Whats the next step in career??

Most of the students in india after school enter into some engineering degree just driven by the current job scenario and by parents influence. I never would have thot of doin engineering itself if it hadnt been forced by my parents. But at that point i never had strong interest in any of the subject.

Well, now that am in computer industry in US after a short stint in Germany, I have to think what i should do next. Evyone and many articles suggest MBA should be the next step. But I dont seem to agree with that. What kinda knowledge would you gain frm MBA after having been in an happening industry for quite a sometime??? You are not just a tech guy, u interact with many (from your team mates to ppl way up in the hierarchy of your organization to the end user and customers) and u get to knw well the business of your organization. But being a tech guy in a financial industry has its own reward.

Having MBA attached to your name doesnt really make much difference. Its people management thats important, as far as I see it. Being real good in your area of expertise with good people managing skills and understanding your companys/clients business domain, will raise you to greater heights. If you want to switch from one business domain to another at the management level, then you might need a degree.

The way I see myself in next ten years: switch companies that are in different business domain, get exposed to different industries and somewhere down the line start workin on building own company!!

Any comment is welcome!

MyEclipse

This is not abt the MyEclipse that offers plugins and tools for J2EE development in Eclipse platform. I am talking abt the Eclipse model of Mitsubishi. Yes, its abt car.

When I decided to buy a car, buyin a second hand car was ruled out outright. After lots of analysis, the list boiled down to Ford Mustang, Mazda 3 and Mitsubishi Eclipse. As you can see, Mazda3 is the odd man out. I included it in the list because it had a nice engine for a lower price. But the standard features of the car includes just the engine and the body. After adding the "optional features" (even A/C is in that list), the price matched that of the other 2 cars in my list. So first one to go off the list is Mazda3. Now between Mustang and Eclipse.

The first thing that bothered me abt Mustang is that its from Ford, an American company. Ford is making huges losses recently and the only profit making model is the Mustang. It has nice engine (210hp) but V6. It consumes lot of gas. And its a muscle car. Because of V6 engine and the rugged body, have to eliminate this car frm my list.

Eclipse GS 2006/2007 model is the mitsubishi's newly revamped model frm 2000 model. It has a nice engine (I4 & 165hp) and body is slick. The car is gender independent. Only thing that distinguishes from being a girl's pet is the color of the car. So I chose black color. The acceleration is amazing. I think it reaches 60mph in less than 9 sec. I got the car yday and I was driving the car the whole night yday. And the car is a real head-turner. I am completely satisfied with Eclipse till now :-)

Now that I got my car, I can be independent now!!

My first driving experience!

Texas really sucks when it comes to public transport. There is not even one city in Texas that has a good public transport. And moreover, space is not at all an issue in this state. Each city is widespread. Even to buy a gum (chewing or condom), u need some mode of transportation to get them. That mode is always a car.

When I was in Dallas for 2 weeks, I had no problem as my friend was my official driver. But whn I moved to Houston, my life really sucked. To top it off, my apartment was like 15 miles from the office. I commuted to the office by cab for more than a week and cost me almost 80$ a day. I could not get a licence as I didnt receive my SSN. Then I moved to an apartment which is like 2 miles from office. I bought a bike(bicycle) to commute to office. But I still needed someone to buy groceries and stuff. I didnt have any problem with that as the people here are so friendly and nice.

I got my licence after some failures in the road test:( Last week I rented a car to have a nice time with my brother who came down here from California to visit me. I saw a glimse of "american dream" whn i got the car. Total independence and go anywhere anytime u want. I just enjoyed drivin alone with some good music playin along. ( But my taste has gone awful, I now like Tamil Rock songs like freeya vudu, vaadi vaadi, et al.) When i retured the car after my brother left, I felt like I am handicapped.

I'll blog my experience whn i get my own car which will be in near future! Till then drive safe!