loner than to be in the company of people who create a new caste. Avoid the company of wrong people even if they are a majority.

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to do. Everything else is secondary.

9. The art of effective communication, irrespective of the form is to be mastered

No matter how skilled one happens to be, mere techniques without effective communication will produce only a superficial and short lived piece of work. A communication gap is actually a gap between the preparedness of the communicator and the unpreparedness of the mind of the receiver. More than What you say and How you say, When you say (Timing) is the most important aspect of effective communication. Communicate only to a prepared mind.

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Remember the responsibility of preparing the other mind is yours and yours alone. An earthquake isnt a good time to plough the soil. So wait for moments when there is a reasonable amount of calmness and composure in you as well as the listener. First, communicate to prepare the other mind and only then speak your idea out. The art of communication, irrespective of the form is to be mastered and used as an instrument to reach out to people.
10. Do not accept things that money can buy, free of cost, especially from people with whom you do business
Dont try to get everything free. You will be labelled cheap in a short time. Though you will be happy, initially, after receiving something valuable from somebody free of cost, ultimately you will be pushed to a situation where you will have to repay with multiple returns in terms of service or actions which you generally wont do for somebody else. If you treat yourself with gifts etc, your emotions are controlled or succumb to the giver of the gifts and sometimes, you may even have to break your principles-So beware. In general, other than family members, TRUE friends/lovers and people who renounce life (Saints etc), nobody gives you anything for free. If somebody gives you money for a good action of yours (Incentive), then you may accept it as you are not bound to pay back emotionally. Understand the difference between Incentive and Dole.

College Life
Seniors/Alumni/Teachers Now, talking of college life, the first thing I can remember about college is the impact of seniors. They are the first people who give you their opinions about the college, teachers etc. Definitely, this does not happen as soon as you join-only after your unofficial ragging and provided you get along with your seniors. Slowly, these opinions about teachers become facts. For example, if a senior says that a particular teacher is good, most students (at least guys) start liking that teacher from day one and take his/her advices, positively. Even the vice versa is true. This acts negatively for many people. Also, while most of you would be silent in front of teachers who are strict, few would retaliate, which is not wise and that could also end up with negative outcomes. So, learn to get along smoothly with everybody. Develop a good understanding/friendship with your seniors and teachers. This relationship will be very useful in planning your career, switching jobs, getting ideas to grow in the company you would work for in future, promoting your own company (if you have one) etc. Your immediate seniors will be working when you are in your final year and they would have faced a lot of problems in their company. What you learn from their experience, will help you to avoid the same mistakes at work. Get in touch with a few of your seniors forever. They will be in touch with their group of friends and so on. This group will keep broadening beyond count. Most companies will ask for recommendations-Your seniors may be of help in this aspect (I didnt do this because I was angry with my seniors after the ragging and felt I dont need them but today I feel I would have achieved a lot more if I knew some of my seniors really well. Hope you people at least benefit from my advice). Most of the top institutions are developing very rapidly because of the strength of their alumni. Get the details of your seniors from the placement cell and with support from management, invite a few of your seniors for a group interaction to college and discuss your various problems. If you are not

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able to do that (sometimes dealing with the management is a complex issue)-somebody take the
responsibility-join hands-collect some money (for your seniors travel and stay expenditure)-get appointment from your alumni-arrange for a meeting in a private place-DISCUSS. Experience will teach a lot more than what college books teach you (If you are a teacher reading this- I know you will be against me-I am sorry for that).

Friends Friends are something I am sure everybody cannot live without. They are the people who influence you into something more than your parents or teachers. They can make or break your future; that is they can motivate you to do something or make fun of you and put your ideas to dust. Beware.
Learn to differentiate friends from acquaintances and companions. Learn to accept difference of attitudes/opinions among your friends-Dont fight for silly matters. Later on, you may have to forcefully accept the same type of attitudes/opinions in people who are not your friends (while you work etc). Better accept them as they are than regret/feel later.

Culture In school, the majority of students are from the same town/village and hence share similar cultures and the minority (students from other places) are forced to merge with the majority. Hence, culture clashes are scarce. But in colleges especially in hostels, it is the other way round-many cultures mix and it is difficult for a teacher to look into the negative effects of this mix. The following is an incident which happened when I was a hosteller-One of the hostellers (who had come from a family where he was taught to have good table manners) did not like sharing his plate in the mess while eating as he found it disgusting but other students who had come from village side did not mind sharing their plate and they looked at this classmate of mine as abnormal and hence nobody sat with him in mess. Things like this will prevent a student from being treated as equal. Things like this are not simple issues as they affect the student mentally.
There were so many things like these which were happening when I was in Hostel and nobody was there for students who suffered situations like these. I really felt a lot for these students because the society cant expect everybody to be a team player or a leader-I really dont know whether it is the job of teachers/wardens to look into problems like these but if something could be done to solve problems like these with the present set-up-it lies within you.

The culture you have come from and the culture you see in the college/hostel may be very different for most of you. Dont be shocked-You will fit in somehow. Try to be smooth with everybody for sometime by being flexible till you get to understand your environment. Every new environment is different and has its pros and cons. The difficulty you face may be something that does not affect anybody else.
Identify where you look different from your environment-Find the solution. For example if you are a student from vocational stream or from a Tamil medium background-see if there is at least one student who speaks English and is also friendly. Make friends with that person and try to listen to the way he/she speaks. If you cant find out somebody like that-join for self-improvement classes. Dont do this in the final year when you will understand the importance of having good communication skills-It would be too late. If you dont have the money for going to classes-join with like minded people and talk to your English professor and bring a solution to it.

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Communication with the opposite gender If you are a student of mechanical engineering, occasionally you have girls in your class (Mechians Problem ) and some of your classmates may start flirting (kadalai) with girls of other departments but a large part of the class will not approach girls because

-they dont like them for personal reasons, or because -they dont want to lose their dignity etc
If you belong to any of the above categories, it is fine but if you belong to the category of boys who are scared of talking to the opposite gender-Please remember-This could affect your growth greatly. This applies to girls, also. An example to make you understand: I was a member of the colleges music club and one of my classmates (not a member of music club) was very good at drums-He avoided becoming a member of the music club because of the presence of girls in music club. Once, I took him to the music club practice hall during lunch when nobody was there and gave him the sticks and told him to drum-He was drumming really well and thena girl entered-The minute he saw her, he stopped drumming, put the sticks down and said to me, I cant drum and left the hall. Except for a few hostellers, no one heard this drummer. Do you want to be in such a situation? Do you want to be this nobody?

It is quite natural for people who have not studied in co-educational schools and for those who come from a conservative family to develop these kinds of inhibitions/feelings. It is a pity that some students who have studied in co-education, make fun of other students who are nervous to speak to a person of the opposite gender. If you feel you are one person who makes fun during situations like this, please step into the other persons shoes. It isnt funny.
In life you will have to deal with people of the opposite gender. In college, during placements when you work out all those puzzles and prepare yourself for interviews, there come group discussions where you have to speak to a group (mix of gender). I have seen students who could not speak in group discussions because of the fear to communicate with the opposite gender. Their dream career shattered due to this. I dont want anybody reading this to be one of them. So, please try to come out of the fear in college itself. Test the waters, fall in and swim out before college life ends. Your college life is a very short span in the years between birth and death. So dont worry about failures, especially with or due to people of the opposite gender during college because in college it may end up with embarrassing moments only but in life, it may lead to even loss of career or lack of confidence in the long run. You need to get to speak to them. See others and learn this art. SorryThere isnt anyone taking classes for this in India .

My Advice: To boys: As I belong to the male community, I tell this from my experience, What most girls tell and what they do are miles apart. Dont listen to their words but watch their actions. The truth is out there.

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Linkedin linkd.in/sreccareersupportonln
Facebook on.fb.me/sreccareersupportonfb

The reason which inspired me to write this book-To bridge the present students and teachers with the alumni for a life long fruitful relationship. Every successful school, college and university around the world boasts of alumni strength. For this purpose, we have created the above mentioned groups. Through these groups we want our college to create a bond which will help in the growth of the colleges reputation and your career so that when you have the power to recruit employees for project or employment, you will remember this college.

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Everyone with even little enthusiasm in life wants to be somebody in future but how do you become that somebody? You may just know the final dream destination but the steps in between the present position and your final dream destination are the deciding factors. You must know where to put your leg into. For exampleIf you tell many people that your final dream destination is to become an industrialist and seek their advice for becoming one, some may suggest that you start your company right away and then develop your skills, some may suggest that you work for a few years, equip yourself with an MBA degree and then start your business, others may give you many other choices. Each person will give opinions based on his/her mindset/experience but if you are going to listen to everybodys choices/thought processes and alter your career, it will affect you adversely. The final decision must be yours but decide considering the perspectives of experienced peoples suggestions. Deciding between the choices as in the above case will take you to different paths but to a common destination. While one path may keep you motivated, the other path may discourage you. Once you get the opinions of experienced people (who are in your dream career), analyse which path will suit your character, attitude and strengths better and go with that. Dont seek further advice. If you keep on getting advices, you will be wasting time creating strategies and plans on reaching your dream career but will never advance a step forward.

