I was more than sure, what I wanted to do. The course of events were so perfectly laid out in my mind that not even once did I doubt their occurrence. As always, back to my belief, what you think will happen for sure, will definitely not happen and yes, my course did take a minor detour !
Microsoft, every software engineer's dream was something I hadn't even thought about. With my goal of acquiring a Masters degree in the USA so strong and unperturbed, I had no intention of working so soon in life. The carefree life of a student without any responsibility was what I desired the most. Yet, I appeared for the written test only because my friend persuaded me to do so. Along with him, I studied for a mere two days, and wrote the test. After the test, I was only too sure that I would not clear it and was happy that what I had planned for the past five long years was still intact.
A month later, I got the news that I got through the written test and the interview was the very next day which meant very little or no preparation at all. Even after three rounds of interviews, I was sure I wouldn't make it. Exhausted by the events of the day, I wearily got into an auto after 45 minutes of bargaining. It was a long way from Gachibowli to LB Nagar. Along mid way, I received a call from my father saying someone had informed him that I got through. I couldn't believe it and thought that it was a prank which one of my many mischievous classmates were playing. For the first time in the day, I sensed some excitation in my mind. In the next few minutes, I received a swarm of congratulatory messages, only then was I certain that I was recruited into one of the most coveted companies in the world !
One thing that this experience taught me was that an interview does not depend on a weeks preparation or even that of four years, it depends on your entire lifetime, the experiences that taught you, gave you ideas, the sleepless nights during your projects, the essay writing and elocution competitions in school, every small thing that the 20 odd years of your life taught you.
Another important thing that I learnt is that no decision is concrete until done. Ideas, plans even decisions although the word carries an amount of definiteness in it, are virtual. One moment holds in it the power of changing the decisions of a lifetime !
