This is the story of two people I heard speaking in the berth next to my train. I tried not to listen to them but I couldn't help it because it was a serious discussion about something. I was trying to read something and they were disturbing. Sorry for misinterpretations if any. For ease of use, I will refer to the guys as oldV and youngV.
OldV and youngV were sitting on the side berths of my railway compartment. They started off with the usual pleasantries, exchanging names, occupations, backgrounds. OldV, as the name suggests, was a middle aged man, or an old man posing so, working in some IT industry. The youngV was a late twenties or so from his hair which was quite losing its hold on his head. Then came the education background. The youngV was from mechanical engineering stream. The pride with which he was explaining the reason why he chose mechanical while all his friends were busy choosing the IT related streams, was, for lack of a better word, admirable. The reason was, well you know, the whole hook-line-and-sinker story. The way he was talking anyone in the world would be convinced. Even you-know-who.
The oldV was totally impressed by the youngV because of reasons unknown. Maybe he wasn't thinking, maybe he was just passing his time. After that point the conversation became sharper and aggressive. The reason was, in youngV's words, "Mechanical engineering offers more scope because, once you understand mechanical engineering, anything else in the world can be easily learnt. The IT related streams have no idea about anything other than their line of work. Mechanical engineering is more open. Mechanical engineering is............................................blah." The oldV was agreeing at every pause. Taking instances out of his life, explaining why more people should choose the mechanical stream and why people shouldn't fall for the IT stream. Then came up the same-old-story of the IT recession. Oh my god, haven't I heard enough already, was the ringing thought in my head. The IT industry is useless, unreliable and so on. Now if you ask me where the oldV and youngV were working, well don't ask, you already know the answer. I"T" was their stream after such rigorous discussion on why IT shouldn't be a career for people. To all of this I had to definitely say something, but I couldn't. So I am typing it out now.
First of all, you are a mechanical engineer, so? Big deal. In the end you are just a graduate with an engineering degree. If anyone thinks that their field of engineering is the best in the world, please don't tell it out and embarrass yourself, because in the end what you are learning is how to keep your mind open to engineer solutions rather than produce one out of thin air. If you haven't understood this point, I don't think you should be called an engineer in the first place. The engineering part of the mind is the one which makes anyone apply things from one stream of thinking to another. If you studied mechanical engineer for the scope, and working in an IT company, you could have very well taken any IT stream and done better. It's not the stream, it's person who matters more. That's why you are in IT stream in the first place. I guess not many realize it.
Coming to oldV's IT-recession-story, seriously I don't think this guy even thinks. How does an IT company, no, any company operate? Planning, design and whatever things that come after that. How much time does it take for one product cycle? For e.g. for a mechanical main stream company, such as automobile industry, it might take from a few years to few decades. So if there is any profit, it can be seen only after a considerably long period. Same goes for the loss. Take an IT company, the product cycle ranges from days to months and sometimes years. So the profit is seen almost instantaneously. Looks more attractive, people like youngV and oldV get pulled towards it. But the loss is also seen instantaneously. So? It doesn't mean it's the end of the world, it just means that you need more think-tanks to solve the crunch, than the metal-heads of production stream. So people get scared as rapidly as they got attracted and start counting their options. Like any industry, the IT industry will rise and fall and rise and so on. Doesn't make it any better than other industries. But not the worse either. So if you still feel that the IT industry is not reliable and big-negative-adjectives, you are in serious need of time to think for yourself. And even more if you are working in an IT company. At the end of the day, business is business, everything has loss and profit. Do not endorse such statements before thinking about them. Please. My humble request. So why the oldV and youngV are idiots is clearly understood I suppose.
Sorry for blunt and hot-headed remarks, if any. This is a serious issue and it needs to be addressed, and I have done it. It's time for you to do it as well.
P.S. You know, there is a third idiot in this tale. Thats me. Because I am typing all of this instead of saying it on the spot. So the experiment continues. I do not speak out too much. Why?
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