Self Centered Stupid Software Engineers

"Life is borin man!!" sipping his coffee at cafeteria, my colleague exclaimed.He continued "there are a lot of reports tight deadlines...and I am working almost 10-12 hours a day,its pathetic...Software job is "THE" worst job man..".

You could hear this in any IT company cafeterias across India.Though I really get agitated when people say that,I want to remain quiet.I shut my mouth and put on an expressionless face.

A brief peep into my career path will make you understand the reason behind my agitation.I graduated in 2001, an unlucky year for IT industry because, Y2k was over and the industry was unable to milk any more money from it,dot com boom which appeared to be the next Y2K was busting and to top it all WTC crash which almost crashed world economy.And I, like many ,was pretty much jobless for 10 months.Those were really difficult days and most IT guys had there tail in between their legs :-) as pink slipsand entrenchment were most common words spoken.

Then suddenly a new life line came thru for unfortunate fresher like myself,in the form of BPO.Those were very early days of call center.And pretty much any body applied were absorbed in.I worked has a support executive troubleshooting computers for American customers over phone for next 14 months.Then my luck break came after which I moved into software industry.So for me an IT job is a precious treasure which I got after a struggle and some one saying that job has pathetic is simply unacceptable to me period.

Lets come back to my software friends words "life is pathetic".When I hear that,I like to hit his head with an hammer so that I can wake him up from his self centered somberness.Come ...on...IT job is the best and envious job in this country.You work for a flexible timings[come any time -go any time],amazing work environment(Gyms,cafeteria,LCD TV's,team outings) above all, a fat pay and Onsite opportunities.

On the other hand lets look at a life of any other working professional in this country.Its different.When I was working in a call center,My day started around 11Pm in the night.I brushed my teeth and took bath at 11:30.My breakfast(?!!) was around 11:45Pm @ night.And our cab comes at 12 midnight.It slowly moves house to house andpicks up 5-6 ppl and reaches the work place by 12:45.And we talk,talk,talk for next 10 hours with just a break for one hour.During the 10 hours You face racial slurs,personal attacks from an unknown stranger for no fault of yours.If you are person with some pride in you,you will be bruised daily.Both ur manager and the customers will do stress testing on your patience and drag you towards your breaking point day in and day out.

Most IT people think that there will be a selected manual which has answers for all the customerproblems and the Tech support guy Has to just provide the answer from it.If you areone such idiot,please change ur idea...its not that simple...Here the problem could be as simple as task bar dislocation on windows to tough ones like helping a 80 year old Grandmother in replacing power supply over phone.And its not the technology that matters but dealing with people that matters.People ranging from children to old,drunkards,PhD holders,professors,illiterates,college drop outs etc..etc..One mistake from your part, you loose the other person's confidence and he could turn to a real pin in your ass.

In software industry,you will be allowed to do any number of mistakes,because your silly mistakes are between u and ur PC.The PC is never gonna hit back for your mistakesYou can correct it..retry..correct it again. But in a call center something doesn't happen as you said,during the tech support call,the other guy will loose confidence on you and he could turn to a sarcastic wolf or ticking human bomb waiting to explode...tearing your confidence and pride within next 15 mins.Each day is a war there and you win and loose on every call.Once the 10hours is over,you need to collect the bits and pieces of your inner self and drag urself to the cab.You will be dead tired both physicallyand mentally.Your customers will love you one day and they would take you to the roof and the next call you will be dumped and buried 10 feet deep.The fortunes changes every call and so does your joy and happiness.

Hence when an IT guy says that,his job is pathetic,I feel sorry for him because he fails to see the brighter side of his life.My advice to people both old and new to software industry is never scorn on ur job/work.Just start a look at the nice things u had becoz of the software job.Bring the images of ur parents beaming face when you give your sal to them monthly.Look at your bank statements,your cars,bikes,mobile phones...and above all your free time for reading stupid blogs like this :-) and ...You have a lot of good things happeningwhy do you sulk and focus on certain bad things...Enjoy your life to the fullest with all the comforts you got thru the job...Like any good thing, who knows this IT industry comforts could also end some day due to some down turn and you might end up without this pathetic job.

And one more note,when you meet some one who says they work in a call center.Do not lookat them condescendingly.just talk to them about their job,you will realize how demanding it is compared to that of yours.I could say this with confidence becoz I have worked in both.