PLACEMENT: A HYSTERIA

As a child, I was little aware of the word placement. As time went by, and the world exposed itself
and the innocence left me, the reality did set in. After all you always see your big brothers fighting
for it, and one finally starts understanding what it really is.

My first serious encounter with the word came when I was going to appear for my class 10 th
examination, the pressure of scoring high because class 10th certificate is the first one to be
checked at the time of placement, as they said. I didn’t get much of all this at that time but still it
did matter I thought, so I worked hard to score them. Then again scoring high in 12 th, going to a
good college which promises a good enough placement. I still remember inquiring people about the
placement records of different colleges, companies that used to visit it.

As I finally ended up in a decent college of UPTU (rather GBTU now), I finally saw so many people
talking so much about placements and all. I remember as our session began, the placement season of
college had also started. Many companies big or small of various trades were being heard of coming
to the colleges. The word CORE COMPANIES came out as well. People somehow always wanted to
land up in a job in their core companies, But only few succeeded, all else landed up in a job in various
IT company. So many branches, so many students, so many companies, so many jobs, and a future to
decide. There were scenes in the senior hostel of seniors studying late night, and we commented to
each other that why were they studying then, when exams were so far away. Later we came to know
that there was placement season going on.

I remember a mass placement organized by some company in our campus last semester. There was
just so much rush, so many students and it all went on till late night. We all in first year just
enjoyed it so much.

As time passed by, and exams came there was always a pressure to perform well to be able to get
sit in in-campus placements ;I heard only Infosys takes people with minimum 65% aggregate, I am
still not sure of it, and other companies demand above them only. So there was a need to get good
marks.

And then there were talks of Off-Campus placements always popping up, with some record
placements, sometime rumors sometimes truth.

In the end, I am still not sure how am I going to manage my hysteria for placements. People keep on
suggesting to go for higher studies or PSUs over In-Campus Jobs, while other suggesting to go for
it only and then prepare for my higher studies after some job experience from there. I think I
would need some more maturity to deal with others. Right now I am enjoying watching seniors
waking up all night, and talking over different companies and their placements procedures, all this
sounding so Greek to me, after all the placements seasons have again arrived.