Tip: You can meet people who are right now in your final dream destinations and get their advice. It wont be that easy and also this method wont work for all dream destinations. For example if you want to become the President of India you cannot meet him/her to seek advice. In such cases, you can browse the net and find out-There is really a lot of information on the net. To continue with the above example, you can download the government criteria to become the president but of course you cant download the required political experience . But for the general information like - Strategies for ME/MS/MBA - Strategies for placement the advice will vary depending on your profile and interests. So I do not want to give you all a generalised preparation plan. So you may contact your alumni using the following links
Linkedin linkd.in/sreccareersupportonln Facebook on.fb.me/sreccareersupportonfb

The more the number of members, the more support we can offer teach other. If you have any queries, you can contact me at gogetter.vj@gmail.com.
Please type SREC in the subject column before mailing.

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Labelling through comparison Academics and the other requisites for placement Teacher-Student Relationship My message
While writing something for the benefit of my juniors, I felt I should add something about teachers and parents because the relationships with them play a major role in a students career.

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Labelling through comparison

(One of the commonest errors seen to happen in academic institutions as well as in families) Teachers and parents are like sculptors. From a shapeless stone, the sculptor creates a marvellous image that appears as good as real. Similarly, parents and teachers must bring out something wonderful from their children or students, respectively. Just as a sculptor saw a magnificent figure concealed in that block of lifeless stone, if a teacher could see a magnificent human being in the person they feel fed up with, they will be better humans (more than students) and will also learn to see the good in others. But often the vice versa happens and some of you may be labelled as dumb, unfit etc. Though, you may keep quiet in front of teachers or parents who label you, eventually these labels become a part of your psyche and you will really end up becoming that label and sometimes the way in which you react to situations in future also gets affected.

Generally, most teachers and parents judge their students or children by their academic performance only. Because of this, even if you are good at something else, it may become less noticed and you end up being not able to satisfy the expectations of your teachers and parents. This ends up with you being compared with somebody who is better than you and you are labelled as dull, misfit etc. Labels; good or bad, need the right kind of environment to survive, grow and become strong. Anybody thrown into a dull environment will become dull eventually. He/she will never change unless the environment changes and one has little chances in a hostile environment. The environment where growth can happen has to be created. From a historical perspective, you will notice that spiritual environments produced spiritual giants. Great` warriors and generals flourished in countries where conquest was the rulers main occupation. Today, it is the age about great businessmen. We also keep reading about 5 year old computer prodigies. In a favourable environment, even a fool can achieve great things but how do we manage in adverse situations? The first step would be to put off the label that your environment has already stuck on you without your permission. The second step would be to understand yourself better and accept your present strengths and weaknesses. Improve your strengths and more importantly overcome your weakness by seeking the advice of the very teacher or parent who stuck that label on you. Dont take these labels too seriously as your character/attitude is only temporary and not an unalterable, permanent god given fixture.
The third step would be to have a good peer group who are constructive in their criticism. As said earlier, your friends can make or break your future-choose your friends wisely.

During my college days, one of my classmates was always humiliated by his parents in front of his house servants, friends, neighbours, relatives, teachers etc. His parents thought that this would change his attitude and habits (which they didnt like) but it didnt do any good. Actually, he lost his confidence over a period of time and regarded himself as misfit and unworthy (till his third year of college). He used to always grumble about his parents in class and his friends used to consider him as boring-Finally, during final year somebody motivated him and he also attended some personality development classes-It made him take the labels, positively. He struggled a lot to come out of his old mindset. Nowadays, when we meet at get-togethers, he says that his parents understand him better than before and that there are no mental pressures. I was very happy to see that he has got a

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stronger self image and he has been able to give the criticisms (labels), the place it deserves. A very close friend of mine gave in to depression and mood swings because he was subjected to labelling by his parents and teachers for accumulating arrears. He was forcefully admitted into an engineering college while he wanted to pursue a career in animation. His next target was to do his MBA abroad and he thought that if he gets a good GMAT score he would be able to get into any of the top business schools and hence he wasnt bothered about his history of arrears. Later on, he read a book on planning to get into the top business schools and learnt that the requisites for doing an MBA was not just a good GMAT score but among others undergraduate academics was also an important one. After reading the book, he felt like dropping the idea of doing an MBA itself. Apart from the above, the reasons were that -he had made his decision that if he does his MBA, it would be in a reputed university only -the profiles of students in those reputed schools where he wanted to join were miles apart when compared with his profile. Eg: One of the applicants to his dream school was a design engineer at Boeing who had done his engineering at IIT. My friend couldnt compare himself with candidates of this sort. -When he spoke to his friends (including me), we advised him to take his GMAT and join any school that would take him in. One of my friends said this, If you and I were skilled enough to study an MBA at Harvard, Stanford, IIM, ISB or any other reputed B-School, we would not have studied at SREC, we would have studied at colleges like IIT ,BITS,Anna University etc. But the core reason was this: The negative labels awarded to him when combined with the above made him think that he is trying to be something he is not. It took him so many sleepless nights to come out of this feeling and start preparing for his GMAT. He is yet to take the test but the reason for getting de-motivated was not because he cant get a good GMAT score or that he cant face his MBA interview but because whenever he is down, these labels try to assure him that he is weak. In spite of all this, he keeps assuring himself that he will get into one of his dream schools (If not this year, may be next year). He is fighting against his own self for mistakes he didnt do. Hope you understand how labels can affect you adversely. In situations like this, motivate yourself as much possible and try at least a few times before changing your career plan as my friend is determined to do so. Though chances may be lower from your perspective, it may be the other way round from the admission committees point of view (since academics though important is not the only criteria for entering a good b-school).

Academics and the other requisites for placement

The present education system (Tamil Nadu) is not really standardized enough from my perspective. I feel that the way most students learn and do many things are out of forced necessity than interest. The content of information we learn is far outdated. For example-A young Indian has proved that Einsteins theory of relativity is wrong as he has proved the presence of a particle which travels with a speed faster than that of light. But for this information to come into the 10th standard text books, it will take a long time, till next revision (since the syllabus was revised very recently only). I dont mean to say that, you as a student must fight to make changes in the education system but as a part of class you could get yourself more involved into activities which will really help you in your career. During my college days, a lot of assignments were given as a part of Anna University curriculum. Honestly speaking only 2 to 3 boys wrote the assignments by referring the books from the library

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while the rest of us would come to college a bit early and copy-paste the same with slight changes. None of us got benefited. But if instead various topics which echoed the present days technology or current scenario where this subject had its influence were given to group of students and if we were to present it as a seminar, we would have learnt many things like -overcoming stage-fear -working in teams to gather information -delivering a content within time -knowledge (we will have to study a lot of information before we can present, even if it is for 15 min)

Assignment is just one example. There are so many ways in which things can be improved and as a student you may think this is the responsibility of teachers (even I did when I was a student) but if you see it from our education systems point of view-it isnt their job. Dont blame your teachers and parents. Till our education system changes-learn to adapt and succeed with the available resources. Form groups with other classmates who have similar dreams Eg: all those who want to pursue an M.S. degree can combine and prepare for GRE. Today, computers are ruling us-It has become a necessity in most streams-So if you are not computer savvy-spend time learning things like sending mails, browsing, creating Spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations using MS Office etc. This is a requisite even if it is not pronounced loudly from the placement point of view. And, lastly, when you are given a chance (to take a seminar, run a symposium etc)-PARTICIPATE.

My Message
We cannot change the system but we can change ourselves. So even if parents and teachers may seem unhelpful or hindering at times, it is no use blaming them and allowing it to affect us. As stated earlier-Adapt and succeed with the available resources. Be like the weed which can grow in any environment.
The teacher is not there to create a walking encyclopaedia out of you but a powerful being who can put that knowledge to the best possible use. The greatest gift one human being can give another is an environment where the other person can develop and flourish. If you come across teachers like that-seek their advice. I am really not satisfied with the content regarding this section. One of my dreams is to build schools and colleges and run it in ways I dream it has to be. I have so many ideas to put forward but I really dont know whether as a part of the management, teachers would accept my opinions and ideas since though today management style has replaced the old style of keeping the Top management in the top, at least most people still follow the old style. It is in the blood, the ego to say, I am the boss. You dont tell me what to do etc. Hence I have shared some things (very few) which I felt important.

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Counter Choices Greatness Stay in the game Logic and creativity

The front cover shows what you can be in life in comparison with the game of chessKing, Queen, Bishop, Knight, Rook or at least a winning pawn. How you can relate the game of chess to todays world, is what you are about to read.

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Counter Choices
Life is like a game of chess. You play this with a partner called god (existence). One way of looking at the game is that after every move of yours, god makes a counter move.
Gods move: Milton became blind; but Miltons counter move was to write the greatest compositions on nature-Paradise Lost.

Gods move: Beethoven became deaf; but Beethovens counter move was to create the worlds greatest symphonies.
Legends like Helen Keller and Albert Einstein are living testimonies to counter moves. God doesnt give you ends, but only bends. For every choice, there is a consequence. True! But also rememberfor every consequence, there is a counter choice. Be a choice maker and move ahead in life.

Greatness
Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them. The queen, the rook, the bishop and the knight are born great, while the King has greatness thrust upon him. The pawns are few squares away from achieving greatness. For the pawns, there will be challenges as well as support; its certainly going to be hard work to move from one square to another. You can endure anything in life to become what you can become. Most of us are like the pawns. We have to achieve greatness. Begin with the end in mind. Whats important is not where you are, but the direction in which you are progressing in life.

Stay in the game

Have you made some blunders? Have there been a few oversights? Is your position actually weak? Hold on. Demonstrate the will to stay in power. Your opponent can be as vulnerable to mistakes and oversights as you are. Just one opening and the game can again be played on even grounds. Dont resign. Dont quit. Play the game. Play the game a little longer. Anything can happen. Things can turn around. During tough times, staying in the game can be your greatest virtue. Wait and await for possibilities and the dice will roll the way you want it to. Till thenstay in the game.

