Discussion with Pakhir

As usual, he is busy staring at his screen (yet another forward probably!).

Me: “Pakhir … You got a minute?”

Pakhir: (yet another minute later) “Oh … Sharath … come in … Take a seat.”

Me: “Pak, I just had a discussion with Vrunda about the project. And, she mentioned that there is no coding in this project. But, you had mentioned that there were some ASP and .NET components. I just wanted some clarity on that!”

Pakhir: (a little flustered) “Oh … Really? Well … Vrunda knows the intricacies of the project best. So, if she says there is no coding, there is probably no coding.”

Obviously, I was very let down. I was expecting a good coding related project, and I had landed myself a project that had zero coding. I didn’t want to let go of the “I-will-become-billable” aspect either. In short – my mind was a war zone by now.

I think Pak must’ve seen this confusion that I was experiencing. His concern – I am sure – would have risen not out of a genuine concern for having to put me into a no-coding project, but more out of a need to convince me not to say “Sorry … I am not interested in such a project!”

Pakhir: “Don’t worry man. It isn’t that bad. If you want to code that badly, there are so many internal projects going on. We can always get you a good developer role in one of them”

Me: “Pakhir … Thanks for the offer. But, internal projects are not as exciting as the real thing. Especially, since there aren’t any deadlines!”

Pakhir: (Obviously sensing an imminent No from my end) “Oh … In that case, I can put you as an shadow resource in some client project in our account. That way you can get a taste of the actual pressure and deadlines etc.”

Me: (Feeling enthused and motivated) “Wow … Really?”

Pakhir: “Yes … I can definitely assure you that … We can work out the details later though … Trust me - I’ll blow your head off with so many challenging assignments that I am sure you will finally come to me saying – “Pakhir, I can’t take it … Please pull me of these projects” “

Me: “That sounds very lucrative …”

Pakhir: “So … what do you say?”

Me: “Count me in. Vrunda mentioned that there would be a client interview shortly. I’m looking forward to it!”

Pakhir: “Great … I’ll give Vrunda the green signal. Ok … See you later!”

Me: “Have a wonderful evening!”

I couldn’t believe my luck! I had just been offered a billable role – thereby assuring my job security – and also an unofficial shadow-resource role in the many “Development Mode” projects that were going on in the account. This way, I could opt out of the project if it got too hectic for me.

It sounded like – “Have all the sex you want, and that too without having to commit to anyone!!!”

Yaaaaaahooooooooo … It was like a dream come true! And there was no chance in hell I was going to say no to something like that!

But, a year down the road, when I am actually penning this story, all I can think of is – “If had just said a No to that creep on that fateful evening – My life would’ve probably taken a different turn!”

If you’re wondering WHY I am thinking on those lines – Patience my dear friend … Patience … I will get to it in a bit!

Telephonic Discussion with Vrunda

I was instructed to call Vrunda around 6 pm the following day. At the specified time:

Me: “Hello … Hi … Am I talking to Vrunda?”

Vrunda: “Yes …”

Me: “Hi Vrunda … This is Sharath here from Chennai!”

Vrunda: “Oh hi Sharath … how are you?”

Me: “Great (Mimicking Pakhir’s response) … and you?”

Vrunda: “I’m good … So … Shall we discuss about the opening?”

Me: “Sure … Please go ahead …”

Vrunda: “Well … As Pakhir mentioned, the project is called Porrotta Systems Baselines Support. The client uses a product called Piperion, which as per them, is a very high priority application. It reports their financial number to the SCC. And so, they need someone efficient to support the same.”

Me: “Is Piperion something Diapro developed for the client?”

Vrunda: “Actually, No! It is a third party software which we support.”

Me: “Oh … Ok … What technology is it based on? Pakhir mentioned that there are lots of ASP and .NET components in it. I think you should know that I am a Java/J2EE resource. But, given the right time and training, I can pick up .NET as well.”

Vrunda: “Well … Piperion is primarily written in Java and VB. But, since it is a third party software, we do not have access to the code nor permissions to modify it. Hence, on the whole, there is little to no coding in this project!”

I was very let down. All my dreams of a very “bright and shining” resume had been washed down the drain. But, I needed to get into this project. I was not about to let an opportunity to become billable slip out of my hands. God knows, when the next opportunity will come along!

Me: “Hmmmmm … Any idea what Pak meant by the .NET and ASP components then?”

Vrunda: “There are a couple of asp pages that the Pespi web portal uses. But, that’s about it. And you won’t be working on it anyways. So, I am not to sure what he meant by that. You should probably check with him directly.”

Me: “Hmmmmmmmm … I think I will do just that.”

Vrunda: “Ok … So – are you interested in the opening?”

Me: “Sure thing … Count me in!”

Vrunda: “Nice. I will pass your profile to the client. They would probably request an interview with you. Once that is over, we can proceed.”

Me: (in a panicky tone) “Interview???”

Vrunda: (sensing the same) “Oh don’t worry about that. I’m sure it will be a breeze!”

Me: (feeling much better) “Thanks for the reassurance. It means a lot to me!”

Vrunda: “Anytime!”

Me: “Ok then … I will talk to Pak (aka Pakhir). Please do let me know if there are any topics I need to prepare before my interview.”

Vrunda: “Sure … I’ll give Pak my inputs and we will take it forward with the client. Deal?”

Me: “Sounds like a plan … Ok then Vrunda … Have a nice day at work…”

Vrunda: “You too … Bye!”

I was elated that she had liked my profile, and was pretty sure I would get through the “client interview” (If I could clear Diapro’s interview, client interview was gonna be a walk in the beach).

But, I had to talk about Pak regarding the “no coding” aspect of this project. So – I head over to his cube.

