Joe Sixpack

When we were kids, many of us envied the nerdy short guy with spectacle or the frail looking girl who always sat on the first bench. The sole reason behind this was that maybe most of us failed to fathom the technique they used to outscore us in exams. As you could tell not all of the stereotypical nerdy class toppers weren't really up there in the looks department. More often than not, we used to comfort ourselves and/or each other by saying that they manage to beat us only due to their memory power and mugging skills. Half true.. Enter 11th grade, no uniforms, no rules on regularly attending lecture and more freedom. Many of us would have thought that the 11th and the 12th would give us a chance to hone our intellectual skills and once and for all, prove to everybody that you are no average Joe. But that did not happen in my case, except for a stray compliment or two by a Physics professor who didn't even know my name. This trend followed in Engineering college, where I'm constantly trying to take some time out from hanging out with friends and whatsapping to study for finals. And the nerdy folk continue to do that exact opposite and make my marks look like the grades a primate would have scored had he written my exams. When friends or family ask us about how we end up scoring so low in comparison to others, we still shamelessly bank on the fact that in future, we would know how to work or run an organization better than people who found their way into an MNC merely by answering through rote. Irony is, they probably outscored us in Financial Management too! If you were one such topper, good for you. I bet you're doing well for yourself and have your sights set on securing a job you desire. No offence, but if you're good looking too, even better, you're a rare breed, I'll give that to you! No umbrage intended, moving on, I personally was an above average student till my Engineering after which I became let's say..average enough to get through without having to drop an year. Before I go on with any of my reminiscing crap, you might have understood for certain that people generally tend to make themselves feel better by hoping they'll do better than others in due course of time. In Bill Gate's case, he knew he was going to, whereas in my case even after securing a stable job which would be enough to make my parents sigh in relief that their vagabond son is finally earning, I would loathe the fact that I could have well been in a position better or similar to that of the very same person who I shared forced grins with just to keep my job. For those manage to still remain hopelessly optimistic, good for you and for those who just embrace their predicament, you have every reason to. Truth is, there is no substitute for hard work. If you are lucky enough to be blessed with great retention power, you will have to memorize something to remember it in the first place. They say studying abroad or doing an MBA is a transition from the monotonous by heart routine to a space where you truly emerge as the person within you who always wanted to stand out and be appreciated for what he loves doing. Well, it probably isn't. There is no definite transition. There's either a period where you get serious about what you want to do or you were consistent throughout. Whenever you're in shambles, and you're academic graph resembles a backslash, there is usually someone to comfort you and tell you 'It's never too late' which is by all means true but what makes more sense to me is in my opinion the mantra by which all Engineering students should swear by 'It's never too early to start'. Sadly though, my plight only allows to type these words and preach. If you asked Bill Gates what he did right, he'd say his only right was 'doing nothing wrong'

ATKT- Aaj thoda Kal Thoda

Engineering-A pleasant struggle Engineering, they say is like a public toilet. People outside are waiting to get in and the ones inside just can’t wait to get out. The smart, level headed and organized students end up at IITs and NITs and the procrastinators working under the presence or absence of peer pressure have to settle for state or district university institutions. At the end of every academic year in Engineering, it so happens that a few students have to lose a year due to their backlog. Although this seldom happens in top tier colleges like IITs, it is a common sight in other engineering colleges. Engineering may be one of the most over hyped courses but the truth is that it determines how consistent a student really is. It is just a series of tests that helps you to develop an affinity towards the subject you intend to work on for the rest of your life. ATKT grants come and go, and is something all engineers will be very familiar with irrespective of whether they suffered from one or not. The first year of Engineering or F.E as most would like to call it, focuses on nurturing the general skills and knowledge of a to-be engineer in many fields, some of which many students may not be familiar with. For some, Computer Programming may be a nightmare whilst for others Mechanics and Engineering Drawing may not be their cup of tea. Unless a commendable amount of effort is invested in these subjects, it isn't the easiest job to clear them. They say failure is a stepping stone to success. You have to be an optimist of the first order for that adage to hold true in engineering. Here you keep learning from your mistakes until you correct them. It is not always that an individual can figure out what his/her shortcomings are as far as preparations for a failed subject go. Enter seniors. If you ask any senior for help, a majority of them will be more than happy to help you. If not anything, there is one feeling that they exhibit towards you- EMPATHY. It is worth noting that they will start off by quoting cocky sentences to make it obvious that they are seniors, but inevitably they are the ones to help you out. Fortunately or unfortunately, engineering is the survival of the fittest. Another very crucial thing we observe in an engineer’s is an unsettling feeling-restlessness. When you put all of your blood and sweat into earning a degree, you often compromise with sleep, socializing and even food on many occasions. That’s when you need a de-stresser. Something as simple as listening to music or as weird as playing with Lego blocks. Even if you are not stressed and have all your work done on time, reward yourself and try to stray away from a saturated state of mind. Engineers need to be determined, yes, but also dynamic. An engineer’s life might not be as exciting as a tour guide who gets paid to travel the world or as easy as a comedian who gets paid to talk his heart out, but it is definitely saner and more secure than both. Engineering should ideally be consisting of 5 hours of daily studies, 6 hours of sleep, staying away from vices, not succumbing to peer pressure and doing what you intended to do…but many of us eventually submit our assignments and projects a day or two past the due date and also end up imbibing a few not-so-good habits. All-in-all, this course shapes an individual, imparts toughness and conditions a person to perform under considerable stress. Ideally, nothing should deter an engineer from scoring (and not passing, 40 marks isn't exactly the definition of top quality performance). Failing is not an option; for not every budding engineer would like to ask himself/herself the question at least once during the course of his/her degree studies-After 5 years from now, would I like to sink my forehead into my hands and sulk about how I can't get into a line of work just because of what I was (or was not) doing during those crucial years? P.S: We engineers cherish our vacations and exploit our Industrial excursions.