Logic and creativity

Think about it-Chess is one of the most logical games, as the possibilities are so well defined. Yet the scope for creativity, imagination and intelligence is the highest in this very game. Without logic, there will be chaos; and without creativity, you cannot outsmart the competitors. So it is with life. Perfect your grammar, but play with the language. Let there be poetry even in prose. Stick to your lane, but run the fastest lap. Hold on to ethics, yet outsmart the competitor with your strategies. Hear the spoken. Infer the unspoken.

Even a simple phenomenon, when viewed with heightened awareness, can unfold new avenues of learning. Every moment, every encounter, every activity and experience has within it an unspoken message. There is something even in nothing, and there is everything in something. Live consciously, moment after moment. Hear the unheard, see the unseen, feel the unfeltunravel the unspoken. Remember, you are an evolving consciousness-Voice of Love

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Knowledge is power Creativity is advancement Change is life Self-Esteem is your Boost Conquer Fears Finally write your future Unleash the potential within
Some Vitamins to start taking during your college life

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Knowledge is power
Knowledge gained through education teaches us limitations which are to be broken. For instance, by nature-a bumble bees body is not aerodynamic. Its body is too heavy to be lifted by the short wings it possesses. Now as per Physics the bumble bee must not fly but it flies as it does not know Physics (Ref: You can win-Shiv Khera).
Similarly we put limitations to your knowledge because of the way of thinking education gives us. When you are explained a fact-ANALYSE and INVESTIGATE (A.I.). Be a student (follow the fact) in the exam hall else you lose marks and be a critic (Question the fact) to your knowledge outside and get your solutions. Who knows-YOU MAY BE CORRECT! Lets see if you can solve this(Hint: Break mental barriers) Without lifting your pen / pencil up, join the 9 dots using a maximum of 4 straight lines only.

Hint : Break Mental barriers Solution : See end of this section

Solve aptitude based problems (Books: R.S.Aggarwal, Puzzles by Shakuntala Devi etc), Crossword Puzzles in News papers and Net. This will improve your Analytical and Lateral thinking Skills. Perform some simple addition and subtraction while driving etc where you get to see lot of numbers on number plates. Hope I am not being very strictYou may look at the guys and gals on the roads too

Creativity is advancement
Normal humans idol Doing things the usual way Thinking the usual way Expecting the usual result Creative humans idol Doing the usual differently Thinking differently Expecting a different result

Abdul Kalam was made fun of by everyone when he planned to make a hovercraft as a project in college. But later he designed it. He was different-Thats why he stands out. (Ref: Wings of Fire). To be creative-break assumptions-imagine the unimagined. It might be the future. To Girls: the new cooking recipes and the designer jewellery are due to creative cooks and jewel designers, respectively

To Boys: The girl next door suddenly looks beautiful because of her new creative attire

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Attending classes in the arts (playing musical instruments, singing, drawing, painting, photography etc) will make you very creative. You can even do the things you do normally in a different way. Eg: Brushing your teeth, combing your hair, attending the phone, opening the door etc with the left hand if you are a right hander, else vice versa. Things like this will trigger your brain cells and keep you active.

Change is life
Changes that last for a life time begin in a moment. With persistence, only time stands between you and your goals. See changes in your life as normal and positive events rather than as a threat to being in comfort zone. Accept changes that you are destined to face as you cannot do anything grumbling about it. Also, learn to change before the necessity arises so that you dont regret later. Of course it is difficult to change even when you know that it would solve your problems or make you better, because even CHANGE IS STRESSFUL. To over come this - WRITE down, what you get if you change (atleast 5 benefits). Similarly what you get if you dont change (atleast 5 disadvantages). Now it would be easy to find out whether that change is worthy or not. Be ready to face new unexpected changes by learning new skills now itself. You may have been born with a silver spoon yesterday and may be still using it even todayTomorrow you might not even have a morsel of food to feed yourself. Change before change changes you. Dont be a drop out in this rapidly changing world-Be a person of substance. The more you avoid change, the more you hinder the process of growth in your life.

Who moved my cheese by Spencer Johnson is a very simple yet good book which will help you to realize the need to be ready for change. Please read it if you can. You can complete the book in an hour (even if you are a slow reader).

Self-Esteem is your Boost (Secret of your energy)

Why is it that other people manage to achieve what they want? But whenever I try, it never seems to work out right? You may not be as good as somebody else in something. This doesnt mean you cant do anything right. Just because somebody criticizes you or because you keep failing at something, dont get depressed or feel rejected. For everybody something is easy and something is difficult. Its just matter of time, effort and a bit of luck. Till then dont lose hope. Always feel good about yourself and your achievements however small it is. Have a good opinion about yourself-If you cant learn to like yourself, who else would you like.

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Produce confidence Act the part

The first time you ride a bicycle you fall, but with practise you can become a good cyclist as anyone. Try to bring solutions to your problems.

Learn from your mistakes You can make new mistakes to learn something NEW but never commit the same mistake again.

Mix with people who make you feel good. Be the best you can be on the inside and your beauty and confidence will be reflected on the outside. Be the burning candle from which others can light themselves. You dont have to be the wax burning yourself for others.

Conquer Fears
I can do better than him/her but I just cant get on the stage Everybody fears something in their life-The more you expose yourself to fear, the more it decreases. If you are afraid of 10 things - Face the most fearful one first and repeat this for some time. You will see that all the fears would have vanished. Get the shock of your life and not even current can shock you. If this method is too scary-go one by one. Write down your fears
Understand your fears

What are you afraid of?

Where did it come from?

Learn some relaxation Go for yoga or meditation classes or do and distraction techniques some exercise daily. It will bring down to slow your breathing nervousness. Coffee aggravates nervousness but you dont have to avoid it entirely-you can avoid it on the day when you have to go on stage if you have stage fear etc. Face the Fear With time it will decrease

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Attend self-development classes if you have stage fear. Go for English Classes if you are from a Tamil-medium background.

Finally write your future

On the long road
Experience Smart Effort Polite Generous Fit Interested beats beats beats beats beats beats beats Inexperience Uninformed Laziness Rude Selfish Fat Bored

You may know what you want to be and might have even planned your future (If not, do it NOW). But still, if you put your goals in WRITING (with specific dates), it has more power. Be patient - YOUR time is coming. With time everything passes from old hands to new. Write down the possible obstacles and changes that you expect and find suitable solutions for them now itself. Give some extra time for every goal you have written down as unexpected barriers will surface.

Unleash the potential within

You may know this and that of engineering. Try to know something more outside engineering; and also inside engineering which is out of your syllabus books. Use the net to know the advancements in, say the department you belong to or the field you want to specialize in.

YOU werent born tired. Nature created the human body to withstand great stress. God endowed all of us with generous plan. We have such an amazing abundance of tissue in our bodies.
-2/3rd of both kidneys may be removed without serious detriment -normal breathing can be carried out even if a great part of our lungs were destroyed -removal of one ovary or testicle doesnt interfere in the slightest degree with their functions -thyroid glands possess 4 or 5 times the amount of tissue necessary for the complete maintenance of a healthy life -we possess 10 times as much of vital substance (produced by adrenal glands) as is necessary -we usually have twice as much blood sugar as we normally need for energy purposes (Ref: The wisdom of the body) Other medical authorities point out that nature has supplied us with special organs with potential energy far beyond normal needs. Use the potential to break the barriers of engineering. If everyone read about what has been created already-Nothing would have changed. Since someone is changing his mind set, the world too changes simultaneously without notice. Dont think that, that someone is one in a million. Why dont you be that one person who changes the world. Dont

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think you cant. If you think you can-You can! Dont accept things as they are. Your professor - from his college days might have said, be saying and continue saying the same thing regarding a problem in engineering till he dies without thinking whether a simpler solution is possible for it. When you say 2*3=6 from standard one, it is difficult to say 2*3=3! (Factorial) but you are new to engineering. You have many sources for increasing your knowledge and questioning the facts. Use them effectively.

And finally dont forget NO MATTER HOW RIGHT YOU ARE, I SAY TODAY AND FOR EVER, YOU ARE WRONG, IF YOU ARE NOT SURE YOU ARE RIGHT
You have to be sure to persuade someone else to back you.

Solution to puzzle on Pg 27

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Dealing with workplace failures Intangible qualities for success Blowing the whistle Managing your managers Take a new job or stick on? Negative workplace perceptions Beating the Peter Principle Benefits of teamwork Make your move to move up Street lessons
This is a section which will be of use to you greatly when you start working as a professional. Please read this section once before taking up work as a professional and once after you have a year of experience as it will be very effective by then. As of now, if you can relate the lessons that you learn here with your work in college where team work skills are required (club activities, placement preparation, projects etc), it will be of some help to you.

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Dealing with workplace failures

Thomas Watson, the founder of IBM, said, If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate. As you try to leave an impressive mark at work, failing at any given task can bring unexpected twists and turns. How you deal with failure, is what will ultimately help you succeed? The question is: Are you smart enough to learn from your mistakes? Workplace failures are part of the job, but if dealt properly, they can lead to greater success in the long run. Here are some strategies to fix common workplace failures.
Missing a deadline A lot of work that you will do will have a deadline. You are bound to feel frustrated and upset when you miss an important deadline, but don't grumble about this and make everybody know about it. If you are repeatedly not able to finish tasks on time, you can improve yourself by considering a course in time management. Then you will know whether you have taken on too much work and set an unrealistic deadline? Tip: Trust your instincts. When you feel overburdened, speak up. It may take some guts initially, but it will help you save yourself later on. If you didn't say something when you were initially assigned the work, request a private meeting with the person who has given you the work and explain your position about having to meet such a tight deadline. Starting a conflict In this age of teamwork; conflicts and petty fights with co-workers are definitely labelled as failures. Tip: Find common ground and avoid taking sides in the case of a conflict. If you must involve your supervisor, tell him how the problems within the team affect your productivity and morale. That way, you will not sound like a complainer. Remember that criticism of your work does not mean your colleagues or customers are targeting you as an individual. If you goofed up during an important presentation, it doesn't make you a bad employee nor does it negate your prior accomplishments. Don't get upset if you are criticized; take it like a man.

