A visit to envision my career
“Dream is not the thing you see in sleep but it is that thing that doesn't let you sleep.”
-Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Likewise
I had a staunch dream to visit DRDO and meet the people there so that I could
gather primary knowledge about a career of a Computer Science Engineering
graduate.
In
the first place, the Silicon Valley of India ( Banglore) welcomed me with a
hazy drizzle and with the sun rising up gradually making the cloud clear thus
made the day very pleasant. On either side of the city I could see huge
structures of buildings with hi-tech architecture and all their pediments touching
the skies so I had to raise my head up to read the name boards and what else
could they be, of course they were the “Techno Parks” (IT industries). I saw
many employees rushing into the companies with a fast pace besides the hustle
and bustle of the city. But still I realized that at the end of the day it is
for the bucks that have to be earned for the living. I accept this theory of
life!
On
the other hand, when it comes to job satisfactory I don’t think the above
scenario satisfies the purpose. Because to me, “Job satisfactory leads to life
satisfactory”, thus helping us to live life to the fullest.
The moment I entered into the GTRE (Gas
Turbine Research Establishment) laboratory of DRDO (Defence Research and
Development Organisation) I was enthralled to see the strength of my country. The
pride of being an Indian stimulated me to move further. Moreover, I was
overwhelmed with excitement when Mr. Balakumar (Scientist, SMG) received me at
the reception. Along with him my journey to my ‘Dream World’ started. It was
like a long awaited dream finally came true. At first, I was taken to ITG(
Information Technology Group) where I observed a poster on the wall which was
titled, “3 accidents of Life” and it said ,
“1. I’m sorry, I didn’t listen
2. I’m sorry, I forgot to say
3. I’m sorry, I didn’t see”
These are the real accidents that
we ought to commit in our lives and that we must be very careful as it may have
a great impact in our lives, this was the message that I took-in after reading
it.
Then Mr. Balakumar took me to the
Associate Group Director of ITG, Mr. Ajith, who was a vibrant technocrat
according to me. He was very keen to know about me and told me how the ITG
originated. Our conversation also included about computer- oriented subjects which play an
important application in DRDO. He also encouraged me by telling that I had
already made a right choice in my life by choosing Computer Science Engineering
as the world today is racing fast with technology and also he added that DRDO
is in need of skilled personnel who can embark upon these technologies. I was
astonished on seeing the super computers and also large databases which were
used to store more than Tera Bytes of data.
We then moved on further to the
SQAG(Software Quality Assurance Group) and IV & V( Independant Verification & Validation)
sector where I met Ms. Pradeepa (Scientist), who introduced me to her Group
Director Ms. Usha Srinivasan (Scientist-F). Ms. Pradeepa was very patient
enough to explain me the functions of her department in a detailed manner. She
told me that her department’s focus is mainly testing softwares and she said me
the types of bugs they usually fix. This helped me to realize the importance of coding programs. She also shared with me how she began her career at DRDO and gave
me some advises on what exams I should to take up. We indeed had a very good
knowledge sharing.
After having spent a lot of time
with Ms. Pradeepa my curiosity to know more never paused, so i had a small discussion
with Mr. Balakumar, who told me about his role and works which were purely mechanics-oriented as he was from a Mechanical background. One thing was very clear, there was a wide choice to
diversify one’s knowledge in various fields. Ultimately, I witnessed that the
people at DRDO were so much contented and patriotic to serve the country with
humility.
Furthermore, after spending a lot
of informative time at DRDO I returned back to Salem with a lot of excitement
and I found that there were many skills that I must groom and expertise myself in
various areas. Whats-more, a place where you can converge your knowledge and
also utilize the opportunity to contribute to the nation could be the right
place where one can dream of a career. Thus with a fulfilled heart I made a
tick mark against DRDO which was one of the options which I had in my Wish List.
Finally, I extend my whole-hearted gratitude to Mr. Balakumar for helping me to envision my career and my sincere thanks to the DGCT family for showing interest towards my career and also my endless thanks to my parents for giving me constant support and encouragement.
JAI HIND!
Ms. K. Bhuvana Meenakshi,
B.E. ( II-yr).
Computer Science and Engineering,
Dhirajlal Gandhi College of Technology,
Salem-Tamil Nadu.