The Grim Reaper – Pakhir Siddick

Another week passed uneventfully. The following Tuesday morning, Srikanth informed me that Pakhir – a Program Manager (A very Senior Manager with the Pespi Account) – wanted me to discuss about some project – A billable opening!

My mind was racing - “Wow … God has answered my prayers … Finally – I’m going to work on a real-time client project. And more importantly, I’ll become billable, and so – I won’t get kicked out in the event of some sort of an IT recession!”

But, you know what; God is such a funny guy. He has this really weird sense of humor that makes one want to rip his head off (Oh, you’ll know what I mean when I start telling you about the project. But for now, let’s leave it at that!)

I rush over to Pakhir’s cube, and thankfully, he is sitting there staring at his screen (maybe someone had sent him a forward and he was “engrossed” in reading it!).

Let me take a min here to describe Pakhir. He is your average next door middle-aged gentleman. Sporting a 5’ 9”, about 70 Kilos frame, I had no reason to believe otherwise. He sported a beard that looked like his children used it for Graffiti practice (I see no other explanation for the color combination I was seeing – Black+White+Brown+Silver+Burgundy. Add violet and orange, and you were probably looking at a rainbow!).

In short – I had no reason to believe that this guy was going to be a jerk, or a pain in the arse.

But boy – Was I mistaken or what!!!

(More on that in a bit.)

Me: “Excuse me Pakhir…”

Pakhir: (After a full bloody minute) “Yes …”

Me: “Hi … I am Sharath … Srikanth said you were looking for me!”

Pakhir: “Oh yes … Please sit down!”

At the back of my head I was thinking, “That sounds very gentlemanly … Maybe he’s a really nice guy after all!”

Pakhir: “How’re you doing?”

Me: “I’m good … What about you”

Pakhir: “I’m great …”

Me: (smiling) “Cool …”

Pakhir: “Lets get to the point … there is a client project that we are looking at inducting you into … What do you think about that?”

Me: (Not able to believe my luck) “Wow … That sounds wonderful … Can you please tell me more details about the project?”

Pakhir: “The Project is called Porrotta Systems Baseline Support. There are currently only 2 people in the team. One person is onsite, and you will be heading the work from offshore. The person onsite is a lady called Mandhya, and she is a Pespi resource. Vrunda is the project manager for this project, and if you’re interested, I will ask her to touch base with you with more details.”

Me: “What mode is the project on – Development/Maintenance/Support?”

There was a good reason behind asking that last question:

I had been warned by my seniors, at work, that Development projects were generally challenging and very rewarding, but had steep learning curves, hectic schedules and meant lots of hard work and really loooooooong hours!

On the contrary, Maintenance mode projects meant relatively less work, relaxed deadlines and regular work hours.

Support projects on the other hand were the most dreaded of projects. It was a glorified version of a Call Center. All you did was monitor some server or check whether a certain batch script ran on time, and sent out e-mails to the clients about the same.

Pakhir: “It’s a Maintenance mode project. It involves a lot of components in ASP and .NET. Do you know these technologies?”

I just couldn’t believe my luck! I was trained in Java/J2EE. Now I was going to work on a .NET project. My resume was going to be kick ass!

Me: “Well … I was trained in Java/J2EE. But, I am open to working on ASP and .NET – provided, I am given sufficient time and training!”

Pakhir: “That will not be a problem … We can arrange the trainings needed!”

Me: “Music to my ears …”

Pakhir: “Great … I’ll have Vrunda touch base with you sometime by end of day tomorrow. Okay?”

Me: “Works with me.”

Pakhir: “Fine … Ok then … See you around!”

Me: (Getting up to leave) “Thanks for the opportunity Pak!”

I was very happy about how things were shaping up. This calls for a celebration aka another coffee break!

Billability – A BIG issue ???

It had been about 3 months since I joined the Pespi account, and I hadn’t been allotted to any real time – aka client - project yet. All I ever got to do was work on silly “Internal Projects”.

For the non-IT crowd, an Internal Project means – A silly project devised and conceptualized by some think tank (read as someone who is hired to “think” - how best can I screw the lives of developers in this organization!) in your team, no project managers, no clients, no “Go Live” date (because it is never used by anyone anyways), etc.

In short, it’s a thing that they put you into to make sure your brain doesn’t rust out whilst they hunt for a real-time client project.

So, yet another boring day at work, and yet another extended coffee break!

(These breaks were becoming longer and longer day-by-day. But, who the hell cares. We were jobless anyways!)

And today we were joined by Lakshmi (he had been with the account for over a year … I know – Poor soul eh!)

Lakshmi: “Wassup guys …”

Me: “The usual … fucked up work … fucked up project … fucked up life …”

(Everyone snickers)

Lakshmi: “Anyone billable yet?”

Prema: “I am …”

Ram: “So am I …”

Lakshmi: “What about the rest of you guys?”

Me: “Nopes … Not yet … Is billability that important bro?”

Lakshmi: “Oh yes it is … Only if you’re billable does Diapro make money!”

Me: “And if you’re not?”

Lakshmi: “Well … Lets put it this way – If there is a recession, like in 2001, the non-billable resources will be the first ones to be chucked off!!!”

Me: “Jesus fucking Christ!”

Lakshmi: “Got to run … I have a deliverable today …”

(All of us): “Bye man … Enjoy!”

Meen: “Dae mappi (slang for Yo Bro!) – What’re we going to do man? I didn’t know billability was such a big issue!”

Aadi: “Yeah … I don’t want to get kicked out!”

(Oh – Btw – Aadi was another one of the guys who was in the same training batch as mine. And the poor fellow – like the rest of us – had the ill fortune of getting assigned to the Pespi account)

Me: “No one does man … Lets talk to Srikanth. He should be able to help us!”

Meen: “Sounds like a plan!”

That said, we head back to our desks!