Lets say you had a great idea and it failed miserably? Here's how to deal...
Failing on a commitment Your customer's product is not ready on time or has not been delivered. It's a massive service failure and you have no idea on how to salvage the relationship. Tip: Be honest with your customers and tell them you will do whatever it takes to fix the problem. Never hide behind policies or procedures. Your clients are human and most of them will appreciate your honest effort but in the rare case that your customer does not behave like a human, apologise to the level you feel you should but not beyond a limit. If it goes beyond control, say sorry and seek the support of your supervisor. The next time they give you business; surprise them with super-fast delivery to gain back your credibility. Evading a responsibility

If you make constant excuses, you could be labelled as undependable and untrustworthy, and considered overly defensive and resistant. You may be strong otherwise, but if you're always covering up your shortcomings with excuses, your negative reputation will make you succumb to failure. Tip: Face the facts and stop procrastinating. Ask for other people's help to get things done. If you still fail, apologize and fix the issue without hiding behind fictitious explanations. Ask people you can rely on for feedback on your ideas. In an already competitive world, you should welcome any

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help you can get. A sincere feedback will help prevent you from having bad experiences in the future. Many people like being independent as they think it is great. Don't try to be independent. You can achieve a lot more as a team or independently with advice from co-workers or supervisors as they will give you better ideas from their experience. Actually, they will be happy to help you. If you dont believe this, imagine someone seeking you for advice on something you know well. Wont you feel happy that this person seeks your help for something? Wont you feel that this person is seeking advice from you because he/she feels that you are good at that something which he/she is not? Executing a bad idea Lets say you convinced your supervisors on a project/product and spent the company's money for it and finally it fails. While you were expecting laurels for your creativity, your boss asked you for a report to justify the investment. Tip: So what if your idea failed? You should use this to your advantage in preparation for your next big project. Analyze what went wrong or what could have been altered. Maybe you could have done more research or tested your idea before you went public or perhaps you could have taken the advice of senior members of the team. Taking ownership of your mistake is the first and most important step in dealing with a failed project. Blaming others rather than yourself will create tension at the office and spoil your working relationship with others. And remember: Risk-taking is a skill that is required for you to succeed. Whether you failed because of your own sloppy work or because you made some hasty decisions and misunderstood your job's profile, failure is one of the best teaching tools life can offer you. Even if you fall flat on your face, you can always use the valuable lesson you learnt on your way to the top.

Intangible qualities for success

Whether you are starting out in a new job or trying to get your career on track, the fundamentals of success are always the same. Time and time again, certain traits will help you get to the next level and the next after that. But what are these traits that separate you from another person of equal skill? Brains account for a lot, but they are not everything. If you have reached a certain level of your intelligence or if you are trying to rise above others of greater skill, you need to take into account the intangibles of success. Broad perspective My colleague once discussed a software development issue with a programmer: While the programmer was concerned about the efficiency of the code, which would not have become an issue for months, my colleague was concerned about getting it to work as soon as possible because it was a show stopper for the rest of the business and also because he expected bigger problems as soon as the software was put to use. So the programmer would have more pressure to handle then. What do you see when you look at a problem, specifically a problem that seems to have no obvious solution? Do you feel a rush of anxiety or do you try to look at it in the context of everything else and determine how important it really is? If you want to be successful you have to learn to differentiate between matters of great importance and matters of least importance. Making a big deal out of everything will only serve to work you up and leave you racing to catch up on the issues that truly matter. Successful people learn to get the work done on time and iron out the flaws (minor) later.

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Vested interest in the company In the company I worked, I saw a lot of people doing their work just for the sake of the salary. They didnt have the passion to work and they had to be supervised all the time. I dont blame these people alone for the lack of passion-It is connected with the way the management functions also but still IF they had worked with passion, the result would have been unimaginably good. In the same way analyse (when you start working) whether the company you work for really matters to you? Im talking about -the devotion that you will/will not have when you talk about your work with friends and family -the devotion that you feel when you are deciding if putting in those extra hours will make a difference to the company. A manager, knowing that the members of his/her team have an interest in the well-being of the company will give greater autonomy to his/her team members during work since even without his/her constant supervision, they will work for the good of the company. Employees with a vested interest are seen by their superiors as people with a passion for what they do; this attitude tends to garner fruitful rewards. If you want to guarantee your success, increase your threshold of pain and work with passion else seek another job that you feel passionate about. Dont work without passion.

High tolerance for punishment

If you are given more work than others, you shouldnt feel wronged because of it. It may take a while to understand this concept, but the idea is that taking on more work gives you more responsibility. Your reaction to the additional responsibilities is part of what determines your success. Though you may feel that you are not fit for the task, you never know unless you try. Eg: I was once told by my CEO to devise a method to calculate the cost of production of various products as the method which was in use was not very accurate. If I had to work on the costing part which I was not aware of till then, I had to get in touch with the person who was responsible for the costing method that was prevailing then and that was my PM, (Production Manager not Project Manager) but he was not very supportive. So, I told my mom to send me the book I studied in College-Process planning and cost estimation-I studied once again or rather only now with renewed interest-Apart from this I browsed the net, contacted a few of my fiends in other companies, spoke with a lot of shop floor personnel to get some extra information so that I can standardize various processes in production. They gave me lot of information which I didnt know before. After all this I spent a week deciding the method on how I should proceed-kept simulating things in my mind and finally after a month, I did it (after a lot of failures). I really didnt think I would do it. I learnt; perseverance yields rewards. Ownership and accountability What does an assignment mean to you? Do you just go through the motions or do you seek to fulfill a role? The truth is that each job you do is more than a set of tasks. If you can see it as such and complete all the auxiliary functions related to it, you might find yourself enjoying newfound authority. The idea of ownership is to perform a certain function within the company so well that it becomes your domain of expertise. When you slip up, you must take responsibility for your mistakes and rectify them so that they are not repeated. Follow through on all your commitments, no matter how small they may be. Small acts such as this will make a difference when it comes to promotionthe impression that you are on top of things.

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Confidence You can't be a leader if you are afraid. Being a confident leader is more than simply knowing when you should speak up; it also involves backing up your position with credible and concrete sources. You do not want to become a weak leader who argues for the sake of argument. Many times, I had encouraged a few receptive employees/colleagues to voice their concerns or to take the lead in a discussion when I saw that they were itching to say something. I respected their thoughts and ideas a lot-They gave me more knowledge on tackling some problems but I felt if they were able to validate themselves, they could rise up the career ladder fast.

Opposition Whether your boss agrees with you or not, speaking out when things are contrary to your views can earn you the respect of your superiors and peers. They will rest more peacefully knowing that they can count on you to speak up when things aren't being done the right way. But, remember not to do this too aggressively. Know how to present negatives. You can use the famous sandwich methodPut forth one negative statement or suggestion between two positive or appreciation statements. Opportunism Many of my colleagues who were capable of doing great work kept waiting for somebody to give them or handover responsibility. Do not sit back and expect things to be handed over to you. You could end up waiting a long time. Seize opportunities as they are near to you. Dont wait for a promotion; instead, work towards it and make sure that your boss is aware that you are hungry. However do not act rashly, boldly or with arrogance. Declare your ambitions through your actions and with the quality of your work and your extra effort. Dont just ask for it - Earn It. Make things easier for your boss by winning the right to take on those additional responsibilities that are up for grabs. Keep in mind that your boss or supervisors job is to look after the business and that your happiness is a secondary issue unless it affects the business. Make yourself an important person to the company and lay claim to the opportunity of your dreams. You cant do this as a fresher unless you are a go-lucky kind of person but over a time you will have the possibilities. Practice the basics. Succeeding takes time and effort; it comes more easily to some people than to others. It is the intangibles that set them apart. These fundamental philosophies or principles, when put into practice, could be the difference between a career of mediocrity and one bursting with accomplishment.

Blowing the whistle

There may come a time in your professional life when you are faced with the moral dilemma of whether or not to report an act of treachery or deceit in the workplace. Often you may come across examples of people who misrepresent the numbers, adjust figures or, quite simply, lie. Though these types of cases may be much less scandalous than the headline cases in the news, such as those you would read in the subject Professional Ethics (Final Year Subject), they may still cause considerable damage to the company you work for and its reputation. Professional Ethics is a subject in engineering which deals with case studies about acts of whistle blowing but the safe method to blow the whistle and the impact on the personal life of a person who blows the whistle is never explained in our undergraduate text books.
In life, most people wont look at whether you are ethical or not. They will just see whether you are

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successful or unsuccessful. You may blow the whistle and call yourself ethical but ultimately if you lose your job because of it-all those dependent on you will suffer but in some cases it is better to blow the whistle than keep quiet and become part of the act. It is obviously a very difficult and conscience-wearing task to rat out a colleague. This article is about helping you judge when to blow the whistle and how to do it properly when the time comes. When is it best to speak out? When is it best to stay silent? Below are some hard-and-fast rules for when you should stand up and when you should not. Experience will teach you to add up some more points here. Anyway, these are for now When not to speak out: -When you are substantially removed from the incident, such that it is none of your business, -When the violation is of minor consequence and will quickly blow over and -When the act of dishonesty is likely to result in a greater good rather than harm.

