The Final Semester

1st Semester : Yess!! I'm going to be a computer engineer. In four years' time, my life WILL. BE. SORTED.!! (Oh..You poor deluded soul!!)

2nd Semester : Okay, so the course-ware is ancient and I have to learn chemistry even though I'm in computers. So what? I'm sure it'l be better next semester.... (See the signs buddy...see the signs...)

3rd Semester : How the hell am I supposed to LEARN computer programs?? I thought I was supposed to CREATE them!!! (Ahhh...Now the fog is clearing!)

4th Semester : WHAT THE F*** HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO?!!! (and voilà, we have.... 20/20 vision!)

5th Semester : F*** this... F*** that... F*** everything and everyone!! (somebody needs valium..!)

6th Semester : I will not give up. I will not back down. You can take my mind but you can't take my spirit. I will be there at the end. After all, The best way out is always through - Robert Frost. (the philosopher is born...)

7th Semester : One day in heaven, the Lord decided He would visit the earth and take a stroll. Walking down the road, He encountered a man who was crying. The Lord asked the man, "Why are you crying, my son?" The man said that he was blind and had never seen a sunset. The Lord touched the man who could then see and was happy.
As the Lord walked further, He met another man crying and asked, "Why are you crying, my son?" The man was born a cripple and was never able to walk. The Lord touched him and he could walk and he was happy.
Farther down the road, the Lord met another man who was crying and asked, "Why are you crying, my son?" The man said, "Lord, I am an engineer.", and the Lord sat down and cried with him.
(....and so is the comedian...and the photographer, the writer, the artist, the singer and the occasional terrorist!).

The Final Semester : ??

Yes, yes, I've stuck my boot into the system. And left it there. In my defence, I'm not entirely wrong. With a syllabus that dates back to the 15th century, and a governing body whose stance on freedom of expression is only a kilobyte(!) more liberal than that of the Chinese Government, I have a right to be upset. There is so much disillusionment and mood-swinging during the four years(four if you're lucky), it's almost menopausal!! So much form-filling, running from pillar to post without good reason, and catering to the whims and fancies of office workers whose lunch timings seem to be endless!

We have to learn computer programs(and a lot of other material), reproduce them during the exams like a xerox machine would, and then justify to prospective employers why we haven't really grasped anything in the four years. Perceive, puke, perceive, puke! Of course, there is the other option(which I took) - understand what you study, and score less - which usually results in there being no need to justify anything to prospective employers...because there aren't any! There is the fact that I didn't work hard, so a lot of the blame lies with me.

Personally, I have changed a lot during engineering - everybody has. The sense of humour is gone - no joke can be cracked without some technical term involved, especially double-meaning jokes using the words 'windows' and 'ram'.

But there are positives. I have made plenty of great friends. I have become more resilient. The movie '3 Idiots' is based on my life! And I have learnt to play a good game of carrom. There's always a silver lining!

So....we come to the end of a very long post....
The Final Semester : My life is NOWHERE. NEAR. SORTED. But I will be an engineer soon. Which means I can do anything, anywhere and I'll probably fit in somehow! I CAME, I SAW, and I WILL CONQUER...
(Ladies and gentlemen, please stand up and salute the indomitable spirit of the engineer.....)