After lots of meet ups with non-IT friends, relatives, strangers etc,
you will notice that the moment you say that you are an IT guy, they have
already made some assumptions about you.
Myth #1: If you haven't been onsite ...u are a loser
Uncle: "Tum 3 saal se IT company mein kaam kar rahe ho na?"
Me: Haan uncle ......bas ....."
Uncle: "Tum videsh nahi gaye?"
Me: "Nahi uncle project mein requirement nahi hai onsite
kaa"
Uncle: "Lekin woh deepak ko toh maanna padegaa.... vo chote
sheher se hai.....bade college se nahi hai ...fir bhi usne jamke mehnat ki
aur usse company ne USA bheja!"
already made some assumptions about you.
Myth #1: If you haven't been onsite ...u are a loser
Uncle: "Tum 3 saal se IT company mein kaam kar rahe ho na?"
Me: Haan uncle ......bas ....."
Uncle: "Tum videsh nahi gaye?"
Me: "Nahi uncle project mein requirement nahi hai onsite
kaa"
Uncle: "Lekin woh deepak ko toh maanna padegaa.... vo chote
sheher se hai.....bade college se nahi hai ...fir bhi usne jamke mehnat ki
aur usse company ne USA bheja!"
Aaaha! That s the problem. People think that the smarty pants are sent on
site while the loser ones are the people left behind in India. So the
assumption is that if you haven't been on site then you don't work hard nor
you have any sincerity and... ok that's enough for now.
Myth #2: If you are not in the biggies... u are a loser
Auntyji : "Beta, kaunsa company?"......"Kabhi suna nahi"....."Kaha
hai ye?"
Aunty: "Tumko HP mein nahi mila kya?" (in short: "tum
second grade gadha lagte ho")
Then I have to make efforts to tell them how I actually work in a much
niche technology. In case the opposite person is technologically sane then
I give him some product development 'funda' (arrogance).
Myth #3: You can fix any computer and calculator and may be clocks too
Most of the computer engineers around must have at least once gone to a
friend's place only to fix his /her comp. The task can be from installing a
software (next..next.. finish) to fixing a computer which gives electric
shocks when its metal areas are touched.
Myth #4: You have lots of money
Once I met up with my friends from school ...from various fields. I just
mentioned that it is such a pain to go to office nowadays and said that I
wanted to buy a car.
Friend1: "what problem do u have man .. u are an IT waala"
Friend2: "Tu toh Honda CRV le saktaa hai"
Me: "CRV!! aabey CRV kyaa mere pass VCR lene ka paisa nahi
hai"
Even after 5 minutes of convincing them weren't getting convinced.
.
Myth #5: Coding means sitting in front of the computer
During my college days , my classmate had an encounter with a guy from
mechanical dept:
Mech guy: "Your Computer engineering is a big nautanki.... four years
You learn the same grey dabba... and all you ppl do is sit nicely in front
Of that dabba and punch the keys"
Well I don't completely disagree
Myth #5: Coding means sitting in front of the computer
During my college days , my classmate had an encounter with a guy from
mechanical dept:
Mech guy: "Your Computer engineering is a big nautanki.... four years
You learn the same grey dabba... and all you ppl do is sit nicely in front
Of that dabba and punch the keys"
Well I don't completely disagree
Myth #6:
One more thing which oldies say : " Now you work in such a big company ,
you are settled , you should marry now !! " OMG this salary is not enough
for one poor soul.. how to handle two ???
Myth #7:
In Diwali...u get questions like......"Are you gonna get a bonus this
Diwali.....??" And when we reply in the negative.....they seem so
surprised...!!!!!!!
Myth #8: A common issue that I have seen:
When I tell anybody that I work with Mphasis, many times I get a reply "My
son/daughter/relative Mr/Ms XXX also works with Mphasis. You must be knowing
him/her" and if I answer in the negative, they feel disappointed (they
think.....may b nobody wants to know me).
How to explain to them that there are around thousands of employees in my
company, and I cannot know everybody in my ODC, forget about knowing
everybody in the company. L LoLzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....
Add ons:
#How many times do you face this question
"What does your company make...???"
Very logical question but.....How do you answer this one?
FYI:
The last Question about Do you know my nephew XXX who is in your company
I have heard a more elaborate question in the above form (in Malayalam though)
Oohh you are in Bangalore? Then you MUST be knowing my uncles daughter who is there .
Hey common yaar she is there for around 7 years
In my college days there was this illiterate soul to whom I tried to explain that I am
doing MCA that means that its computer related studies .. and the response (with an air of sarcasm)
Aahhh computers . Well everyone, now days goes for computer classes .. even my 2nd
standard daughter has computers to learn after this you may get to work in some medical
store or a textile shop right?....