When to speak out: -When there will be serious ramifications for you if it is discovered that you were aware of the deceit and did not report it, -When the act will have repercussions on the reputation of the firm if it were revealed, -When the act of deceit significantly and negatively impacts your work and -When the act is illegal, -When the act affects the firm in the long run.
Pros and cons of whistle blowing:

1- There are implications of trust. In the workplace there is usually an attitude of us vs. them. When you speak out, whether you are justified in doing so or not, you cannot avoid shattering a bit of that camaraderie. Your peers will wonder whether you can be trusted and whether you will pass the office gossip back up to their bosses.
2- You will make an enemy if your role in implicating the wrongdoer were to be revealed; therefore, make sure the crime is worth punishing and worth the trouble it will put you through, especially if the guilty party is more senior than you.

On the bright side, speaking out may win you the trust and favour of your boss. But dont do it solely for this reason - it isnt worth it. The boss is not the power holder in most companies. RememberIn the corporate world (as in chess), except the pawn and King everybody else have more access than and they will know how to tackle odd situations than you (if you are just a pawn).
How to talk If you have decided to blow the whistle there are a few important things to consider: 1- Gather evidence first Without evidence, it is your word against theirs. If the culprit is a person who has been in the company for years, the trustworthiness he/she would have developed over the years will be very strong and difficult to be shattered. Make sure you can back up your accusations or you could find yourself on the defensive.

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2- Keep things discreet Some whistle blowers are not smart enough to keep their mouths shut about their part in revealing an infraction. The possible result is that the working relationship between said whistle blowers and their peers is significantly impaired to the point that the team might be disbanded. If you are going to rat out your colleague, do it in private and with a promise that your role will not be revealed.

3- Do not wait to talk If you linger, there will be questions of why you did not bring things up sooner. Wait for the right situation (for example, not in front of everyone) to bring things up to your boss, but do it as soon as possible.
4- Back off once you have had your say Do not stick around for the kill; say what you know and stay out of things. Let others deal with the consequences and the sentencing. Your job is over. You arent acting in a movie to see it finish-Time to exit. If you try to pronounce judgement it will raise suspicions about your intent as to whether you are using this as an opportunity to further your position? Neither your boss nor your colleagues will respect you for that. Making the right move Blowing the whistle is often a test of ones morals and values. Nobody likes doing it, but sometimes you are put in a situation where you have no choice but to choose the righteous path. Use your best judgement to make the decision that is right for you. Dont discuss with colleagues and decide. Then you blow your cover and lose the trust of everybody. Nobody said life was easy, and this definitely is not one of the more pleasant parts .

Managing your managers

Imagine a situation in which you are cornered by the requests of several people. Sometimes you may have to report to more than a single manager or be as a mediator to your immediate manager and a manager of a different concern so as to complete a project. During such instances conflicting demands from every side will make you question yourself regularly as you may not know which way to turn - whether to respond to a call for help or another. You may doubt whether it is wrong to support one manager and oppose the other because the first manager says something which opposes the methods of the second. How do you cope with all the work? How do you decide the stance you should take? Work situations such as these are real and they happen to people who report to multiple managers. Without proper coordination, these parties can make unrealistic demands on your time and place you in situations that have conflicting instructions. I have struggled under the burdens of differing opinions and instructions, but I have prevailed and learned (from others with time) how to prevent these situations from getting out of hand. Here are some methods to deal with multiple managers when you are in a similar situation
Who has ultimate authority over you?

Once, a colleague of mine was in a situation in which he was reporting to the Vice president of the company - I believed so. For six months the Vice President was the sole person tasking my colleague and he conducted the performance reviews; I assumed he was my colleagues boss. It turned out he was not his boss. Moreover, when his/our real boss found out, he was questioned for taking assignments from someone else even though he was the Vice president of the firm. At this point, I learnt that position and seniority do not necessarily determine who has authority over you. Many

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times the authority is decided by whichever manager stands firm in his resolve to take responsibility for the work that you do. If you are unsure who you ultimately report to, ask your boss/es. Have it resolved between them so that you do not make the mistake of following the wrong drum beat.

When you receive conflicting instructions No matter who you ultimately report to, you will always feel uncomfortable when you are given conflicting instructions on a matter. In the company I worked, there were two product divisions, namely connector and antenna. When I first started my career as an engineer, I was put in the connector division. I also started involving myself in the work that went on in the antenna division. Eventually, I was told by my supervisor not to involve in work that went on in antenna division and that I concentrate myself more in the connector division so that I dont get out of focus. Later, after some months, I was told by my CEO to assist the Vice President in his work. This is where the problem started. I was given works which related to antenna department only and guess what I didLet me keep it suspense because I didnt do the right thing. I later realised what I should have done. The best thing to do when you are faced with conflicting instructions is to let all the involved parties know that there is a contentious situation.
Exercising your freedoms, silence is a success secret to learn Avoid taking sides that would challenge the authority of your direct supervisor. There are times when you may feel that you are doing well, but your actions could be seen as disrespectful toward your boss. Sometimes during such unfortunate situations, it is better -To accept your success as a failure and -To say you dont know, even when you know

When you have conflicting amounts of freedom Sometimes one supervisor will give you more freedom to do something, but another gives you less? Do you exercise that freedom? The key thing here is to know your boundaries and to know your supervisors. In general, the safest thing to do is to exercise as much freedom as your strictest supervisor would afford you - keep in mind that this is probably not the most efficient way to perform your job. If there is absolute need to exercise a particular freedom to complete your responsibilities, seek written permission from the supervisor who tasked you. Explain the conflict and let your supervisor decide what to do about it. If the decision is to proceed with the set of freedoms, make sure you have written documentation in case anyone challenges your authority. Even mails are a form of documentation. This will be very effective when you communicate with people of authority or those in senior positions. Written communication is very powerful. The minute they reply, you got it covered. They cannot deny later. Of course, some will not reply. Then use your tongue and take a paper and pen with the same filled up. If they say yes-ask them to sign in the paper-There is nothing wrong in this though it may sound and look odd, compared to the after effects (if you get unlucky). Prevention is better than cure (Age old recipe).
Managing excessive demands

Create a physical list of all your upcoming tasks. Ask your supervisors to indicate, in order of importance, which tasks they feel are the most important. Ensure that they know that not everything can be marked as a top priority; ask them to assign a unique number to each task, thereby creating a discrete, sequential order. Now combine all your priority lists into one master list

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and prioritize your duties according to this list. In my experience, it is most effective to review your priority lists with your supervisors periodically. New issues will give rise to new priorities. Keeping your secrets When working for multiple managers, you will occasionally come across things that they would prefer the other manager of yours should not know. Often, there is a fine line between what should be said and what should not -- it takes a fair bit of judgment to navigate this situation with diplomacy. For instance, I was once asked to withhold certain information from my direct supervisor about how badly a project was going to be delayed. Unfortunately, I also knew that this information would have a dramatic impact on my supervisors work. So I struck a bargain; I allowed him a grace period, but explained to him that I had to eventually inform my supervisor. No one likes a tattle-tale so try to avoid being one. Exercise diplomacy and avoid taking sides if possible. Picking sides can lead to a loss of favour from one of your supervisor/boss/manager (whatever you call them), whereas keeping a consistent policy of silence among bosses keeps you from blame and earns respect. If you are forced to take sides, let it be known where your loyalties are so they do not put you in an awkward situation of mistaken identity. Make the most of the situation. When you are working for multiple managers, it takes preparation and diplomacy to keep everyone happy. Be consistent in your actions and keep an open dialogue with each boss. Keep them abreast of the situations you face and do not be afraid to ask them for advice.

Take a new job or stick on?

Over a point of time you will be in a state of perplexity or uncertainty, esp. with regard to progression in your career -To continue in the current job or move to a different company, -To be in service or start your own business, -To keep working or take a break for a higher educationthese questions haunt every person in the corporate world today,
In case of two alternate routes, he should march in a region suitable to himself (10.2.10) -From the book Arthashastra written by Chanakya (Indian), the worlds first management guru The above advice is self explanatory. But the choice taken subsequently could either make or break you. And not just for choosing jobs-Such a conflict management situation can arise for anyone during every aspect of life. At such times, you have to think through your head and feel through your heart. Keep a check of your strength and weaknesses. How does one do this? Well, here are some tips for you to follow when facing that tough decision: 1. Ask Yourself The first person you have to consider is yourself. Ask yourself if you are doing the right thing. If you feel that - in the current company and industry - your growth has stopped, then, prepare yourself for a change. It would actually be great to have an open discussion with your boss or seniors to get a direction (just incase they had planned to give you new responsibilities). If you still feel the solution is not forthcoming, then seek external help.

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2. Speak To Others You can consult the experts of your field and check if you are capable of doing something better. If this is too difficult, look at the websites that can guide you in this matter. Join an online group of like-minded people and seek guidance and tips for better understanding of your situation.

3. Follow that gut-feel (My favorite) Finally, after all this analyses, the important part is to take a step in the direction where you want to be in the future. If you continue doing what you are doing, you will continue getting what you are getting. So if you want to be different from what you currently are, do something different. Once you take this first step, half the battle is won provided you want to fight for something better! Look, there are plenty of opportunities today. But few take risks. Only, those who take calculated risks with measurable steps can succeed in achieving their long-term goals. And please never regret a decision, even if it is a wrong move. Keep going along the chosen path. No looking back .

Negative workplace perceptions

At times, you may be surprised by your employer's reaction to certain actions you have taken in the workplace? In situations like these, this is what could have happened-the very actions you thought were the most positive were the ones that most irritated your employer! I have run into few instances where my own desires to do something has been perceived in a negative light by others. For example, I once tried to help another colleague quickly automate a manual process of his, only to later on hear comments from people of other department. They told me to concentrate on my own duties. Differences in perspectives and priorities can lead to contrasting views on the contributions you make at work. There are no hard rules to avoid these disparities since they are the result of a specific blend of personalities and cultures. However, there are some misunderstandings that occur more than others. To help minimize the chances of upsetting your employer, try to address the following common behaviors that you see as positive, but that your employer sees as troublesome.

Embarking on projects by yourself How you may perceive it: You have independence and initiative. How your employer may perceive it: You are difficult to control. You may think that you are doing the company a favor by going the extra mile and pursuing initiatives as worthwhile, but your employer may see you as a handful that forces him to put in extra effort to keep things under control. Keep in mind that, while what you are doing may be useful to the company, your boss may have other priorities in mind. Before you spend too much time on a project of your own, make sure your boss agrees with what you're doing.
Engaging in long debates over minor differences How you may perceive it: You are displaying an attention to detail or meticulousness. How your employer may perceive it: You are unaccommodating and losing sight of the big picture. Sometimes ego and conceit take over in the workplace, and you find yourself needing to argue to prove your point -- even if it is a minor one -- because you believe you are right. But while you are taking this opportunity to reinforce your self-worth, you might be passing the wrong message to your boss. In fact, you might be telling your employer that you are a bit too opinionated to have a reasonable and productive discussion. Trivial points should not dominate the meeting when there

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are more important issues on hand. Early on in my career, I constantly argued with a co-worker over how to do things. Neither of us ever wanted to concede a point -- even if it was inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. From then on, we were placed in different roles so that we would never clash again. State your point, but be ready to be accommodating for the sake of productivity. Keeping to yourself during your free time How you may perceive it: You are separating your personal life from your professional life. How your employer may perceive it: You may not be the best team player. I know a lot of people who like to stick to themselves during any break in the action, whether it is at lunch or at a company gathering I was one too! While you may think that what you do socially shouldn't be the companys concern, your employer might not view it the same way. This could really swing both ways. In some cases, your boss may attribute your solitude to your inability to build relationships with others. In other cases, your employer might feel that you are demonstrating your independence. Just remember not to stick to extremes - find a balance between being sociable and being a loner.

Being a perfectionist How you may perceive it: You always want to do the best job. How your employer may perceive it: You are wasting time on minor details. There is such thing as good enough. While some jobs may be ideally suited for a perfectionist, most of the time, your employer/supervisor will want you to move on when the task is sufficiently completed. Dont waste your time. The last minor details usually take the most time, so learn to let go and take on more pressing projects. If you have the time, being a perfectionist isnt that bad.

Beating the Peter Principle

Are you sure youre ready for the next step? Are you really ready to climb that extra rung in the ladder? Almost everyone believes they are ready for a promotion, but a theory by educator Laurence J. Peter provides an interesting perspective on the idea.
The Peter Principle states: In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence. Put another way, the theory explains why people are often promoted until they reach a position that requires skills they do not possess -- in which case, someone else is promoted instead. To avoid falling victim to the Peter Principle, try employing the following three strategies to keep you ready for that next step. (Prepare to meet your goals, Plan to fill in the gaps and Keep things flexible)

1-Prepare to meet your goals Many of us are too lazy to plan what we are going to do during the weekend, let alone the next few years, but regardless of the tedious nature of this exercise, planning is a necessary factor in beating the Peter Principle. Preparing a good plan encompasses four key steps:
Decide what your short- to medium-term goals are: It is hard to work toward a goal without a clear perspective of what you want. If you do not have a short- to medium-term goal, try deciding on a realistic situation that you would not mind finding yourself in, and use it to decide what you want to be doing in the future.

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Write a job description for the role: Know and understand what your dream job would entail. What skills and abilities would someone successful in your dream position need to possess? If you are unsure, try and look up a job posting for a similar position at another firm. Use this posting as your guideline for finding what would be expected of you at the next level. Question yourself: Ask yourself, As a job applicant, what skills would I be missing? Take a careful look at yourself and make an outline of the skills you lack. Then decide whether you have proof of the skills you do have. Make a list of your work abilities and make another list of skills you feel you should acquire to take yourself to that next level. Your next step will be to find ways to improve your sufficiency for the promotion by adding new skills to your work experience, which brings us to the next point. Learn how to get the skills you need to get the promotion you want

2- Plan to fill in the gaps

There are numerous ways to build experience and build up your skill set on your resume before you find yourself losing the position that relies on those skills.

Volunteer: One way to build experience is to undertake some volunteer opportunities at a local charity. People are often happy to let you take on more senior roles of planning, organization and management as long as you show a certain level of aptitude. Take your role seriously and try to make a measurable difference with what you do. That way, you can quote the demonstrable difference you made with your volunteer work on any future job applications or performance reviews.
Take a class: Continuing education or short-term workshops are also great ways to fill in gaps in your tool set and to make new connections. Try looking at your local university or college to see what might be available.

3- Keep things flexible To keep yourself on the right track, think about all the things you can do that would broaden your marketable skills. Choose the ones that will give you the widest range of experiences and that will allow you to develop abilities that are not currently in your arsenal.
Keep your possibilities open: In a game of chess, a useful tactic is to increase the number of options or spaces that you can move your pieces onto and minimize the number of spaces that your opponent can move to. If you think of a career from the same perspective, you can easily differentiate between opportunities that will further yourself and opportunities that will limit your future. Be ready for the unknown: The concept here is to help you prepare for the unknown. Your life and your career rarely go as planned, so it is imperative that you remain open-minded, flexible and equipped to face new challenges and roles. Planning for future success involves preparing for the pre-conceived through the matching of goals and skill sets, as well as planning for the things that cannot be foreseen. Keep your mind calm and be ready to meet any new trial. Challenge yourself by building new talents and proficiencies. Only you can make it happen: Only you can take yourself to that next level. If you take the time to market your skills and work on acquiring new ones, no other person than you will be suited for that promotion. Decide what your goals are, assess what you need to do in order to reach your goals

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then take the necessary steps to get those skills and make your dreams a reality.

Benefits of teamwork
Many people think that their professional success is solely dependent upon how well they personally perform. This notion of a self-created destiny has led to a work environment where hoarding information, refusing help and stepping on colleagues to get to the top run rampant. But that is not the right way. In fact, the higher you rise on the corporate ladder, the more you realize that how well you do your job is in fact linked to how much you can get out of others and how well you can work with them toward a common goal. You cannot do everything by yourself. Accepting help or delegating responsibility is not a sign of weakness, but a growing process that helps you progress as an employee. Dont try to be independent, especially as a fresher (This is when you have to learn a lot as everything will be new).
The benefits 1-Working faster : It doesn't matter how smart or capable you are; if you work with others, you will find that the overall results come much faster. Initially, it may take more time to ensure that things are done properly. But if you work with the same team for some time, you will find that the performance gains start to kick in quickly. To get the best efforts and commitment out of your team members, try to align their goals with yours. Make it so that when you benefit, they do as well. 2-Obtaining a promotion : Managers and high-level executives oversee the work of others. If your boss were to become involved in the day-to-day process of completing your work, he wouldnt have the time to oversee his own responsibilities. The CEO, who was once a petrol bunk staff, did not get to the top by holding on to his old responsibilities of filling gas. Likewise, you cannot get to the next level without relinquishing some of your duties to others. Prioritize and decide which matters are too serious to delegate, but let some of the work go to others. Teamwork can build trust, reduce stress and more

3-Maximizing your employees performance : What are your core competencies? While you may be a highly skilled individual, other people might be able to complete certain tasks more efficiently than you can. Let the frontline workers -- who know their part of the business -- decide how to do their jobs. This will generally create more buy-in, higher employee motivation and better performance. Set guidelines for what you want to see and the level of responsibility being granted, but try not to inhibit the creativity of others. Remember that it is usually the outcome, and not the process of getting there, that is the most important.
4-Getting to know what is going on outside your circle : If you trust them, they will trust you (eventually, if not initially). That is a golden rule of workplace relationships. Show your co-workers or staff that you believe in them and in the quality of their work. Trust is the first step in fostering better communication, and it allows you to maintain a greater awareness of what is going on. 5-Learning opportunity : When you are a young professional, there is always someone who is older and more experienced than you are. Just as you needed someone to teach you the ABCs as a child, there will be times in your career when you can benefit from the experience and teachings of others. Life is a learning process, and building new skills can open new opportunities for you.

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Make your move to move up

Peoples approach on getting promoted can be categorized into three types: First of all, there are people who don't want any new responsibility than earning just enough for family or food or entertainment based on their position and age. They stagnate in the same positions and like to sit in the same chair. Second, there are the idealists who think their work will speak for itself and that they will move up when the time is right, when they have paid their dues.
Third are the cut-throat climbers who can't stop until theyre at the top most position. These people would do anything to rise up and they have their twists on a trajectory that even NASA can't match. As for the better way to move up, take an approach that lies somewhere between the idealist and the cut-throat. Consider some ways to "inspire" your supervisor.

The simple route 1-Highlight your accomplishments: A supervisor remembers jobs performed, especially if he's regularly "reminded" of the success of a project. If it was your idea to skim profits from the project, then mention how much additional profit you've hauled in. Always be involved in several active projects. Most bosses don't think, "What have you done for me?" They wonder, "What have you done for me lately?. Put in extra hours and dont try to become a leader or head of a department in two days 2-Put in the hours: The most obvious way to inspire your supervisor to promote you is to work hard. Get to work early and leave late; it helps if the supervisor knows you are putting in the extra hours. On the other hand, some people waste time around and aren't efficient. Be competent and don't lose your soul by overworking. When a project requires extra time, be willing to do it. Sometimes, a crisis comes up and you can't work the usual eight hours and go home. That's when you load up on caffeine. Some go for a smoke (I prefer coffee). 3-Create opportunities for others: Get your ideas in shape by thinking -- not about the weekend, but about ways in which you can save your time and money, and reduce unnecessary work. Once you become an idea producer, you can start employing the others around you, and their accomplishments will reflect back on you. A word to the wise: Being strictly a thinker and not a man of action will not help you. Success is 1% idea, 99% implementation. The idea is like an unplanted seed. Workers are the ones who do the work, and turn the idea (if yours) into something useful. Move them. 4-Don't skip ranks: Usually an employee who is the pet to his/her supervisor or a relative of the supervisor gets to skip ranks. You, however, do not -- but then again, it is better for you. Sure, it makes you jealous to see a young nobody become somebody, but ask yourself this: Does anyone respect that person? Do you? No. He/she got something for nothing. The same thing happens even in the military, when guys go from civilian to Major. To their faces, they get a five-finger salute; behind their backs, they get only one. If you who punch your success at every stop along your career path, you will have more self-respect, more experience and more admiration from your peers. Once you go up the ladder, everybody will try to bring you back to your old place. How you get there can help you stay there.

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5-Make contacts: The most fundamental way to get promoted is through contacts. A friend of mine once introduced me to a guy, and that's how things started to happen for me. When you and your friends help each other out, you grow together. Celebrate his/her achievements too, especially if you are a friend in need. The aggressive route 1-Pick the right timing: The simplest way to approach the boss is to confront him boldly and request a promotion, and not like little Oliver Twist asking for more porridge -- do it with confidence. Gauging the right time to do so is very difficult. First of all, there is the actual hour: When is your boss usually in the best mood? What is going on that day? Second, you need to have your work squared away, or that's what will be on his mind. A good time to ask for promotion is shortly after you've had a success. Third, think about what's going on outside of the organization. You know, in that other place called the world. If the organization is in a meltdown, you might want to wait for a better season. Dont burn your bridges. 2-Take politics into consideration: Is it your turn? Do you deserve to move up, and if you do, are you prepared to say why? On the spot, you will need to be able to articulate why you're the best for a position. Moving up is a political act and undercutting a guy who deserves it could really hurt you in the long run. To play a political game, you need to be able to talk -- and by talk, I mean lie. The smartest, most deserving person rarely gets to the top . It's usually the loudest, most decisive person, even if he is as dumb as a box. Make some noise. 3-Dont be too aggressive: Violence begets violence. In some cases, silence is a virtue. Swallowing your pride can be divine, if taken with salt. When you lose your cool with a boss, you can never undo that moment. Everyone will remember it. Unless you are a major figure don't give impromptu speeches at the top of your lungs.

4-Start your own family: Can't take it anymore? Sometimes a terrible boss can drive you to mutiny. That's how competition begins, and it's the American way. Some people can give orders but can't take them. If you start a new family, once you are in charge, try to remember the tyrant who drove you out, and don't make the same mistakes. Every situation is different, but stick to the rules, work hard and be tough when you need to be. Getting passed over for a promotion is degrading and leaves a heck of a sting. That sting can devastate you or it can motivate you. Sure it hurts. Eg: Stanford University was started when Harvard University insulted one of its alumnis parents when they said they wanted to offer a building to Harvard in memory of their dead son.

Street lessons (Sometimes being a politician is a necessity)

Politics is a part of most organizations. So long what you have read will help you to solve most problems like a professional. Sometimes these professional methods wont work. You may feel that the world isnt fair, nobody cares if you get hurt or if your feelings get bruised etc. Everybody's trying to get a piece of the action, trying to survive. You can learn a lot from books, but it's not always enough. I have read a lot of books, but nothing has educated me greatly than losses due to politics at many stages of my life. All these losses were due to the weaknesses I had and also because my weaknesses were the strengths of the politicians (or so called smart people) who came into my life. They helped me see my weaknesses and helped me be shrewd and not to lose in the same way again in my life.

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I dont approve of you practicing, what the so called smart people do but be ready to play the role of a politician if situation demands, because if you dont know how to handle those smart people, you will get treated as if you came from the dust bin-a useless. Life is like the street.

I would like to write many things here but I prefer not to, because I feel many people will object the content. So I suggest a book which you may read and follow (only to defend yourself) against smart people. Dont use it against normal and innocent people. Thats my request. This is the book Power by Robert Greene (Viva Books Publications). I have my own comments about this book but I prefer not to publicise and change your way of seeing things.

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Quotes about India Facts about India Facts about Indians My message
As an Indian (more than a SRECian/Mechian), I am naturally proud of the many facts which are presented in the next few pages. However the reason for this section is not to promote jingoism but so that you as an Indian

-feel proud of yourself when introducing yourself as an Indian, in India and also outside, and -treat every other Indian whom you meet with the respect they deserve.
Please dont consider this section as a history class

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Quotes about India (by foreigners)

"We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made." -Albert Einstein "India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grand mother of tradition." -Mark Twain "So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked. -Mark Twain "Bear in mind that the commerce of India is the commerce of the world and ... he who can exclusively command it is the dictator of Europe. -Peter the Great of Russia "Many of the advances in the sciences that we consider today to have been made in Europe were in fact made in India centuries ago." -Grant Duff, British Historian
"India was the motherland of our race and Sanskrit the mother of Europe's languages. India was the mother of our philosophy, of much of our mathematics, of the ideals embodied in Christianity... of self-government and democracy. In many ways, Mother India is the mother of us all" - Will Durant, American Historian "Indians have in general superior endowments in reading, writing and arithmetic than the common people of any nation in Europe." -Warren Hastings

"If there is one place on the face of earth where all dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India ." -Romain Rolland (French scholar) "India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border." -Hu Shih (former Chinese ambassador to USA, referring to the entry of Buddhism into China. Buddhism was born in ancient India )
"In India I found a race of mortals living upon the Earth but not adhering to it. Inhabiting cities, but not being fixed to them, possessing everything but possessed by nothing. -Apollonius Tyanaeus, Greek Thinker and Traveller 1st Century AD

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Facts about India (for those who dont know) ...What India has and what India is
India is the worlds largest democracy that ranks 7th largest in the world, with an area of about 3.2 million sq.miles. It ranks 2nd in population accounting for 16% of worlds population. It has a large reservoir of skilled manpower. Out of its 1.4 Billion (1400 Million) population-402.51 million people work and 700 million of people belong to the less than 35 yrs old category. This is where the core strength of this nation lies. This country occupies the top place in terms of global reserves,

-1st largest producer of raw jute and jute goods production -1st largest exporter of jute goods -1st largest producer of Mica (60% of Worlds production) -1st largest possessor of livestock population (57% in buffalo population and 15% in Cattle -1st largest producer of Tea -1st largest producer of milk-75.5 million tonnes (1998-99) -1st largest producer of steel -2nd largest producer of sponge iron -2nd largest producer of raw silk (20% of Worlds production) -2nd largest producer of wheat, paddy and rice -2nd largest producer of fruits and vegetables -2nd largest producer of fish (next to China) -3rd largest producer of Rubber -3rd largest producer of Coal -5th largest producer of Bauxite -5th largest producer of wind power (after Germany, USA, Spain and Denmark) -9th largest exporter of dyes and dye stuffs -12th largest producer in the production of the chemicals -6th place in the world in terms of satellite launches -Possesses 37% of the worlds Titanium Illuminate ores -Textile export is the largest net foreign exchange earner and accounts (27% of total export) P.S: The above data does not pertain to the year 2007 but the various highest positions achieved over the past decade.
Other than these It offers different types of cultures, climatic conditions and many other attractions like snow clad peaks of Himalayas, wild life and bird sanctuaries with extraordinary range of wildlife, architecturally and artistically perfect temples and holy places, extravagant and exquisite monuments, commanding and impressive forts and gateways, enticing foods, dishes and enjoyable cuisine, colourful and vibrant festivals, beautiful beaches, peaceful lagoons and sleepy country side lakes etc. It incorporates an exceptional range of bio-diversity and is identified among 12 as biological megacentre. It is rich in medicinal plants, which are available all across the subcontinent. It is one of the few countries where nearly 50% of the geographical area is arable (farmable). It is surrounded on 3 sides by a coastline of about 5600 Kms and a set of islands. It has 12 major ports and 181 operable minor ports that provide excellent infrastructure for tourism, trade and untapped under water resources. It has 563.01 million literate persons in the country (2001). It has 688000 primary schools, 110000 secondary schools, 10555 colleges and 221 universities.

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India has so much to see. It could take many a life time to experience India.

Facts about Indians (for those who dont know) ...What Indians have given to this world
Martial Arts : Kalarippayat is the exclusive martial arts legacy of Kerala, which is said to be taken to China by the Buddhist monk Bodhi Dharma which became the base for the modern martial arts like Kung-Fu, Taekwando and Karate Medicine (Ayurveda and Surgery) : Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans. It is a complex system of healing that originated in India thousands of years ago. We can find historical evidence of Ayurveda in the four ancient books of wisdom known as the Vedas. Though the Vedas were written over 6,000 years ago, Ayurveda has been around even longer than that. Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted surgeries like cesareans, cataract, fractures and urinary stones. Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient India .

Dams : The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra. Civilization : When many cultures in the world were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindh Valley (Indus Valley Civilization). Games : Chess (Shataranja or AshtaPada) was invented in India. Polo originated in Manipur. Music : Carnatic music had its origin which can be traced back to 5th century A.D. It is more complex than the western music.
Dance : Bharatnatyam had its origin in Tamil Nadu. It is the embodiment of music in its visual form. Apart from this there are many other dance forms pertaining to different cultures. Language : According to the Forbes magazine (July 1987 issue), Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software.

Wireless Communication : USA based IEEE has proved what has been a century-old suspicion amongst academics that the pioneer of wireless communication was Professor Jagdeesh Bose and not Marconi. Computer : The Pentium chip (needs no introduction as 90% of the today's computers run on it) was invented by Vinod Dahm (Indian).
Mathematics : Ramanujans works on mathematics is known all around the world. He left a legacy of 4000 formulae-all theorems of incredible power. He was awarded a Bachelor of Science by research (equivalent to todays PhD) by Cambridge University. He was elected as the fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1918, his name was proposed by 13 eminent mathematicians-the first Indian to be given that name. India invented the Number system. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta. The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is now known as the Pythagorean Theorem. British scholars have officially published (1999) that Budhayan's works dates to the 6th Century which is long before the European mathematicians. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India . Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11th Century; the largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106

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whereas Indians used numbers as big as 1053. The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC. The solar year was calculated as 365.25875684 days by Bhaskaracharya in the 5th century, hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart.

University : The world's first University was established in Takshila in 700 BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education. Space Science : India is among the few countries in the world to have its own space program and satellites. In the history of the Indian space program, 70s were the era of Experimentation during which experimental satellite programs were conducted. The success of those programs led to era of operationalization in 80s during which operational satellite programs like Indian National Satellite (INSAT) and Indian Remote Sensing Satellites (IRS) came into being. Today, INSAT and IRS are the major programs of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). INSAT system is one of the largest domestic communication satellite systems in the Asia-Pacific region. Also India has the largest constellation of Remote Sensing Satellites, which are providing services both at the national and global levels.
Nuclear Science (Atomic Energy) : India is today recognized as one of the countries most advanced in nuclear technology including production of source materials. The country is self-reliant and has mastered the expertise covering the complete nuclear cycle - from exploration and mining to power generation and waste management. Defence Technology : In the field of missile launch technology, India is among the top five nations of the world.

Navigation : The art of navigation was born in the river Sindh 5000 years ago. The very word "Navigation" is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH
Railways : Indian Railways is the largest railway network in the world under single management and is also the largest employer in the world, with a staff of 1.6 million people.

Miss World/ Miss Universe : Six Indian ladies have won Miss Universe/Miss World titles over the past 10 years. No other country has won more than twice. Movies : With 800 movies per year, India's film industry overshadows Hollywood. Management : Chanakya, a military strategist (also called as Kautalya and Vishnugupta) is called the world's first management guru. He was the prime minister in the court of India's first emperor Chandragupta Maurya (4th Century B.C.). He wrote a book called Arthashastra which consists of 15 books which even include effective stealth warfare. (Source: BBC; http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_ 1986000/1986595.stm). The management principles written in the book (more than 2500 years ago) has been found to be effective in todays world and is used by European politicians and economists (Even now). Monuments : Works such as Taj Mahal, paintings at Ajanta and Ellora caves (which does not fade), Qutab Minar (Which does not wear out or get rusted with weather) etc are creations which nobody has duplicated.

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Precious Stones : According to the Gemmological Institute of America, up until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds in the world. The above list is endless as you would be expecting. What do you think after reading the above? I am sure you were happy reading the above. Not only the above is true, we have also made our mark in developed countries like the U.S.A. and U.K. All the above is a showcase (the list could be endless) of Indias strengths, that shows we have everything that is required. Then what is holding India/present Indians back? Not resources, not enterprise.-The real problem is that far too many people have no idea of what they can do because they do not know that the whole world of riches as natural resources and potential is available for them waiting to be put to use. So let us be awake to see our own strengths. India is fortunate to be blessed with many resources of bio-diversity, material resources and above all Human resources and a billion people are our resource, a powerful resource that is mightier than any resource, on the earth, in the sky or under the sea. In a way God has provide us with excellent installed capacity. But at the end of the day, what matters is not the potential but the performance; the management and efficient use of resources. We have to build upon these strengths. We cannot allow things to slip. In an environment that presents so many opportunities we should not afford to miss anymore. Indias core strengths and competencies assure that India can excel and usher in a new era and emerge as a global power.

My message
Please dont think you cant do anything for the nation. If one man (Father of our nation) can change the nation with his views , you all can together achieve a lot (Synergetic combination is very powerful). You dont need to advance at a stretch and change entirely-Progress gradually, moment by moment, page by page, frame by frame. You can play a small part in the history of modern India.
Please help Abdul Khalam to achieve his dream 2020. Dont expect him to come asking you for help with a walking stick. Here are a few websites which show what a small group of Indians can do www. dreamindia2020.org This is an initiative by a group of people, working across India, sharing a common dream-A dream of a developed India www.siruthuli.com 'Siruthuli' is an initiative started by Coimbatoreans for Coimbatoreans. This ecological project aims to bring back the glory of Coimbatore and its rich heritage. ... Even this list is endless. Even if you cant create a group like this, at least be a part of something like the above. It will also be of benefit for you (To develop leadership and team building skills). If India leads and wins-You win ultimately. Do something for your country if possible. Dont disgrace your country. Be proud of it.

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Make your choices Some meaningful quotes My favourite poem on some ways to live Adieu and Bon Voyage
Signing off

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Make your choices

Life is just a resource, a wonderful resource. What we do with it is up to us. Birth was not our choice, neither will be death (for most of us). We do not choose our parents , historical epoch, country of birth etc but what we do with the life in between these two terminals is absolutely our choice. We choose the way we live.
Many of us have been programmed to believe that we do not have the power to choose what we want in our lives. We do. Some of us think we cannot move beyond certain limits due to the restrictions placed upon us by others. We can. It is often difficult to see the bright side of a difficult situation. It is difficult but possible. We are powerful enough to move beyond limits in order to do the impossible, when we choose to. But we have to make the choice. The law of cause and effect is a fact of life, which turns our choices into a reality. Every thought we have leads to a choice. Every word we speak supports our choices we make. Every action we take is a choice today, which has implications on our tomorrow, next week, and next yea. Nothing is impossible tomorrow when we take the time to choose, today. Choices cause a mighty vibration which in effect brings back to us more of what we give out. Make your choices wisely. Putting days into life is ageing. Putting life into days is living. The tragedy of life is not the ultimate death, but the resources that die within you while you are still alive which starts the imaginary countdown. You are not a useless person, but a person used less. Use yourself enough and be useful to the world. You may be skilled enough to cheat the world, but all that will matter at the end of the day is the knowledge that you were true to yourself. You can live forever in history but the way you are remembered is more important. If you feel nothing works in your favour, try Honesty-It works (slowly). The happiest of people dont necessarily have the best of everything but they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. Dream what you want to dream, go where you want to go, be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.

Some meaningful quotes

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you're the one smiling and everyone around you is crying.
Life is like a taxi-The meter keeps ticking whether you are getting somewhere or just standing still Live as if you were to die tomorrow; learn as if you were to live forever (Gandhi) Expecting life to treat you well because you are a good person is like expecting an angry bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for everything Failure is not when a girl leaves you, it's only when you don't try her Sister (Swami Premanand) Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are. (John Wooden)

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Society does not go down because of the activities of criminals" But because of the inactivity of the good people

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My favourite poem on some ways to live

I do not choose to be a commoner. It is my right to be uncommon. I seek opportunity to develop whatever talents I have-Not Security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by the state looking after me. I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build; to fail and to succeed. I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the challenges to life to the guaranteed existence; The thrill of fulfilment to the state of calm Utopia. I will not trade freedom for beneficence or my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any earthy master nor bend to any threat. It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid; To think and act myself, enjoy the benefit of my creation and say, This, I have done.

Adieu and Bon Voyage

Friends,

It has been very easy to read this book. But from now on, the difficult part starts. Its how you apply what you have learnt, to your college life that matters. I cannot emphasize too much, the importance of these four years. I hate figures but I think one would be of help here. See the figure at the bottom. Imagine yourself at the centre (Your present position). If you plan your four years firmly well-your time period to reach your dream destination (Successful Career) will be short but if you let the four years to lead you into any direction by the drift of college life-You will end up at a wrong place and later on, the corrective course will be tough and de-motivating.

To relish and remember my advice or to feel it as an endless sermon (which we always ignore and forget) is your choice now. Experience could have made this book better. Thanks for reading.

Wishing you all to live life like an exclamation rather than an explanation.

Vj
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Bibliography
Books You Can Win Wings of fire Stop Worrying and Start Living Excerpts from the translated version of Arthashastra The Portable 7 Habits
Speech Mr.Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple at Stanford University Publication Harvard Business Review Frozen Thoughts Website www.bbc.co.uk www.timesofindia.com and other government websites www.askmen.com

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